The Ukrainian rupture belt: a new cold war. Yanukovych's pro-Russian government was powerless in the face of the popular movement of the Ukrainian people who demanded European integration after the government's decision. Peaceful protests that began in November 2013 lasted for months and turned violent in 2014. The pro-European opposition clashed with the pro-Russian government. In areas where European influence was strong, local governments were occupied by protesters. The culmination of Euromaidan was the February clashes, which later became a revolution. Even though the movement ended with the signing of the Association Agreement, the new government had to face difficult consequences. With the fall of the pro-Russian government, Russia lost a very important ally for the European Union and NATO. President Vladimir Putin took a big risk and invaded Crimea, which sparked strong reactions from the West. Even Russia's closest allies support Ukraine's territorial integrity. The information war between the West and Russia has further intensified and reached levels higher than those of the Russo-Georgian War (2008). Russian media naturally defend the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol as a democratic referendum and justify military intervention by protecting the rights of the Russian population of Crimea. The referendum was highly controversial due to unusually high turnout and the pro-Russian vote created speculation that the referendum was falsified by the Russian government. Western media condemns Russia for the year...... middle of newspaper ...... international community, but isolating the government does not mean isolating the Russian people, due to the current technological development which was not not present on time, even if the government tries to suppress freedoms. (McFaul, 2014) Current events have shown that there are many more potential seat belts in the world than might first appear. Although Ukraine's destruction belt is still potential, it has led to a deterioration in international relations not seen since the Cold War. The Russian economy cannot withstand a new Cold War. Current events will most likely lead to Russia's relative isolation from the international community and stagnation of its economy, as there is no sign that Russia will abandon Crimea. The 'sanctions war' between Russia and the West will continue until consensus is reached..