article_snippet.sent: The aggression, in the military presence of (Russian) soldiers and military equipment in my country, Ukraine, is upsetting.
article_snippet.sent: Tensions in the former Soviet state remain high despite a ceasefire agreed in February as Europe, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of France Francois Hollande, tries to broker a peace deal between the two sides.
article_snippet.sent: The crisis in Ukraine began in November 2013 when former President Victor Yanukovych scuttled a trade deal with the European Union in favor of forging closer economic ties with Russia.
article_snippet.sent: The move triggered a wave of anti-government protests which came to a head Kiev's Maidan Square in February 2014 when clashes between protesters and government security forces left around 100 dead.
article_snippet.sent: The following month, Russian troops entered Ukraine's Crimean peninsula before Russian President Vladimir Putin completed the annexation of Crimea -- a move denounced by most of the world as illegitimate -- after citizens of the region had voted in favor of leaving Ukraine in a referendum.
article_snippet.sent: More than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict to date.
article_snippet.sent: it's hard to believe these days something like that in Europe -- and Ukraine is Europe -- can happen.