Following the independence of
Ukraine on 24 August 1991, Russia recognized Ukraine's independence on 5 December 1991. Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and
Russia were established on 14 February 1992 by the signing of the Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. On 6 August 1992,
Russia opened an embassy in
Kyiv.[citation needed]
During early March 2014, demonstrations were held outside the Russian embassy in Kyiv in response to a
Russian intervention in Crimea.[3] On 14 June 2014 between 200 and 300 protesters overturned several cars of embassy staff and replaced the
Russian flag with the
flag of the
Ukrainian Insurgent Army in protest against Russian governmental involvement in the
2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine.[4][5] The protests were followed by "negotiations" (organised by the
Security Service of Ukraine) between protesters and the embassy's staff.[6] During these, the protesters demanded that the personnel of the Russian embassy "as a hotbed of
anti-Ukrainian activities" should immediately leave Ukraine and that Russia should recognize that it was waging an
undeclared war against Ukraine.[6][7]
On 23 February 2022, the embassy was evacuated for what were described as safety reasons.[8] The day after,
Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, prompting Ukraine to sever all formal diplomatic relations with Russia.[9]