List of military occupations

This article is about territorial occupations. For military ranks, see List of comparative military ranks.

This article presents a list of military occupations, both historic and contemporary, but only those that have taken place since the customary laws of belligerent military occupation were first clarified and supplemented by the Hague Convention of 1907. ^[1]

As currently understood in international law, "military occupation" is the effective military control by a power of a territory outside of said power's recognized sovereign territory. ^[2] The occupying power in question may be an individual state or a supranational organization, such as the United Nations.

Contemporary occupations

Military occupations as of 2024 (for colouring correspondence, see below)

	Territory	Since	Occupied state/territory	Occupying state	Occupier's declared state/territory	Status
	Transnistria	1992	Moldova	Russia	Transnistria	Occupation by an armed group under the influence of a foreign power [lower-alpha 1]
	Abkhazia	2008	Georgia		Abkhazia	Occupation by an armed group under the influence of a foreign power [3] [lower-alpha 2]
	South Ossetia				South Ossetia
	Crimea [4] [5]	2014	Ukraine [lower-alpha 3]		Federal subjects of Russia   Republic of Crimea   Sevastopol	Occupation by a foreign power with annexation [3]
	Significant parts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts Negligible part of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv Oblasts	2014 [lower-alpha 4] 2022 [lower-alpha 5]			Federal subjects of Russia [lower-alpha 6]   Donetsk People's Republic [lower-alpha 7] Kherson Oblast Outer Kinburn Peninsula (Mykolaiv Oblast)   Luhansk People's Republic [lower-alpha 8] Zaporizhzhia Oblast Tavilzhanka's environs (Kharkiv Oblast)	Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblasts: DPR & LPR: Occupation by an armed group under the influence of a foreign power (2014–2022) [3] [6] Four oblasts: Occupation by a foreign power with annexation (2022) Russia has annexed the whole region, including parts that it does not control. [lower-alpha 9] Mykolaiv Oblast: Occupation by a foreign power with partial annexation; territory mostly recaptured by Ukraine as of November 2022 [lower-alpha 10] Kharkiv Oblast: Occupation by a foreign power [lower-alpha 11]
	East Jerusalem [13] [14] [15] [16]	1967	Palestinian territories;   Palestine (since 1988 declaration) [lower-alpha 12]	Israel	Part of the Jerusalem District (effectively annexed in 1980)	Occupation by a foreign power with annexation [3] [21] [lower-alpha 13]
	West Bank [22]				Judea and Samaria Area	Occupation by a foreign power, [23] [lower-alpha 14] with de facto partial annexation in the West Bank [3]
	Gaza Strip [lower-alpha 15]				—
	Golan Heights [27] [28] [29]		Syria		Part of the Northern District (effectively annexed in 1981)
	Al-Tanf [31]	2015		United States	—	Occupation by an armed group under the influence of a foreign power [31] [lower-alpha 17]
	Azaz, al-Bab and Jarabulus Districts [32] [33]	2016		Turkey	Syrian Interim Government	Occupation by an armed group under the influence of a foreign power [lower-alpha 18]
	Afrin District	2018				Occupation by an armed group under the influence of a foreign power. [34] [lower-alpha 19]
	Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ayn Districts	2019				Occupation by an armed group under the influence of a foreign power. [lower-alpha 20]
	Northern Cyprus [35]	1974	Cyprus		Northern Cyprus	Occupation by an armed group under the influence of a foreign power [3] [6] [lower-alpha 21]
	Sofulu, Barxudarlı, Yukhari Askipara and Karki [36]	1992	Azerbaijan	Armenia	Part of the Tavush and Ararat Provinces	Occupation by a foreign power
	Artsvashen [37]		Armenia	Azerbaijan	Part of the Gadabay Rayon
	Majority of the Western Sahara [38]	1975	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (declared in 1976)	Morocco	Southern Provinces (annexed between 1976-79)	Occupation by a foreign power with annexation [3] [21] [lower-alpha 22]

Historical occupations

Events before the Hague Convention of 1907 are out of scope.

1907–1919 (miscellaneous)

Occupied territory	Years	Occupied state	Occupying state	Event	Part of war(s)	Subsequently annexed?
Korea	1905–1910	Korea	Japan	Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910	Aftermath of Russo-Japanese War	Yes
Cuba	1906–1909	Cuba	United States	Provisional Government of Cuba	Banana Wars	No
Libya	1911–1912	Ottoman Empire	Italy	Invasion of Libya	Italo-Turkish War	Yes
Albania	1912–1913 [39]	Albania	Serbia	Occupation of Albania	Balkan Wars	No
Nicaragua	1912–1933	Nicaragua	United States	Occupation of Nicaragua	Banana Wars	No
Veracruz	1914	Mexico	United States	Occupation of Veracruz	Mexican Revolution	No

