Circle the area on this map
D. After a pro-Russian president in Ukraine was ousted in 2014, relations between the nations became hostile. Russian-backed forces have seized Ukrainian territory, and Ukraine now fears a full-scale invasion. Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan along with Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are members of the Russian-led military alliance.
D. The three small nations on the Baltic Sea joined NATO in 2004 to help ensure they could maintain their independence from Russia. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1988-1991, NATO expanded into many areas once under Soviet control. Russian President Vladimir Putin, a former member of the KGB Soviet spy agency, has demanded that NATO stop expanding into Russia’s “sphere of influence.”
B. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, often referred to as Europe's last dictator, faced mass street protests in August 2020, demanding that he step down after an election that the opposition said was rigged. Putin backed Lukashenko as he cracked down severely on his opposition.
A. Kazakhstan’s eastern neighbor China is the biggest market for Kazakh oil and natural gas. U.S. oil companies help Kazakhstan extract its natural riches, but the landlocked country is dependent on Russia to deliver its oil and natural gas to European markets like Germany.