Russia joined in 1997 but was suspended in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea.

ISIS seized large territories in Iraq (including Mosul) and Syria (including Raqqa), declaring a self-styled caliphate.

Following the Euromaidan revolution in Ukraine, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, drawing international condemnation.

Kerch Strait, between Crimea and Russia’s Taman Peninsula, connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. It gained attention during the 2014 Crimea conflict.

The ferry capsized while carrying mostly secondary school students, resulting in 304 deaths and widespread criticism of the rescue response.

The Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) separates Ukraine-controlled territory from Russian-annexed Crimea since 2014. It is a de facto boundary, heavily militarized and disputed, as Ukraine and most nations do not recognize Russia’s annexation.

Punjabi is written in the Gurmukhi script in India (Sikh religion) and the Shahmukhi script (a Perso-Arabic variant) in Pakistan, making it a major language spanning both countries.

Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam are the four major languages of the Dravidian family, spoken predominantly in Southern India. Marathi, Punjabi, and Odia are all Indo-Aryan languages.

Latvia adopted the Euro as its official currency in 2014, replacing the Latvian Lats. This transition aligned Latvia with other Eurozone countries, enhancing economic integration within the European Union.