The claim that the Donbas conflict began in 2014 is directly supported by the verified claims database: it describes the conflict as beginning when Russia attacked Ukraine in 2014, involving the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Donbas1.
The database also documents Russia as the party that initiated the war both in 2014 (Crimea and Donbas) and with the full-scale 2022 invasion, confirming 2014 as the start point2.
The historical record aligns: the war in Donbas began in April 2014, when pro-Russian separatist forces seized government buildings in Donetsk and Luhansk, following Russia's February–March 2014 annexation of Crimea3.
No source contradicts the 2014 start date; the February 24, 2022 full-scale invasion is consistently framed as an escalation of the conflict that began in 2014, not its origin12.