World War I and immediate aftermath

Occupied territory	Years	Occupied state	Occupying state	Event	Part of war(s)	Subsequently annexed?
Albania	1916–1918 [40]	Albania	Austria-Hungary	Occupation of Albania	World War I	No
Eastern Galicia	1914–1915	Austria-Hungary	Russia	Occupation of Eastern Galicia		No
Belgium	1914–1918	Belgium	Germany	Occupation of Belgium		No
Northeastern France	1914–1918	France		Invasion of Northeastern France		No
Luxembourg	1914–1918	Luxembourg		Occupation of Luxembourg		No
Congress Poland	1914–1918	Russia	Austria-Hungary   Germany	Invasion of Russian Poland		No
Parts of the Baltic governorates and Vilna Governorate-General	1914–1919		Germany	Invasion of Baltic Russia		No
German South West Africa	1914–1915	Germany	South Africa	South West Africa campaign		Yes
Governorate of Serbia	1915–1918	Serbia	Austria-Hungary	Occupation of Serbia		No
Serbia	1915–1918		Germany	Invasion of Serbia		No
Eastern Serbia	1915–1918		Bulgaria	Occupation of Eastern Serbia		No
Serbian Macedonia	1915–1918		Bulgaria	Occupation of Serbian Macedonia		Yes
Albania	1915–1917 [40]	Albania	Bulgaria	Occupation of Albania		No
Montenegro	1916–1918	Montenegro	Austria-Hungary	Invasion of Montenegro		No
Haiti	1915–1934	Haiti	United States	Occupation of Haiti	Banana Wars	No
Dominican Republic	1916–1924	Dominican Republic		Occupation of the Dominican Republic		No
Cuba	1917–1922	Cuba		Sugar Intervention		No
Northeast Italy	1917–1918	Italy	Austria-Hungary	Invasion of Northeastern Italy	World War I	No
Parts of the Russian Far East, Caucasus, Parts of Northern Russia	1918–1925 [lower-alpha 23]	Russian SFSR   Soviet Union	United Kingdom   Japan   Greece   United States   France China	Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War	Russian Civil War	No
Constantinople	1918–1923	Ottoman Empire	France   Italy   United Kingdom	Occupation of Constantinople	Aftermath of World War I	No
Smyrna	1919–1922		Greece	Occupation of Smyrna		No
Rhineland	1918–1930	Germany	France   United Kingdom   Belgium   United States	Occupation of the Rhineland		No
Eastern Galicia	1918–1919	West Ukrainian People's Republic	Poland	Polish–Ukrainian War		Yes
Volhynia	1918–1919	Ukrainian People's Republic				Partial
Ukraine	1918–1920	Ukrainian People's Republic	Russian SFSR	Ukrainian–Soviet War		Yes

1920–1946 (miscellaneous)

Occupied territory	Years	Occupied state	Occupying state	Event	Part of war(s)	Subsequently annexed?
Transcaucasia	1920	Azerbaijan	Russia	Invasion of Azerbaijan	Russian Civil War	Yes
	1921	Georgia		Invasion of Georgia		Yes
Ruhr	1923–1924	Germany	Belgium   France	Occupation of the Ruhr	Aftermath of World War I	No
Manchuria / Manchukuo	1931–1945	China	Japan	Invasion of Manchuria	Second Sino-Japanese War	No
Xinjiang	1934		Soviet Union	Invasion of Xinjiang	Kumul Rebellion	No

