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Ukraine abandons trade tie agreement with the EU.
Instead choosing to cooperate closer with Russia. Small protests start. -
Protests gather support.
Some 100,000 people attend a demonstration in Kiev. -
Protests escalate.
Protesters occupy Kiev city hall and Independence Square, some 800,000 people rally in Kiev. -
Vladimir Putin throws economic lifeline.
Putin agrees to buy $15bn of Ukraine's debt and reduces the price of Russian gas by a third -
Parliament passes anti-protest laws.
Protest clashes with the military and police begin to turn deadly and protesters begin storming regional government offices in Western Ukraine. -
Anti-protest law annulled.
Ukrainian Prime Minister resigns and annuls the anti-protest law. Amnesty bill is passes but rejected by the opposition. -
Arrested protesters released.
All 234 protesters arrested since December are released. Kiev city hall, occupied since 1 December, is abandoned by demonstrators, along with other public buildings in regions. -
Violence erupts in Independence Square
Reasons unclear, 18 are killed -
88 protesters killed in Kiev.
Kiev sees its worst day of violence for almost 70 years. At least 88 people are killed in 48 hours. Video shows uniformed snipers firing at protesters holding makeshift shields. -
Yanukovych's disappearance causes crisis.
President Yanukovych disappears. Protesters take control of presidential administration buildings. Parliament votes to remove president from power with elections set for 25 May -
Vote for Russian second language ban.
Parliament votes to ban Russian as the second official language, causing a wave of anger in Russian-speaking regions; the vote is later overturned. Parliament names speaker Olexander Turchynov as interim president. Arseniy Yatsenyuk is nominated prime minister -
Pro-Russian Rebels seize buildings in Crimean Capital
Pro-Russian gunmen seize key buildings in the Crimean capital, Simferopol. Unidentified gunmen in combat uniforms appear outside Crimea's main airports. -
Putin requests to use military force in Ukraine
Russian parliament approves President Vladimir Putin's request to use force in Ukraine to protect Russian interests. -
Crimea's referendum to join Russia reportedly backed by 97%
Crimea's secession referendum on joining Russia is backed by 97% of voters, organisers say, but vote condemned by West as a sham. -
Travel bans imposed on Russian and Ukrainian officials by EU and US
The EU and US impose travel bans and asset freezes on several officials from Russia and Ukraine over the Crimea referendum. -
Putin signs bill to absorb Crimea
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Protesters occupy government buildings in east Ukrainian
Protesters occupy government buildings in the east Ukrainian cities of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv, calling for a referendum on independence. Ukrainian authorities regain control of Kharkiv government buildings the next day. -
Russia, Ukraine, US and EU attempt to de-escalate crisis.
Russia, Ukraine, the US and the EU say they have agreed at talks in Geneva on steps to "de-escalate" the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Three people are killed when Ukrainian security forces fend off a raid on a base in Mariupol - the first violent deaths in the east. -
Acting president of Ukraine orders relaunch of military operations in the East.
Ukraine's acting president orders the relaunch of military operations against pro-Russian militants in the east. -
Pro-Russian separatists declare independence.
Pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk declare independence after unrecognised referendums. -
Ukraine elects Petro Poroshenko.
Ukraine elects Petro Poroshenko as president in an election not held in much of the east. -
EU signs association agreement with Ukraine.
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MH17 shot down over rebel held territory.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam is shot down near the village of Grabove in rebel-held territory, with the loss of 298 lives. -
EU and US sanction Russia
The EU and US announce new sanctions against Russia. -
Russia delivers humanitarian aid without Ukrainian permission
A huge Russian convoy delivers humanitarian aid to the government-besieged city of Luhansk without Ukrainian permission. -
Ukraine and Pro-Russian rebels sign truce
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Significant withdrawal of Russian troops
NATO reports a "significant" withdrawal of Russian troops from eastern Ukraine. -
Human Rights Watch accuses Ukraine
Human Rights Watch says it has strong evidence Ukraine attacked populated areas of Donetsk with cluster bombs, banned by many other states. -
Russia resumes gas supply to Ukraine
Russia agrees to resume gas supplies to Ukraine over the winter in a deal brokered by the EU. -
NATO Commander reports Russian re-entry of Ukraine.
