The human rights situation in Ukraine has been rapidly worsening since the spring of 2014, when Russian troops invaded Crimea and Russian-backed separatists started a war in Eastern Ukraine. In Crimea, the de-facto government has persecuted dissidents, in particular the indigenous Crimean Tatars, ever since Russia annexed the peninsula. The conflict in Eastern Ukraine continues to claim lives, and both sides of the conflict have repeatedly violated international humanitarian law and caused major harm to the civilian population.