World War II: build up and immediate aftermath

Occupied territory	Years	Occupied state	Occupying state	Event	Part of war(s)	Subsequently annexed?
Ethiopia	1935–1941	Ethiopia	Italy	Invasion of Ethiopia	Second Italo-Ethiopian War	Yes
Parts of China	1937–1945	China	Japan	Second Sino-Japanese War	World War II	No
Shanghai	1937–1945					No
Austria	1938	Austria	Germany	Anschluss	Events preceding World War II in Europe	Yes
Sudetenland [41]	1938	Czechoslovakia		Munich Agreement		Yes
Bohemia and Moravia	1939–1945			Occupation of Czechoslovakia		No
Memel Territory	1939–1945	Lithuania		Occupation of Memel		Yes
Albania	1939–1945	Albania	Italy	Invasion of Albania		No
Carpathian Ruthenia	1938	Czechoslovakia	Hungary	First Vienna Award		Yes
Carpatho-Ukraine	1939–1944	Carpatho-Ukraine	Hungary	Invasion of Carpatho-Ukraine		Yes
Poland	1939–1945	Poland	Germany	Invasion of Poland	World War II	Partial
Eastern Poland	1939–1941		Soviet Union	Annexation of Polish territories		Partial
Parts of Finland	1939–1940	Finland		Winter War		Partial
Belgium	1940–1945	Belgium	Germany	Invasion of Belgium	World War II	No
Denmark	1940–1945	Denmark		Invasion of Denmark		No
Faroe Islands	1940–1945		United Kingdom	Occupation of the Faroe Islands		No
Greenland	1940–1945		United States	Greenland in World War II		No
Hankoniemi	1940–1941	Finland	Soviet Union	Winter War		No
Iceland [lower-alpha 24]	1940–1945	Kingdom of Iceland	United Kingdom	Occupation of Iceland		No
			United States [lower-alpha 25]			No
Northern France [lower-alpha 26]	1940–1944	France	Germany	Invasion of Northern France		No
Southeastern France	1940–1943		Italy	Italian invasion of France		No
Vietnam	1940–1945		Japan	Invasion of French Indochina		No
Baltic states	1940–1941 [lower-alpha 27] [lower-alpha 28]	Estonia	Soviet Union	Soviet occupation of the Baltic states		Yes
		Latvia
		Lithuania
Luxembourg	1940–1945	Luxembourg	Germany	Occupation of Luxembourg		No
Netherlands	1940–1945	Netherlands		Invasion of the Netherlands		No
Norway	1940–1945	Norway		Invasion of Norway		No
Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and the Hertsa region	1940	Romania	Soviet Union	Occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina		Yes
Channel Islands	1940–1945	United Kingdom	Germany	Occupation of the Channel Islands		No
Cambodia	1941–1945	France	Japan	Invasion of Cambodia		No
Greece	1941–1944	Greece	Bulgaria   Italy   Germany	Occupation of Greece		No
Iran	1941–1946	Iran	Soviet Union   United Kingdom	Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran		No
Byelorussia	1941–1944	Soviet Union	Germany	Occupation of Byelorussia		No
Ukraine				Occupation of Ukraine
Baltic states				Occupation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (de jure independent, de facto under Soviet rule)
Parts of European Russia				Eastern Front
Eastern Karelia			Finland	Continuation War		No
Guam	1941–1944	United States	Japan	Occupation of Guam		No
Transnistria	1941–1944	Soviet Union	Romania	Operation Barbarossa		No
Borneo	1941–1945	United Kingdom	Japan	Occupation of British Borneo		No
Hong Kong	1941–1945			Occupation of Hong Kong		No
Malaya	1941–1945			Occupation of Malaya		No
Yugoslavia	1941–1945	Yugoslavia	Bulgaria   Hungary   Italy   Germany   Croatia	Military operations in the territory of Yugoslavia		No
New Guinea	1942–1945	Australia	Japan	New Guinea campaign		No
Nauru	1942–1945	Australia   New Zealand   United Kingdom		Occupation of Nauru		No
Andaman Islands	1942–1945	British Raj		Occupation of the Andaman Islands		No
Dutch East Indies	1942–1945	Netherlands		Occupation of Dutch East Indies		No
Philippines	1942–1945	Philippines		Occupation of the Philippines		No
Portuguese Timor	1942–1945	Portugal		Battle of Timor		No
Burma (Myanmar)	1942–1945	United Kingdom		Occupation of Burma		No
Singapore	1942–1945			Occupation of Singapore		No
Kiska	1942–1943	United States		Occupation of Kiska		No
Attu	1942–1943			Occupation of Attu		No
Italian Libya	1943–1951	Libya	United Kingdom   France	Allied occupation of Libya		No
Italy	1943–1945	Italy	Germany	Occupation of Italy		No
Hungary	1944–1945	Hungary		Occupation of Hungary		No
Baltic states	1944–1991 [lower-alpha 27] [lower-alpha 28]	Estonia	Soviet Union	1944 Soviet re-occupation, Baltic states under Soviet rule		Yes
		Latvia
		Lithuania
Bulgaria	1944–1947	Bulgaria		Occupation of Bulgaria		No
Romania	1944–1958	Romania		Occupation of Romania		No
Poland	1944–1956 [lower-alpha 29]	Poland		Soviet presence in Poland		No
Hungary	1944–1949 [lower-alpha 30]	Hungary		Occupation of Hungary		No
Porkkalanniemi	1944–1956	Finland		Continuation War		No
Carpathian Ruthenia	1944–1945	Czechoslovakia		Annexation of Carpathian Ruthenia		Yes
Northern part of East Prussia/Kaliningrad Oblast	1945	Germany		East Prussian offensive		Yes
Manchuria	1945–1946	Manchukuo		Soviet–Japanese War		No
Austria	1945–1955	Austria	United Kingdom   United States   Soviet Union   France	Allied-occupied Austria	Aftermath of World War II	No
East Germany, incl. East Berlin	1945–1949	Germany	Soviet Union	Allied-occupied Germany		No
West Germany	1945–1949		United Kingdom   United States   France
West Berlin	1945–1990
Saarland	1945–1957		France	Saar Protectorate		No
Northern Iran	1945–1946	Iran	Soviet Union	Iran crisis of 1946		No
Japan (mainland)	1945–1951	Japan	United States	Occupation of Japan		No
Tokara Islands	1945–1952
Amami Islands	1945–1953
Ogasawara archipelago	1945–1968
Daitō Islands and Ryukyu Islands [lower-alpha 31]	1945–1972
Taiwan, Pescadores, and Itu Aba	1945–1952 [44]	Japan [44]	China	History of Taiwan since 1945		No
Korea	1945–1948	Korea	United States   Soviet Union	Occupation of Korea		No
Southern Vietnam and Saigon [45]	1945–1946	France	United Kingdom	War of Vietnam		No

1947–1959

Occupied territory	Years	Occupied state	Occupying state	Event	Part of war(s)	Subsequently annexed?
Junagadh	1947–1948	Junagadh	India	Annexation of Junagadh	—	Yes
West Bank [lower-alpha 12]	1948–1967 [46]	Post-Mandate Palestine	Jordan	Jordanian annexation of the West Bank	1948 Arab–Israeli War	Yes
Gaza Strip [lower-alpha 12]	1948–1956 1957–1967 [lower-alpha 32]		Egypt	Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt		No
Hyderabad	1948	Hyderabad	India	Annexation of Hyderabad	—	Yes
Sikkim	1949 [47] –1950	Sikkim	India	Intervention in Sikkim		No
Tibet	1949–1951	Tibet	China	Annexation of Tibet		Yes
Northern Jordan Valley [48]	1949-1967	Israel	Syria	1949 Armistice Agreements	1948 Arab–Israeli War	No
Dadra and Nagar Haveli	1954–1974	Portugal	India	Annexation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli	—	Yes
Suez Canal Zone	1956	Egypt	France   United Kingdom	Suez Crisis	Arab–Israeli conflict	No
Sinai	1956–1957		Israel			No
Gaza Strip		All-Palestine				No
Hungary	1956	Hungary	Soviet Union	Hungarian Uprising	Hungarian Revolution of 1956	No
Laos	1959–1975	Laos	North Vietnam	Invasion of Laos	Laotian Civil War	No

