Geopolitics › Russia & Eurasia › Russia–Ukraine war
Russian-occupied Ukraine (including Crimea)
About 19% of Ukraine; annexations unrecognized· Conflict or rivalry
DisputedContested claims, borders or interpretations.
About 19% of Ukraine, including Crimea and parts of four regions, is held by Russia, which claims to have annexed them.
See it on the Geopolitics map →The picture
Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and backed proxy statelets in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk. In September 2022, after referendums held under occupation, it claimed to annex Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, including areas it does not control. As of mid-2026 open-source maps show about 116,000 km² occupied: all of Crimea, nearly all of Luhansk, and roughly three-quarters of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Ukraine and UN investigators report forced Russian passports, deported children and suppression of Ukrainian identity.
Why it matters
Territory is the core sticking point in peace talks; any deal must decide whether these lines are frozen, recognized or contested for years.
Key facts and numbers
UN General Assembly votes (143 states rejected the 2022 annexations), DeepState and ISW front-line maps, and UN human-rights reports.
What to watch
Disputed: Russia calls these lands Russia; Ukraine and most states call it occupation. Whether the US or others will recognize Russian control, in fact or in law, is open.
Connections (2)
▸Russia claims to have annexed Russian-occupied Ukraine (including Crimea)Disputed
The relationship
Russia staged referendums under occupation, then declared Crimea (2014) and four mainland regions (2022) part of Russia, writing them into its constitution. It now demands that Ukraine withdraw from the rest of Donetsk as a condition for peace.
Since when and why
Crimea annexed March 18, 2014; Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson claimed on September 30, 2022, in a Kremlin ceremony.
How solid?
The annexation decrees are public; independent observers rejected the referendums, and the UN General Assembly voted 143–5 in October 2022 that the annexations are invalid.
What to watch
Disputed: Russia says residents chose Russia; Ukraine and most states call it illegal. The US floated recognizing Crimea as Russian in 2025, which Kyiv rejects.
▸US-brokered Ukraine peace talks stalled over Russian-occupied Ukraine (including Crimea)Widely agreed
The relationship
Territory is the main deadlock. Russia demands that Ukraine withdraw from the roughly fifth of Donetsk province it still holds and wants its annexations recognized. Ukraine refuses to cede land it controls, its constitution requires a national referendum for any border change, and it proposes freezing the current front line.
Since when and why
The sticking point since the Alaska summit in August 2025, through the November 2025 US plan, Geneva talks and 2026 rounds in Abu Dhabi, Moscow and Kyiv.
How solid?
Public statements by Putin, Zelensky and US envoys, leaked plan drafts that included a Donbas withdrawal, and Kremlin demands repeated in official readouts.
What to watch
Unclear whether a 'demilitarized' or 'free economic zone' compromise for Donbas could satisfy both sides, and whether any recognition would be de facto or legal.