4. Crimea
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, a move that has been widely condemned as a violation of international law. The peninsula holds significant strategic military value, housing Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, and is culturally important to Russia. The annexation led to international sanctions against Russia and intensified the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The European Court of Human Rights has found evidence of multiple human rights violations in Crimea since the annexation (reuters.com). For more information, see Britannica’s article on Crimea.