1960–1979

Occupied territory	Years	Occupied state	Occupying state	Event	Part of war(s)	Subsequently annexed?
Goa, Daman and Diu	1961–1974	Portugal	India	Annexation of Goa	—	Yes
Aksai Chin	1962	India	China	Sino-Indian War	Sino-Indian War	Yes
Arunachal Pradesh	1962					No
Dominican Republic	1965–1966	Dominican Republic	United States	Invasion of the Dominican Republic	Dominican Civil War	No
Sinai	1967–1982 [lower-alpha 33]	Egypt	Israel	Six-Day War	Arab–Israeli conflict	No
Czechoslovakia	1968–1989 [lower-alpha 34]	Czechoslovakia	Soviet Union   Bulgaria   Poland   East Germany   Hungary	Invasion of Czechoslovakia	Prague Spring	No
East Pakistan (became Bangladesh)	1971	Pakistan	India	Indo-Pakistani War of 1971	Bangladesh Liberation War	No
Southern half of Vietnam	1975–1976	South Vietnam	North Vietnam	1975 spring offensive	Vietnam War	Yes
Parts of Angola	1975–1976	Angola	South Africa	South African invasion of Angola	South African Border War	No
Tiris al-Gharbiyya	1975–1979	Western Sahara	Mauritania	Battles of La Güera and Tichla	Western Sahara War	No
East Timor	1975–1999	East Timor	Indonesia	Invasion of East Timor	Indonesian occupation of East Timor	Yes
Aouzou Strip	1976–1987	Chad	Libya	Occupation of the Aouzou Strip	Chadian–Libyan War	No
Parts of Lebanon	1976–2005	Lebanon	Syria	Syrian occupation of Lebanon	Lebanese Civil War	No
Kagera Region	1978	Uganda	Tanzania	Ugandan invasion of Kagera	Uganda–Tanzania War	No
Southern Lebanon	1978–1984	Lebanon	Free Lebanon State	1978 South Lebanon conflict	Lebanese Civil War	No
	1984–2000		Israel	1982 Lebanon War	1982 Lebanon War	No
Cambodia	1978–1989	Kampuchea	Vietnam	Invasion of Kampuchea	Cambodian–Vietnamese War	No
Parts of Vietnam	1979	Vietnam	China	Invasion of Vietnam	Sino-Vietnamese War	No
Afghanistan	1979–1989	Afghanistan	Soviet Union	Invasion of Afghanistan	Afghan–Soviet War	No

1980–1999

Occupied territory	Years	Occupied state	Occupying state	Event	Part of war(s)	Subsequently annexed?
Falkland Islands	1982	United Kingdom	Argentina	Occupation of the Falkland Islands	Falklands War	No
Grenada	1983	Grenada	United States	Invasion of Grenada	Grenadian Revolution	No
Northern Province	1987–1990	Sri Lanka	India	Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War	Sri Lankan Civil War	No
Maldives	1988	Maldives		1988 Maldives coup d'état	—	No
Panama	1989–1990	Panama	United States	Invasion of Panama	War on drugs	No
Kuwait	1990–1991	Kuwait	Iraq Kuwait Governorate Saddamiyat al-Mitla' District	Invasion of Kuwait	Gulf War	Yes
Seven districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh	1992–2020	Azerbaijan	Armenia   Artsakh	First Nagorno-Karabakh War	Nagorno-Karabakh conflict	Yes (by Artsakh)
Majority of Nagorno-Karabakh	1992–2023
Haiti	1994–1995	Haiti	United States   Poland   Argentina	Operation Uphold Democracy	1991 Haitian coup d'état	No
Lesotho	1998–1999	Lesotho	South Africa   Botswana	Operation Boleas	Lesotho general election riots	No
Parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo	1998–2002 [49]	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Uganda   Rwanda   Zimbabwe   Angola   Namibia   Chad   Sudan	Foreign support to the DR Congo	Second Congo War	No

2000–2019

Occupied territory	Years	Occupied state	Occupying state	Event	Part of war(s)	Subsequently annexed?
Gash-Barka, Southern, Northern Red Sea and Southern Red Sea regions of Eritrea	2000–2018	Eritrea	Ethiopia	Regions were seized at the end of the Eritrean–Ethiopian War in 2000, and subsequently delimited [50] and demarcated [51] by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague to be Eritrean territory. Eritrea recaptured the lands during the Tigray war.	Eritrean–Ethiopian War	No
Afghanistan	2001–2021	Islamic Republic of Afghanistan	United States   United Kingdom   Canada   Australia   New Zealand and other troops	United States invasion of Afghanistan	War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)	No
Iraq	2003–2011	Iraq	United States   United Kingdom   Australia   Poland and other troops [52]	2003 invasion of Iraq Occupation of Iraq	Iraq War	No
Parts of Somalia	2006–2009 [53]	Somalia	Ethiopia	Somalia War (2006–2009)	Somali Civil War	No
Gori and Poti	2008	Georgia	Russia	Occupation of Gori and Poti	Russo-Georgian War	No
Perevi	2008–2010			Occupation of Perevi		No
Socotra	2018	Yemen	United Arab Emirates	Takeover of Socotra	Yemeni Civil War	No

