Ukraine has been caught in a tug-of-war between the European Union and its former master, Russia. The Euromaidan protests began when pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned a free trade agreement with the EU that would have tied Ukraine closely to the West. Protesters in Kiev's Independence Square swelled to about 300,000, and the government answered with harsh anti-protest laws, which parliament later repealed. Deaths mounted, from the Hrushevskoho Street riots in January to street battles and rooftop sniper fire in February that killed dozens. Prime Minister Azarov resigned, and all sides agreed to form a new government and hold elections on May 25. Yanukovych fled to southern Russia, and parliament gave presidential powers to its new speaker, Oleksandr Turchinov, an ally of Yulia Tymoshenko. The instability provoked a strong reaction in the pro-Russian east, especially Crimea, where Russians make up nearly 60% of the population. Armed men in unmarked fatigues seized government buildings and airfields there, and Russia's upper house authorized force to protect Russians in Ukraine. On March 18 Putin signed a treaty annexing Crimea, Russia's first border expansion since World War II. The UN General Assembly declared the annexation illegal, yet Western objections have been weak and ineffective, and Russia intends to keep the territory. Putin manipulated the crisis, weakening Ukraine to make intervention inevitable, and the move shows Russia is once again a power to reckon with. Whether this fulfills end-time prophecy cannot be known, but a prince of Rosh taking such initiative brings Ezekiel 38 to mind.

In March 2014, after Crimea broke away from Ukraine, Russia annexed it, asserting control over the region. More recently, Vladimir Putin has declared that the Kremlin would not permit a military defeat of the ethnically Russian partisans fighting in eastern Ukraine. While America and the European Union protested and imposed sanctions, they took no significant steps to restrain Russian power. Additionally, Putin has shifted Russia's natural gas pipeline strategy, announcing that future gas would be piped through Turkey rather than Ukraine, causing European nations to seek alternative import solutions. The Russian deputy warned that the Russian people would demand a forceful response if NATO sent arms to Ukraine, highlighting the tense situation. Furthermore, conditions similar to those in Ukraine, which prompted Russian action, now exist in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, where significant numbers of citizens identify as ethnically Russian, potentially escalating regional conflicts.

Recent changes have seen the replacement of relatively Kremlin-friendly leaders in Ukraine with those who are pro-Western. The Orange Revolution in Ukraine resulted in pro-Europe and pro-NATO Viktor Yushchenko ousting pro-Moscow Viktor Yanukovich. This development could carry devastating consequences for Russia. Yushchenko has indicated interest in bringing Ukraine into the NATO fold. Ukraine hosts Russia's only warm deepwater naval base along with the main infrastructure connections especially for energy to the outside world. If Ukraine joins NATO or the EU it would place a potential Russian enemy less than 300 miles from Moscow. Ukraine's turn to the West leaves Russia essentially indefensible by conventional warfare standards. These events in the Russian sphere of influence including Ukraine set the stage for Russia to seek partnerships such as with Germany.