What happened in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and why is it a central element in the current war?

This is how Putin celebrated the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea 1:02 (CNN Spanish) — Long before Russian tanks crossed the border with Ukraine from the north, east and south at the end of February, starting a war that still persists, the Ukrainians already lived daily with the armed conflict around two of their territories, Crimea and Donbas, taken by Russia and pro-Russian rebels. The conflict between Ukraine and Russia is very old. But the crisis turned violent in March 2014 with Russia’s annexation of Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula on the Black Sea, and deepened months later with the rise of pro-Russian rebels in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, part of the Donbas. Ukraine condemned the annexation of Crimea, and still claims the territory. And in Donbas, in the east, it reacted militarily against the separatists, who created the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics. After several months of war, the parties reached a first – and unsuccessful – ceasefire in September 2014, which was followed by new attempts in 2015 and 2017. The tensions and violence never ceased, especially in the line of contact in the east between Ukrainian forces and rebels. Why is Donbas key in the Russia-Ukraine conflict? 0:56This is a look at the conflict in Crimea and Donbas that broke out in 2014, which is at the heart of the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. Timeline of the crisis The annexation of Crimea February 28, 2014 — Andrii Parubii, Ukraine’s national defense and security chief, says the country’s military and police forces have prevented Russian military forces from seizing two airports in Crimea. March 1, 2014 — The upper house of the Russian Parliament votes to send troops to Crimea on the same day Crimea’s pro-Russian leader Sergey Aksyonov asks Russian President Vladimir Putin for help keeping the peace. March 3, 2014 – Ukraine’s ambassador, Yuriy Sergeyev, tells an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that Russia used planes, ships and helicopters to flood Crimea with 16,000 troops. March 4, 2014 – US Secretary of State John Kerry visits Ukraine and announces that the United States will provide Ukraine’s new government with a $1 billion loan guarantee. Senior US administration officials told CNN this will help insulate the Ukrainian economy from the effects of Russia’s reduced energy subsidies. Moscow says it is now focusing on the Donbas region 2:49March 6, 2014 — Crimea’s parliament votes to hold a referendum on leaving Ukraine and becoming part of Russia. March 16, 2014 — In the Crimean referendum, 96.7% vote to leave Ukraine and join Russia. March 17, 2014 – United States and European Union officials announce sanctions on more than two dozen Russian officials and their allies in Crimea. The Crimean regional parliament asks to join Russia, and in Moscow, Putin signs a decree recognizing the independence and sovereignty of the Republic of Crimea. March 18, 2014 – In Moscow, Putin signs an annexation pact with the Prime Minister of Crimea and the mayor of the city of Sevastopol. March 18, 2014 — In response to masked soldiers — and without insignia — killing one member of the Ukrainian military, wounding another, and arresting the rest of the staff at a base in Crimea, the Ministry of Defense authorizes his forces in Crimea to use weapons “to protect and preserve the lives of Ukrainian soldiers”. March 22, 2014 – In Crimea, Russian special forces take control of the Belbek air base and pro-Russian self-defense forces take control of the Novofederoskoe military base and a Ukrainian ship, the Slavutych. More evidence of Russian soldiers near Ukraine emerges 0:44War in Donbas April 15, 2014 — Ukraine’s acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, tells the country’s parliament that an “anti-terrorist operation” is underway in the troubled eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine. Tensions have soared in recent days in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels have seized government and police buildings in up to 10 towns and cities. May 27, 2014 – Authorities announce that a battle between pro-Russian rebels and government forces at Donetsk airport has claimed 40 lives. June 27, 2014 — Ukraine signs a trade deal with the European Union, the same deal Yanukovych backed out of in 2013. July 17, 2014 — Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in eastern Ukraine after being shot down by a surface plane with an aerial missile, according to the United States. All 298 people on board are killed. September 20, 2014 – Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists agree to a ceasefire, the so-called Minsk Protocol. February 11, 2015 – French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and Putin meet in Minsk, Belarus, for peace talks. Russia’s annexation of Crimea turns five years old 2:37February 12, 2015 — Peace talks end with a breakthrough: a ceasefire and an agreement, known as Minsk II, for both sides to withdraw heavy weapons. In March, heavy weapons are withdrawn from the front, but the violence continues. February 20, 2017 – A new ceasefire begins aimed at ending the bloody fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists. The ceasefire is a new attempt to enforce the Minsk peace protocol, an agreement that has failed repeatedly since it was first partially implemented in 2015. The current crisis December 3, 2021 — After months of steady increases of troops along the Russia-Ukraine border, CNN reports that Russian forces have capabilities along the Ukraine border to carry out a rapid and immediate invasion, including building supply lines such as medical units and fuel. that could sustain a protracted conflict, if Moscow decides to invade. February 21, 2021 – Putin signs decrees recognizing the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic in a ceremony broadcast on state television. The move comes amid rising tensions and fears of a Moscow invasion of Kyiv. February 24, 2022 — Putin, makes a speech early Thursday morning, saying he had decided to “carry out a special military operation… to protect people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the regime.” of Kyiv for eight years,” repeating an unsubstantiated claim about the Russian separatist-backed Donbas region of Ukraine.