2020–present

Occupied territory	Years	Occupied state	Occupying state	Event	Part of war(s)	Subsequently annexed?
Parts of Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy, and Zhytomyr Oblasts [lower-alpha 35] [lower-alpha 36] Chernobyl Exclusion Zone [lower-alpha 37] Snake Island [lower-alpha 38]	2022–2023	Ukraine	Russia	Russian invasion of Ukraine	Russo-Ukrainian War	No [lower-alpha 39]
Parts of Mykolaiv Oblast [lower-alpha 40] Snihurivka's environs Other briefly-held areas						Partial [lower-alpha 10]

See also

• Russian-occupied territories
• Israeli-occupied territories
• Military occupations by the Soviet Union
• Peacekeeping – military deployments for peace-keeping purposes
• List of military and civilian missions of the European Union
• Annexation
• Revanchism
• For a list of states that have seceded unilaterally see List of states with limited recognition
• For a list of cases where territory is disputed between countries, see List of territorial disputes

Bibliography

• Secretariat of the European Parliament DG-EXPO (2015), Occupation/Annexation of a Territory: Respect for International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and Consistent EU Policy (PDF)
• Chapman, Jessica M. (2013). Cauldron of Resistance: Ngo Dinh Diem, the United States, and 1950s Southern Vietnam. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. ISBN   978-0-8014-5061-7.

Footnotes and references

Footnotes

1. Seized during the Transnistria War; administered as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, a state with limited international recognition.
2. Seized during the Russo-Georgian War; administered as states with limited international recognition.
3. See Russo-Ukrainian War, War in Donbas and 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
4. The occupation of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts occurred in two stages. The south of Luhansk Oblast and the southeast of Donetsk Oblast were occupied by Russian-backed separatists from 2014 to 2022. Later, in 2022, the north of Luhansk Oblast (i.e. almost the entire oblast) and the southwest of Donetsk Oblast (e.g. Mariupol) came under Russian occupation. Parts of the northeast of Donetsk Oblast were also occupied, but areas such as Lyman have been retaken by Ukraine as of October 2022.
5. Russia's occupation of Kherson Oblast (nearly the entire oblast) and Zaporizhzhia Oblast (only the southern portion) began in 2022. On the other hand, Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts were initially partially occupied by Russian-backed separatists back in 2014. In 2022, larger areas of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts came under Russian occupation, and the Russian-backed separatists handed over absolute control to Russia, effectively designating the entire area as Russian-occupied (as opposed to separatists-occupied). In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russia lacks control of the capital city, Zaporizhzhia, but controls the second-biggest city, Melitopol, which is acting as the de facto capital. Parts of the northwest of Kherson Oblast have been retaken by Ukraine as of October 2022.
6. See Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine and Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
7. See Russian occupation of Donetsk Oblast.
8. See Russian occupation of Luhansk Oblast.
9. As of November 2022, Russia does not control significant portions of Kherson Oblast, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and Donetsk Oblast. In particular, Russia does not control the capital cities of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, namely Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, respectively. Russia formerly controlled Kherson for over eight months throughout 2022 after capturing it in the Battle of Kherson, although the city was eventually liberated by Ukraine following the successful 2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive on 10–11 November 2022. Russia never managed to occupy the city of Zaporizhzhia at any point. Meanwhile, Russia has never managed to occupy a significant portion of Donetsk Oblast in the northwest, although Russia does control the capital city, Donetsk. As for Luhansk Oblast, Russia controls nearly the entire oblast as of November 2022.
10. Russia occupied territory in the southeast of Mykolaiv Oblast during the 2022 invasion. After failing to occupy the capital city, Mykolaiv, Russian forces withdrew to the extreme southeast, near the border with Kherson Oblast. On 30 September 2022, when Russia annexed Kherson Oblast, Russia also streamlined two small parts of Mykolaiv Oblast into Kherson Oblast, namely the city of Snihurivka and its surroundings, ^[7] as well as the outer portion of the Kinburn Peninsula. As of 10 November 2022, the city of Snihurivka ^{[8] [9]} and its surroundings ^{[10] [11]} have been completely liberated following the successful 2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive, although the outer Kinburn Peninsula is still under Russian occupation. ^[12]
11. As of November 2022, only a tiny sliver of Kharkiv Oblast in the far northeast is still occupied by Russian forces.
12. The West Bank (including East Jerusalem) was occupied by Jordan ^[17] and the Gaza Strip was occupied by Egypt ^[18] from 1948 to 1967, and have been occupied by Israel since 1967. ^[19] The State of Palestine, which claims these territories, was not founded until 1988 (see Palestinian Declaration of Independence). The State of Palestine is, as of November 2015, recognised by 136 countries and is also a United Nations non-member observer. ^[20]
13. Seized during the Six-Day War from Jordan; effectively annexed in 1980 via the Jerusalem Law.
14. The West Bank was seized during the Six-Day War from Jordan, and is administered by the Israeli Civil Administration. The Oslo II Accord, officially signed on 28 September 1995, divided the West Bank into the Area C administered by Israel and the Area A and B administered by the Palestinian National Authority.
    
