"Beginning in 1994,
Russia joined the discussions, and the group became known as the Group of 8 (G8) or the “Political Eight”; Russia officially became the eighth member in 1997. In March 2014 Russia precipitated an
international crisis when it occupied and annexed
Crimea, an
autonomous republic of
Ukraine. The original
Group of 7 (G7) responded by indefinitely suspending Russia’s membership in the group, effectively dissolving the larger G8."
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Group-of-Eight
^^IS THIS BETTER^^