(CNN) -- If I had to pick the most important moves of 2014, I would put Russian President Vladimir Putin's flouting of international law and European security norms near the top. His swift annexation of Crimea -- despite a 1994 treaty signed by Russia and Western allies to guarantee Ukraine's territorial integrity -- as well as his military intervention and support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have destabilized the continent. But Putin's moves on the European chessboard are now checkmating Russia, too. The year ended with the country in financial chaos, because of Western sanctions over Ukraine, the falling price of oil and Central Bank missteps. The slavish pro-Putin propaganda and the stifling of an independent press had brought nationalist fervor to fever pitch and put the majority of Russians behind him, but when their ruble and their living standards started to collapse by year's end, the grumbling also started.
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Christiane Amanpour picks her big three global news stories for 2014
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She cites the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the Syrian conflict, changes in U.S.-Cuba relations
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Amanpour: 2015 will be partly shaped by response to Russia, Syria, Cuba stories of this year
2015 is a year to watch for @placeholder's next moves.