    The Gaza Strip was seized during the Six-Day War from Egypt. In 2005, Israel disengaged its military forces from the strip and no longer considers itself to be occupying the territory. Gaza's border crossings with Israel and maritime and air space are controlled by Israel. As of 2012, the United Nations "continue to refer to the Gaza Strip as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory until such time as either the General Assembly or the Security Council take a different view." ^[24]
15. Still considered occupied despite the 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza. ^[25] The system of control imposed by Israel has been described as an "indirect occupation". ^[26] Some other legal scholars have disputed the idea that Israel still occupies Gaza.^{[ citation needed ]}
17. See American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War.
18. See Turkish military intervention in Syria and Syrian Civil War.
19. See Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war and Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present).
20. See Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war and Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present).
21. Seized during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus; administered as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a state with limited international recognition
22. Seized during the Western Sahara War; de facto annexed; administered as the Southern Provinces; claimed by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, a state with limited international recognition.
23. Most of the Allies had withdrawn by 1920, Japan continued to occupy Northern Sakhalin until 1925.
24. On 17 June 1944, Iceland dissolved its union with Denmark and the Danish monarchy and declared itself a republic.
25. On 7 July 1941, the defence of Iceland was transferred from Britain to the United States.
26. Occupied the rest of France from 1942
27. On March 26, 1949, the US department of State issued a circular letter stating that the Baltic countries were still independent nations with their own diplomatic representatives and consuls. ^[42]
28. From the Welles Declaration of July 23, 1940, "that we would not recognise the occupation, the United States acted with a consistency and a tenacity of which we can all be proud. We housed the exiled Baltic diplomatic delegations. We accredited their diplomats. We flew their flags in the State Department's Hall of Flags. We never recognised in deed or word or symbol the illegal occupation of their lands." ^[43]
29. A status of forces agreement was signed in December 1956 to formally regulate the position of Soviet troops in Poland, which had been there since the end of the Second World War. After the end of the country's Soviet-backed Communist regime in 1989, the last Soviet contingent would leave the country in 1993.
30. A status of forces agreement was signed in 1947 to regulate the position of Soviet troops in Hungary, which was further confirmed by Hungary's later membership in Comecon in 1949. Soviet troops would remain stationed in Hungary until 1991.
31. The Tokara Islands were restored to Japan in 1952. The Amami Islands were restored in 1953.
32. The All-Palestine Government was de facto controlled by Egypt. Formal occupation occurred only from 1959 to 1967 after that government was dissolved.
33. Israel withdrew from Taba in 1989.
34. Government control ended with the Velvet Revolution in late 1989, and stationed Soviet troops departed peacefully over 1990–1991.
35. These oblasts of Ukraine were all partially occupied by Russia during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, these oblasts were eventually relinquished after several weeks. On the other hand, Russia has also occupied (parts of) Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts during the same invasion, eventually annexing them (including uncontrolled parts) in September–October 2022. Additionally, amid the 2022 annexation, Russia streamlined two small parts of Mykolaiv Oblast into Kherson Oblast, namely the city of Snihurivka and its surroundings, ^[7] as well as the outer portion of the Kinburn Peninsula. Earlier, Russia occupied and annexed Crimea (including Sevastopol) in 2014, which was also previously administered by Ukraine.
36. See Russian occupation of Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Sumy, and Zhytomyr Oblasts.
37. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, was captured by Russia during the 2022 invasion. Most of Chernobyl EZ lies within Kyiv Oblast (and partially within Zhytomyr Oblast), but it is off-limits to civilians. Chernobyl EZ was retaken by Ukraine in March–April 2022.
38. Snake Island, which is administratively part of Odesa Oblast and located in the Black Sea, was captured by Russia at the beginning of the invasion, on 24 February 2022. Snake Island was retaken by Ukraine on 30 June 2022.
39. Russia still controls a small part of Kharkiv Oblast, which it has not officially annexed.
40. See Russian occupation of Mykolaiv Oblast.

