- a.Russia has occupied Ukranian territories in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions—also known as the Donbas
- b.The war started in February, 2022
- c.Russian invasion of Ukraine was driven by a desire to stop its integration into Western alliances (NATO/EU)
- d.Crimea has been taken over by Russian forces from Ukraine during the current war
Answer: (D) Crimea has been taken over by Russian forces from Ukraine during the current war
Answer as of 2024 — this may have changed since.
Statement D is the incorrect one: Russia seized and annexed Crimea in February-March 2014, after the fall of the Yanukovych government, eight years before the present war. The full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022 (B is correct); Russia holds large parts of Luhansk and Donetsk, together called the Donbas (A is correct), and in September 2022 proclaimed the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson; and stopping Ukraine's movement towards NATO and the EU is among Russia's stated motives (C is correct). Geography to note: Crimea lies between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, with the naval base of Sevastopol; Finland (2023) and Sweden (2024) joined NATO after the invasion.