After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the world’s largest country was split up into several smaller countries including Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine has been in a state of chaos as of late, marked by violent clashes between riot police and protestors in the capital city of Kiev. The protestors wished to overthrow then-president Viktor Yanukovych because he favored strengthening relations with Russia, their neighbor to the north, over the European Union. As violence in the streets began to escalate, Yanukovych fled and Ukrainian parliament voted to oust him as president. The parliament named Oleksandr Turchynov to serve as interim president until a general election can be held to elect a new one.

On 28 February, Russian troops moved into the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, seizing airports and various other strategic locations in the region, including various Ukrainian military bases. Russian president Vladimir Putin claims that the troops are protecting the Russian-speaking majority living in Crimea from the dangerous anti-Russian protests. Putin’s motives has come into question however, as the Crimean peninsula is located at a strategic position on the Black Sea and houses the Russian Navy’s Black Sea fleet.

While under occupation by Russian troops, Crimea held a vote for its citizens to decide whether to stay with Ukraine or join Russia. Results of the vote showed an overwhelming 97% of participants favor Crimean annexation by Russia. Ukrainian military personnel were offered the opportunity to defect to Russia, and those that decided not to were forced back to mainland Ukraine. After the vote, Russian president Vladimir Putin approved a bill that would add Crimea to the Russian Federation, returning it from Ukraine after the leaders of the Soviet Union sent Crimea to Ukraine in February of 1954.

“I am certain that passing the document will become a turning point in the destiny of multi-ethnic nations of Crimea and Russia, who are related with close ties of the historical unity,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

The developments have been viewed as a breach of international law, and a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty by countries in the west such as the European Union and the United States. Sanctions against Ukrainian and Russian officials who played a role in the crisis have been put in place with hopes that economic dysfunction will help calm the situation.

“Any violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would be deeply destabilizing,” President of the United States Barack Obama declared. “Such action by Russia would represent a profound interference in matters that must be decided by the Ukrainian people.”

Leaders of countries formed by the fall of the Soviet Union fear for their own security, as Russia appears to be a wildcard in the international community. What happens from here can only be decided by Putin himself, but this crisis is not something to be taken lightly.