Russian Federation

State · 1992–2026 CE · at its largest around 2014 CE

Post-Soviet Russia went through the chaotic market shock and oligarch fortunes of the 1990s before an oil-fueled recovery under Vladimir Putin. Power grew steadily more centralized and repressive, and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 isolated it from the West.

On its lands while it lasted

Mikhail Gorbachev (1931 CE – 2022 CE): Last leader of the Soviet Union, from 1985 to 1991. His policies of glasnost and perestroika and his non-intervention in eastern Europe helped end the Cold War.
First Chechen War (1994–1996 CE): Russia fought separatists of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria from 1994 to 1996; the Battle of Grozny devastated the city. A second war began in 1999.
Skype (2003 CE): Written by developers in Tallinn, Estonia, Skype made free voice and video calls over the internet an everyday thing.
Tulip Revolution (2005 CE): Protests in Kyrgyzstan that overthrew President Askar Akayev.
First North Korean nuclear test (2006 CE): North Korea conducted its first nuclear test at Punggye-ri.
Pristina (c. 2008 CE): Capital of Kosovo (2008–today).
Revolution of Dignity (Euromaidan) (2014 CE): Protests on Kyiv's Maidan that began in late 2013 over rejection of an EU agreement culminated in deadly clashes in February 2014 and President Yanukovych's flight.
Annexation of Crimea by Russia (2014 CE): Russia seized and annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in February–March 2014 after a disputed referendum. Most countries do not recognise the annexation.
Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022–2026 CE): Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the largest conflict in Europe since World War II. Its forces were repelled from around Kyiv, and fighting continued in the east and south.