the flag of russia flutters against the blue sky on a sunny day on a concrete pole. the confrontation between russia and

national symbol patriotism sovereignty territorial integrity conflict tension political crisis diplomatic talks negotiation ceasefire military intervention annexation referendum sanctions international bilateral agreements border historical background differences language ethnic propaganda foreign strategic location black crimea donbass donetsk luhansk kyiv moscow putin poroshenko zelensky maidan revolution minsk osce un security council peacekeeping