Moscow - Russia on Wednesday accused the United States of controlling the actions of the pro-West Ukrainian government, saying that Washington was now "running the show" in Kiev.

Moscow - Russia will respond if its interests are attacked in Ukraine, as they were in South Ossetia in 2008 which led to war with Georgia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

VICE News reporter Simon Ostrovsky remains in captivity under the order of "People's mayor" Vyacheslav Ponomare in Sloviansk, Eastern Ukraine.

Moscow - The maverick founder of Russia's top social network, Pavel Durov, said Tuesday he had fled the country after selling his share in the company under pressure from the security services.

Moscow - Russia is ready to face a new round of Western sanctions over Ukraine, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday."I am sure we will be able to minimise their consequences," he said in a televised speech to parliament.

Slavyansk - A fatal gunfight involving pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine has imperiled last week's multi-nation accord aimed at reducing tensions in the troubled region.

Moscow - President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said nothing should impede the normalisation of relations between Russia and the West, after ties hit a post-Cold War low due to the standoff over Ukraine.

Moscow - The four-way agreement on Ukraine thrashed out in Geneva is the first sign of progress between Russia and the West in a months-long standoff, but a litany of problems remain unresolved, analysts said.

Moscow - The Kremlin is preparing a new culture policy for Russia focusing on its distinctive civilisation and traditional values, which observers say has political ends amid Moscow's standoff with the West.

New York - On the eve of Thursday’s four-way talks which took place in Geneva, today, Russia again came in for flak at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council held yesterday, both from UN officials and a number of Western Ambassadors.

Moscow - Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden on Thursday joined a phone-in with Russian President Vladimir Putin, quizzing him over the extent of Moscow's surveillance activities.

Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday admitted for the first time that Russian soldiers were present on the Crimean peninsula before and during the referendum that backed rule from Moscow.

Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused Ukraine's new authorities of driving the country towards the abyss but said that dialogue was the only way out of the intensifying crisis.

Hockey Canada named Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett as the coach of Team Canada for the 2014 IIHF World Hockey championships to take place in Minsk, Belarus on May 9-25. They made the announcement on Wednesday.

Kramatorsk - Ukraine launched its counterattack Tuesday against protesters who seized buildings in the east but has had only limited success so far.

Moscow - Russia's economy may not grow this year, the finance minister said Tuesday, warning that Ukraine standoff could see Moscow face its toughest times since the start of the global financial crisis.

Moscow - The Russian economy could be set back to zero growth this year, the finance minister warned on Tuesday amid growing spending on Crimea and capital flight.

Moscow - Moscow and Beijing plan to wrap up a decade of talks on supplies of Russian natural gas before President Vladimir Putin's expected to travel to China next month, a deputy prime minister said on Monday.

Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin is receiving many requests for help from eastern Ukraine, where pro-Moscow protesters have clashed with authorities, and is watching the situation with "great concern", his spokesman said on Monday.

Moscow - A weatherman on Russian state television surprised viewers on Monday by weaving comments on Ukraine's political crisis into his weather forecast and warning of a "wind of change" in the country's troubled east.