Russian takeover of Crimea.

On this day in 2014, the first major event of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war occurred- the Russian takeover of Crimea. ~120 Russian special forces of the GRU without insignia ("little green men") seized the Verkhovna Rada in Simferopol, Crimea. They would hold the members of the Rada hostage at gunpoint and force them to dissolve the Crimean government. Pro-Russian Sergey Aksyonov whose party only received 4% of the vote in the prior election was installed as the Prime Minister of Crimea. In the ensuing days and weeks, Russian forces would consolidate control and the Russian government would formally annex Crimea.

Maidan was not a coup. This takeover of Crimea was a coup and it was brazenly carried out by the Russian military. Polling prior to the annexation showed that only 23% of Crimeans wanted to be part of Russia. Most wanted the status quo maintained as part of Ukraine.

Pictured are the "little green men" of the Russian spetsnaz that took over the parliament.