Russia News

Kiev - Faced with a pro-Russian uprising in the east, economic collapse and the demands of the protest movement that bought them to power, Ukraine's beleaguered leaders are struggling to stay afloat.

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.

Kiev - Ukraine on Thursday disbanded an army unit that lost six armoured vehicles to pro-Russian militants, as Kiev's military reeled from a disastrous attempt to oust separatists in its eastern regions.

Geneva - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday announced a deal had been reached with Ukraine, the United States and the European Union to "de-escalate" dangerously high tensions in the former Soviet republic.

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.

Geneva - Ukrainian troops killed three pro-Russian militants in the country's tense southeast early Thursday, just hours ahead of key talks in Geneva seeking to ease the escalating crisis in the former Soviet republic.

Tiraspol - Moldova's pro-Russian breakaway region of Transdniestr on Wednesday called on Russia and the international community to recognise its independence, as fears grew that it could become a new flashpoint in East-West tensions.

Brussels - NATO said Wednesday it will deploy additional air, sea and land forces in eastern Europe in response to the worsening crisis in Ukraine and take further action if needed.

Warsaw - The Ukraine crisis has shifted Poland's campaign for next month's European elections, boosting the governing centre-right party's chances as its prime minister reassures voters nervous about Russia's next move.