Ukraine and Russia declared a ceasefire on February 15 after an almost yearlong war.

The ceasefire came to be after several hours of negotiation by the Ukrainian, Russian, German, and French leaders over ending the war. However, according to The New York Times and The Independent, the ceasefire is already proving to be ineffective with rebel leaders refusing to follow the order and  sounds of gunfire the night after the ceasefire had been called between Ukrainian and Russian troops.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the tension has been present between Ukraine and Russia since 1991 when Ukraine declared its independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). It then continues into 2013 with President Yanukovych’s cabinet abandoning an agreement on closer trade ties with the European Union (EU), instead looking for a closer cooperation with Russia, beginning small protests.

Throughout 2014, Ukrainians have protested about being an independent nation. These protests and battles, however, have resulted in masses of bloodshed, taking more then 5,400 lives of many Ukrainian and Russian people since April. Military force has been initiated within Ukraine, and troops are still present today.

The war is fought between pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine, Russian troops, and pro-independent Ukrainian citizens. The United States has backed the Ukrainian government in 2014 and has continued to do so in 2015.