NATO commander Gen Philip Breedlove says Russian military equipment and Russian combat troops have been seen entering Ukraine in columns over several days. -
Minsk Protocol capitulates.
By January, the Minsk Protocol ceasefire has completely collapsed after a wave of heavy fighting breaks, notably at the Donetsk airport, a symbolic battlefield where Ukrainian forces sustain many casualties. -
Preliminary ceasefire reported.
Russia implored to halt actions in Eastern Ukraine by Barack Obama. Preliminary ceasefire and scheme to remove heavy weapons agreed. -
Minsk II agreement signed in Ukraine.
Agreement lays out a plan for a complete ceasefire and further, broader political concerns in the coming years. Potentially ending conflict in Ukraine. -
Poroshenko calls for UN peacekeepers.
Fighting in Ukraine begins to spread as the Ukrainian army retreats. Poroshenko calls for UN peacekeeping forces to monitor the Ceasefire. -
Rebels and Ukrainian military begin to withdraw heavy weaponry.
In compliance with the Minsk II agreement, all weapons with a caliber over 100mm begin to be withdrawn from the border region. -
Putin admits to secret plans for Crimean annexation.
Contrary to past claims, Putin admits that his government had plans to annex Crimea prior to the sighting of rebel forces in March of 2014 -
US troops begin to train Ukrainian military
Poroshenko says: "This brings Ukrainian and US military cooperation into a fundamentally new dimension. -
Violence reemerges before further Minsk talks.
Following the news of the new Minsk talks, rebel activity saw a significant rise over a period of 24 hours. -
Ukraine annuls military agreements with Russia.
Five military agreements between Ukraine and Russia annulled following extensive Russian support for rebellion on Eastern Ukraine. -
Russian forces reportedly mass on the border.
Military personnel bearing no identifying marks or insignia mass on the border between Russia and Ukraine. Similar in nature to the unidentified soldiers that undertook invasion and annexation of Crimea in March of 2014. -
EU extends sanctions on Russia.
EU agrees upon a six-month extension of sanctions on Russia, running until the end of January 2016. -
Gas negotiations between Ukraine and Russia end without agreement.
Ukraine dismisses Russian suggestions of a short term deal. EU and the Ukraine seek a longer term deal but this does not appeal to Russia. -
Pentagon announces plans to train Ukrainian military.
By the end of 2015, the Pentagon plans to assist in the training of all military troops whereas before it was limited to interior ministry troops. -
EU leaders set plans to reengage Putin in the political sphere.
Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande plan to speak with Putin about resolving the conflict in Ukraine. -
Shelling in Ukraine halted.
The September 2015 ceasefire has more of an impact than those of the past. -
EU extends sanctions.
EU agrees to extend sanctions for an additional 6 months through until march 2016. -
NATO and Ukraine deepen cooperations.
A number of agreements between the two parties have been agreed upon, with a major focus on counter-Russian propaganda and the development of the Ukrainian military. -
Separatists and Ukrainian military withdraw smaller arms.
Agreement reached for the two warring factions to withdraw mortar shells and rockets with a caliber of less than 100mm. -
Ukraine threaten reversal of withdrawal.
Following the withdrawal from the line of contact, accusations have been thrown about of violations to the ceasefire agreement. Ukraine warn that they may be forced to return to the line of contact in order to protect their interests. -
Russia announces suspension of free trade zone.
Russia announces that they will be suspending the free trade zone with the Ukraine at the beginning of 2016, due to the decision for Ukraine to join a free trade zone with the EU. -
Russians violate ceasefire in Eastern Ukriane
Russians attack Ukrainian positions a reported 84 times in the space of 24 hours. -
New Minsk agreement reached.
The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France announc a ceasefire beginning on February 15th. This agreement was reached after more than 16 hours of marathon discussions in Minsk. It calls for a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists, the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line, and constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy. -
US extend sanctions on Russia.
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NATO considers increasing presence around the Black Sea
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EU agree to extend sanctions.
EU agree to extend sanctions for a further 6 months, until January 2017. -
Fighting continues in East Ukraine.
A serious battle occurred on June 29th near the town of Debaltseve. Ukraine placed blame on the separatist forces.