The term " Cold War II " gained currency and relevance as tensions between Russia and the West escalated throughout the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine followed by the Russian military intervention and especially the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July 2014 . By August 2014 , both sides had implemented economic , financial , and diplomatic sanctions upon each other : virtually all Western countries , led by the US and European Union , imposed punitive measures on Russia , which introduced retaliatory measures
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
Second Cold War