Europe’s own “South China Sea” dispute

In February 2014, masked military troops occupied strategic areas in the Crimean Peninsula, which was formerly part of Ukraine, and eventually shocked the world as it suddenly annexed itself to Russia.

Today, Russian troops positioned itself near Ukraine’s eastern border, escalating tensions in the region once again.

In a recent intelligence report, Russia was seen mobilizing around 4,000 heavily armed military troops much closer to Ukraine than what it did in 2014.

Experts are still trying to predict what will be Moscow’s next move.