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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Has Russia been occupying parts of Ukraine since the 2014 invasion?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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YES

The Russian government annexed Ukrainian-governed Crimea in March 2014 and has since expanded its military presence there and advanced infrastructure projects linking the Ukrainian peninsula directly to Russia. 

The U.N., the U.S., and the European Union regard Russia's annexation of Crimea as illegal. The U.N. General Assembly has adopted several resolutions, including one in December, urging Russia to withdraw from Crimea and end its growing military presence there. The U.S. and the E.U. have also demanded an end to the occupation, imposing sanctions on Russia in response to its actions.

In recent months, Russia has increased its military presence in Crimea and on the Ukrainian border, including near Donetsk and Luhansk—two separatist territories in eastern Ukraine occupied by pro-Russian rebels.

Russia views Ukraine as an important buffer against NATO and seeks to prevent it from joining the military alliance.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Brookings Crimea: Six years after illegal annexation
Encyclopædia Britannica Ukraine - The crisis in Crimea and eastern Ukraine
United Nations General Assembly adopts 51 resolutions, 13 decisions forwarded by Fourth, Sixth Committees
US Department of State Crimea Is Ukraine
Al-Jazeera Ukraine-Russia crisis: Ceasefire violations rise at contact line
CNBC Russia is risking all-out war to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.