CHRONOLOGY OF RUSSIAN CRIMES
Detailed overview of the chronology of crimes committed by russia in recent decades.
1992
Occupation of Transnistria
russia has supported pro-russian separatists in Transnistria, using the 14th army of the russian armed forces. The russian military was directly involved in hostilities against Moldova, which led to a frozen conflict that continues to this day.
Support for separatists in Abkhazia
russia provided weapons, combat instructors, and direct military support to the Abkhaz separatists. russian aviation and warships attacked Georgian positions, which resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands of Georgians from Abkhazia.
1994
First Chechen War
russia waged a full-scale war against Chechnya to destroy the country's independence. The russian army employed a scorched earth policy, carrying out mass bombings and artillery attacks that resulted in numerous civilian casualties.
1995
russian mercenaries' role in the Bosnian Genocide
russian mercenaries fought alongside Serb forces and took part in crimes against Bosnian Muslims, including the massacre of over 8,000 people in Srebrenica.
1999
Second Chechen War
The russian federation re-invaded Chechnya, employing massive bombings and punitive operations against the civilian population. russian troops razed entire cities, conducted extrajudicial executions, and carried out abductions and torture of Chechens. moscow installed a puppet regime, effectively dismantling the Chechen national movement.
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2006
Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in London

Victim
Alexander Litvinenko, a former officer of russia's Federal Security Service (FSB)

Cause
Poisoned by russian military intelligence due to his criticism of the regime

Outcome
Death
2008
russian war against Georgia
The russian federation launched a military invasion of Georgia, occupying South Ossetia and Abkhazia and recognizing them as 'independent.' The invasion was accompanied by the ethnic cleansing of the Georgian population.
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2009
The assassination of Umar Izrailov in Austria

Victim
Umar Izrailov, a former bodyguard of Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov

Cause
His criticism of Kadyrov's occupation government in Chechnya

Outcome
Abducted and shot dead
2012
The assassination of Alexander Perepelichny in the UK

Victim
Alexander Perepelichny, a russian businessman

Cause
Exposure of corruption schemes in russia

Outcome
Died suddenly in the UK under suspicious circumstances, with allegations of poisoning by a rare toxin, though his death was not officially classified as a homicide.
2014
russian war against Ukraine
russia occupied Crimea and launched hostilities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, deploying regular troops, special services, and mercenaries, while also financially supporting separatists. The fighting led to 17,000 deaths on the Ukrainian side and caused a humanitarian catastrophe.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 shot down near Donetsk
The russian military shot down a Malaysian Boeing 777 over Donbas using a Buk missile system, resulting in the deaths of 298 civilians. An international investigation confirmed that the missile system had been brought from russia.
2015
The attempted assassination of Emilian Gebrev

Victim
Emilian Gebrev, a Bulgarian arms dealer who is believed to have supplied weapons to Ukraine amidst the Russian aggression

Cause
Emilian Gebrev allegedly supported Ukraine with weapons

Outcome
Poisoning with a substance similar to Novichok
Bundestag 2015 cyber attack
russian hackers launched a large-scale cyberattack on the German parliament, stealing personal data from employees and attempting to influence political processes.
russian intervention in Syria
The russian federation supported the Bashar al-Assad regime by deploying troops and targeting civilian areas, leading to numerous civilian casualties.
2016
Attempted coup d'etat in Montenegro
russian agents orchestrated a plot to assassinate the prime minister and overthrow the government to prevent the country from joining NATO.
2017
Assassination of Oleksandr 'Dushman' Haraberyush, a Ukrainian special forces and counterintelligence officer, in Mariupol
Assassination of Colonel Yuriy Voznyi, a counterintelligence officer, near Kostiantynivka
Assassination of Major-General Maksym Shapoval in Kyiv
Assassination of Timur Makhauri, a citizen of Sakartvelo and a fighter against the Kremlin regime, in Kyiv
2018
The poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury

Victim
Sergei Skripal, a former Soviet and russian military intelligence officer

Cause
Provided the British intelligence with information about russian agents abroad

Outcome
Poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent
The Amesbury Poisoning
An accidental victim, Dawn Sturgess, died in the British city after being exposed to remnants of Novichok.
2019
The murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili

Victim
Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a former Chechen field commander

Cause
Khangoshvili's opposition to the central government of russia, the governments of the autonomous republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia, and the pro-russian government of Georgia

Outcome
Shot dead
2020
The flare-up of the war in Nagorno Karabakh
russia played a role in destabilizing the region by using the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan to maintain its influence in the South Caucasus.
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2022
russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine
russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine, committing widespread war crimes and acts of genocide.
Jamming GPS signals in the Baltic States
russia has been actively jamming GPS signals in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia to disrupt both military and civilian aviation systems.
Damage to a cable connecting Norway to an Arctic satellite station
russian agents deliberately damaged a critical communications cable used for satellite communications in the Arctic.
2023
Explosion at an arms factory in Bulgaria
russian agents orchestrated an explosion at a factory that produced weapons for Ukraine's allies.
Attack on the interior minister's car and journalists
Russian agents carried out an attack in an attempt to intimidate the government and independent media.
2024
Attempted assassination of Armin Papperger
russian agents were reportedly preparing an assassination attempt on Armin Papperger, the CEO of Rheinmetall, a German defense company that manufactures weapons for Ukraine.
Assassination of fugitive russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov

Victim
Maxim Kuzminov, a fugitive Russian military pilot

Cause
In August 2023, Kuzminov defected to Ukraine, flying a Mi-8 military helicopter, and surrendered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Outcome
Assassinated in Spain
Sabotage at weapons depots in the Czech Republic
russian agents carried out explosions at military equipment warehouses to disrupt the delivery of aid to Ukraine.
Explosion at an arms factory in the UK
The explosion, carried out by saboteurs, targeted the production facilities of the British defense sector.
Water contamination attempt at military bases in Germany
russia attempted to poison the water supply at NATO bases, which could have significantly harmed military personnel.
Arson at an industrial warehouse in the UK
russian agents carried out an arson attack on the facility to inflict economic damage and create chaos.
Damage to communication cables between Germany, Finland, Sweden, and Lithuania
russia attacked undersea communication cables in an effort to disrupt strategic communication routes between European countries.
Attempts to plant explosives on DHL cargo flights in the UK
russia attempted to bomb cargo planes of the international carrier, which could have resulted in civilian casualties.
Preparation for sabotage acts at Rzeszów Airport
Polish intelligence services prevented attacks on critical logistics infrastructure used for delivering aid to Ukraine.
Arson at a DHL warehouse in Germany
A large quantity of cargo was destroyed in the arson, potentially affecting logistics operations across Europe.
Arrest of two russian spies plotting attacks in Germany
Agents were discovered planning attacks against military and logistics targets in the country.
Downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane by russian air defense missiles
A passenger plane flying from Baku (Azerbaijan) to Grozny (Chechnya, russia) was shot down by russian air defense missiles.
Attempted disruption of the railway signalling system in the Czech Republic
russian saboteurs attempted to disable critical security infrastructure.
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