References

1. "Laws and Customs of War on Land (Hague IV); October 18, 1907". Archived from the original on 1999-02-25. Retrieved June 20, 2015– via The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School.
2. Bracka, J. (2021). Transitional Justice for Israel/Palestine: Truth-Telling and Empathy in Ongoing Conflict. Springer series in transitional justice. Springer International Publishing AG. ISBN   978-3-030-89435-1. Today, the widely accepted definition of occupation is 'the effective control of a power (be it one or more states or an international organization, such as the United Nations) over a territory to which that power has no sovereign title, without the volition of the sovereign of that territory'
3. Duval, A.; Kassoti, E. (2020). The Legality of Economic Activities in Occupied Territories: International, EU Law and Business and Human Rights Perspectives. Routledge Research in International Economic Law. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1-000-08873-1. In the West Bank, Israel pays lip service to the notion of a temporary occupation that is to be brought to an end by negotiation but in practice it has de facto annexed large portions of the territory under the pretext of security – as evidenced by the Wall in Palestinian territory – or by the settling of some 400,000 of its own citizens in the territory. In most cases today, however, the occupying power has formally annexed the territory in question. This is illustrated by the cases of Israel's annexations of East Jerusalem and the Golan, Morocco's annexation of Western Sahara and Russia's annexation of the Crimea. Alternatively, the occupying power has established a puppet regime that claims to be the TRNC, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
4. Peter Bursens; Christ'l De Landtsheer; Luc Braeckmans; Barbara Segaert, eds. (2016). Complex Political Decision-Making: Leadership, Legitimacy and Communication. Taylor & Francis. p. 170. ISBN   9781315453521.
5. Geiß, Robin (2015). "Russia's Annexation of Crimea: The Mills of International Law Grind Slowly but They Do Grind". International Law Studies. 91. the Stockton Center for the Study of International Law. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
6. Secretariat of the European Parliament DG-EXPO 2015 , p. 15: "Territory may further be controlled by an armed group. This could be a rebel group which wants to take over control of the government of the state in question or it could be a group that wants to secede from the state and form a new state or have the territory transferred to another state. [...] There is no term in international law for such territory. [...] In some cases, the armed group in power in such a territory may be under the control of or under the influence of a foreign power. As has been held by the European Court of Human Rights, Turkey is legally responsible for human rights violations committed in the non-recognised 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' (TRNC). It is possible that the situation is similar in the self-proclaimed peoples' republics in Donetsk and Lugansk."
7. "Russian-held parts of Ukraine's Mykolaiv region to be incorporated in Russian-held Kherson". Reuters. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
8. Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 [@bayraktar_1love] (November 10, 2022). "Snihurivka, Mykolaiv oblast - liberated 10/11/2022 https://t.co/eZSRD5c3uV" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022– via Twitter.
9. "Russia-Ukraine war live: Kyiv sceptical of Moscow's retreat from Kherson; US general estimates 100,000 Russian military casualties". the Guardian. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
10. "Ukraine liberates all of Mykolaiv Oblast, Zelenskyy admin considers slashing ministries".
11. ТРУХА⚡️English [@TpyxaNews] (November 11, 2022). "The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has published a map where the entire Western bank of the Kherson region is no longer occupied by Russians https://t.co/K6CM40k9Tx" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022– via Twitter.
12. ТРУХА⚡️English [@TpyxaNews] (November 12, 2022). "The Kinburn peninsula, or as it is also called, the Kinburn Spit, remains the only not yet liberated territory in the Mykolaiv region, is the goal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, "combat work is underway" on this occasion, - Natalia Humeniuk In addition, she promised good news🤞 https://t.co/6MhK3yHLO8" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022– via Twitter.
13. "Israel plans 1,300 East Jerusalem Jewish settler homes". BBC News. 9 November 2010. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
14. "Chapter 12: The status of Jerusalem" (PDF). The Question of Palestine & the United Nations (Brochure). United Nations Department of Public Information. March 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2003-09-02.
15. "Israeli authorities back 600 new East Jerusalem homes". BBC News. 26 February 2010. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
16. "United Nations Security Council Resolution 298 (1971) of 25 September 1971". Archived from the original on 2013-08-19.
17. See also: Jordanian annexation of the West Bank
18. See also: Egyptian occupation of the Gaza Strip
19. "Palestinian territories - Timeline". BBC News. 8 July 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
20. "Amid violence, 'glaring lack of hope,' UN deputy chief urges action to break Israeli-Palestinian impasse". UN News. 23 November 2015. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
21. Secretariat of the European Parliament DG-EXPO 2015 , p. 14: "An occupied territory may also be illegally annexed [...] Annexation means that the territory is incorporated into another state and is being regarded by that state as a part of its territory. Among contemporary examples, one finds the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem, Western Sahara and Crimea. Under current international law, annexation can only be carried out after a peace treaty, and preferably after a referendum. Annexations which do not correspond to this requirement – like those just mentioned – are illegal."
22. Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (PDF) (Advisory opinion). Reports of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders. International Court of Justice. 2004. ISBN   92-1-070993-4 . Retrieved 2019-10-11.
23. Secretariat of the European Parliament DG-EXPO 2015 , p. 14: "Territory over which a foreign power has taken control is occupied. [...] An occupation is supposed to be a temporary status, but current reality shows that territory may be occupied for decades; the West Bank and Gaza have been occupied for 48 years."
24. "Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General". United Nations. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
25. • Sanger, Andrew (2011). M.N. Schmitt; Louise Arimatsu; Tim McCormack (eds.). "The Contemporary Law of Blockade and the Gaza Freedom Flotilla". Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law 2010. Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law. 13. Springer Science & Business Media: 429. doi:10.1007/978-90-6704-811-8_14. ISBN   978-90-6704-811-8. Israel claims it no longer occupies the Gaza Strip, maintaining that it is neither a Stale nor a territory occupied or controlled by Israel, but rather it has 'sui generis' status. Pursuant to the Disengagement Plan, Israel dismantled all military institutions and settlements in Gaza and there is no longer a permanent Israeli military or civilian presence in the territory. However the Plan also provided that Israel will guard and monitor the external land perimeter of the Gaza Strip, will continue to maintain exclusive authority in Gaza air space, and will continue to exercise security activity in the sea off the coast of the Gaza Strip as well as maintaining an Israeli military presence on the Egyptian-Gaza border. and reserving the right to reenter Gaza at will.
      Israel continues to control six of Gaza's seven land crossings, its maritime borders and airspace and the movement of goods and persons in and out of the territory. Egypt controls one of Gaza's land crossings. Troops from the Israeli Defence Force regularly enter pans of the territory and/or deploy missile attacks, drones and sonic bombs into Gaza. Israel has declared a no-go buffer zone that stretches deep into Gaza: if Gazans enter this zone they are shot on sight. Gaza is also dependent on Israel for water, electricity, telecommunications and other utilities, currency, issuing IDs, and permits to enter and leave the territory. Israel also has sole control of the Palestinian Population Registry through which the Israeli Army regulates who is classified as a Palestinian and who is a Gazan or West Banker. Since 2000 aside from a limited number of exceptions Israel has refused to add people to the Palestinian Population Registry.
      It is this direct external control over Gaza and indirect control over life within Gaza that has led the United Nations, the UN General Assembly, the UN Fact Finding Mission to Gaza, International human rights organisations, US Government websites, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a significant number of legal commentators, to reject the argument that Gaza is no longer occupied.
    • Scobbie, Iain (2012). Elizabeth Wilmshurst (ed.). International Law and the Classification of Conflicts. Oxford University Press. p. 295. ISBN   978-0-19-965775-9. Even after the accession to power of Hamas, Israel's claim that it no longer occupies Gaza has not been accepted by UN bodies, most States, nor the majority of academic commentators because of its exclusive control of its border with Gaza and crossing points including the effective control it exerted over the Rafah crossing until at least May 2011, its control of Gaza's maritime zones and airspace which constitute what Aronson terms the 'security envelope' around Gaza, as well as its ability to intervene forcibly at will in Gaza.
    • Gawerc, Michelle (2012). Prefiguring Peace: Israeli–Palestinian Peacebuilding Partnerships. Lexington Books. p. 44. ISBN   978-0-7391-6610-9. While Israel withdrew from the immediate territory, Israel still controlled all access to and from Gaza through the border crossings, as well as through the coastline and the airspace. In addition, Gaza was dependent upon Israel for water, electricity, sewage, communication networks, and for its trade (Gisha 2007. Dowty 2008). ln other words, while Israel maintained that its occupation of Gaza ended with its unilateral disengagement, Palestinians—as well as many human right organizations and international bodies—argued that Gaza was by all intents and purposes still occupied.
26. Slater, Jerome (October 2012). "Just War Moral Philosophy and the 2008–09 Israeli Campaign in Gaza" (PDF). International Security. 37 (2): 44–80. doi:10.1162/ISEC_a_00098. S2CID   57565733 . Retrieved 2019-10-11.
27. • "The international community maintains that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan is null and void and without international legal effect." International Labour Office (2009). The Situation of Workers of the Occupied Arab Territories. Geneva: International Labour Office. p. 23. ISBN   978-92-2-120630-9.
    • In 2008, a plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly voted by 161–1 in favour of a motion on the "occupied Syrian Golan" that reaffirmed support for UN Resolution 497. ( "General Assembly adopts broad range of texts, 26 in all, on recommendation of its fourth Committee, including on decolonization, information, Palestine refugees" (Press release). United Nations. 5 December 2008.)
    • "[...] the Golan Heights, a 450-square mile portion of southwestern Syria that Israel occupied during the 1967 Arab–Israeli war." Also, "[...] the Syrian Golan Heights territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967". (Prados, Alfred B. (19 January 2006). "CRS Issue Brief for Congress: Syria: U.S. Relations and Bilateral Issues" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. pp. 3, 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-03-23.)
28. Occupied territory:
    • "[...] Israeli-occupied Golan Heights [...]" (Central Intelligence Agency (2009). CIA World Factbook 2010. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. p.  339. ISBN   978-1-60239-727-9. OCCUPIED GOLAN.)
    • "[...] the United States considers the Golan Heights to be occupied territory subject to negotiation and Israeli withdrawal [...]" (Mark, Clyde R. (5 April 2002). "CRS Issue Brief for Congress: Israeli-United States Relations" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2003-04-24.)
    • "[...] Occupied Golan Heights." ( "Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories travel advice". UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 5 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010.)
    • "In the ICRC's view, the Golan is an occupied territory [...]" ( "ICRC activities in the occupied Golan during 2007". International Committee of the Red Cross. 24 April 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-11-13.)
29. Korman, Sharon (1996). The Right of Conquest: The Acquisition of Territory by Force in International Law and Practice. Oxford University Press. p. 265. ISBN   0-19-828007-6. The continued occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights is recognized by many states as valid and consistent with the provisions of the United Nations Charter, on a self-defence basis. Israel, on this view, would be entitled to exact as a condition of withdrawal from the territory the imposition of security measures of an indefinite character—such as perpetual demilitarization, or the emplacement of a United Nations force—which would ensure, or tend to ensure, that the territory would not be used against it for aggression on future occasions. But the notion that Israel is entitled to claim any status other than that of belligerent occupant in the territory which it occupies, or to act beyond the strict bounds laid down in the Fourth Geneva Convention, has been universally rejected by the international community—no less by the United States than by any other state.
31. "Syria vows to fight against 'occupiers' US, Turkey, Israel". Middle East Monitor. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
32. Kajjo, Sirwan (2 March 2017). "Skirmishes Mar Fight Against IS in Northern Syria". Voice of America. Turkish occupation "is an existential threat to the Assad government's ability to reclaim the entirety of its territory, which is a key argument that regime loyalists make in their support of Bashar al-Assad's government," Heras said.
33. Fisk, Robert (29 March 2017). "In northern Syria, defeated Isis fighters leave behind only scorched earth, trenches – and a crucifixion stand". The Independent . You can't mistake the front line between the Syrian army and Turkey's occupation force east of Aleppo.
34. "Afrin's Syrian Kurds Continue to Pay Price of Turkey's Occupation". The Defense Post. 15 September 2021.
35. UN Security Council resolutions 353, 357, 358, 359, 360, and 365.
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37. Institute for War and Peace Reporting (February 12, 2011). "Cold Comfort for Displaced Armenian Villagers". Refworld . Retrieved October 28, 2020.
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45. Chapman 2013, pp. 30–31.
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