Ukraine's interior minister has warned pro-Russian activists who have taken over state buildings in eastern cities to enter talks to find a political solution or face "force". Arsen Avakov said the situation would "be resolved in 48 hours" either way. Earlier, some of those who had been inside security service offices in Luhansk since Sunday left the building. The EU, Russia, US and Ukraine are to meet... Forward>>

Russia warned not to make 'historic mistake' as Ukraine mounts counter-offensive by vowing to treat the separatists as 'terrorists'. Nato warned Russia on Tuesday against making an "historic mistake" by provoking a flaring secession crisis in eastern Ukraine that Moscow itself conceded could degenerate into a civil war. Ukraine's embattled interim leaders have been waging an uphill battle... Forward>>

Dispute comes as tensions in eastern Ukraine remain high, with pro-Russian protesters storming government buildings. The prospect of a new gas war between Russia and Ukraine drew closer at the weekend as the government in Kiev said it would refuse to pay for gas at a new, inflated price set by Gazprom last week. The dispute comes as tensions in eastern Ukraine remain high, with pro-Russian... Forward>>

Russians prefer alternative reality. In the days since Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea, the Russian people are once again feeling good about their . A robust 63 percent of them say they consider Russia a “,” according to a survey released this week by the Levada Center, a respected Russian polling firm. The survey also found that Putin’s approval rating is now at 80 percent... Forward>>

12 police officers are arrested in Ukraine as Russia claims 25 Ukrainians have been detained for planning terror attacks. Top Ukrainian officials have insinuated that Russian security services had a hand in the violence that led to more than 100 deaths in Kiev last month, as Moscow claimed 25 Ukrainians had planned terror attacks in Russia last month and had been detained. At a press conference... Forward>>

A smartphone app to help identify - and boycott - goods made in Russia is becoming popular among Android users in Ukraine, it appears. The app, called Boycott the Occupiers, says it can find out where a product is made - whether in Ukraine, Russia or elsewhere - by scanning the product barcode with the phone's camera. It has already been installed between 10,000-50,000 times. "The app will advise... Forward>>

Dmitry Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch with close ties to Russia, has been indicted in a Chicago courtroom for money laundering, racketeering and bribing Indian officials, in a move some believe is linked to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The indictment seeks the forfeiture of essentially all of the global assets of a man who is considered a key player in the Russian-Ukrainian gas trade. He is a former... Forward>>

Sir, European and US politicians’ insistence on the “territorial integrity” of a single, united Ukraine (with or without Crimea) may be politically desirable but it is an economic fallacy (“Putin’s cynical plan to split Ukraine”, Editorial, April 1). We are lectured how Britain and France could have changed the course of history if they had stood up to Adolf Hitler over the Sudetenland in Munich... Forward>>

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says there can be "no business as usual" with Russia. Nato foreign ministers have agreed to suspend all practical and military co-operation with Russia. Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region was the gravest threat to European security for a generation. There could be no "business... Forward>>

Now that Vitali Klitschko has withdrawn his bid for in Ukraine, the vote is likely to come down to a race between Petro Poroshenko and Yulia Tymoshenko. But billionaire Petro Poroshenko has the lead - for now. The boxing champ has thrown in the towel. Had he pushed through with a bid for , Vitali Klitschko would have had very slim chances. Instead, he will seek election... Forward>>

The EU and US have come down hard on Russia for its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. But from the perspective of the Kremlin, it is the West that has painted Putin into a corner. And the Russian will do what it takes to free himself. Last September, Vladimir Putin invited Russia experts from around the world to a conference, held halfway between Moscow... Forward>>

Ukraine's interim government says it will raise gas prices for domestic consumers by 50% in an effort to secure an International Monetary Fund (IMF) aid package. An official at Ukraine's Naftogaz state energy company said the price rise would take effect on 1 May, and further rises would be scheduled until 2018. Ukrainians are accustomed to buying gas at heavily subsidised rates... Forward>>

As the most potent symbol of Russia's lost glory, Crimea will never be returned to Ukraine. The west must accept this. We know where this is likely to end. We will accept Russia's sovereignty over Crimea. Sanctions will be quietly dismantled, Moscow will reassure Kiev with a deal on neutrality. Nato will agree no further eastward expansion. The G7 will again become G8; and Crimea will join... Forward>>

rejects claims Russia is a principal foe, saying actions in Ukraine an expression of vulnerability rather than strength. Barack Obama has described Russia as no more than a "regional power" whose actions in Ukraine are an expression of weakness rather than strength, as he restated the threat from the G7 western allies and Japan that they would inflict much broader... Forward>>

Even as a new alarm sounds about it massing troops on the Ukrainian border, Russia may have missed its chance to exploit unrest in the Russian-speaking east to seize Ukraine's industrial heartland in the way it took Crimea. A week after violence involving pro-Moscow separatists left three dead in border cities, the outlines of a consensus have emerged between the new leaders... Forward>>

Vladimir Putin felt humiliated by the West and frustrated by the outcome in Kyiv. Now, he wants to show the West he means business, says Eberhard Schneider of the EU-Russia Center in Brussels. Russia has annexed Crimea, said Russian Vladimir Putin in a speech to both chambers of Russian parliament and representatives of different religious communities on Tuesday (18.03.2014)... Forward>>

Pro-Russian activists remove the Ukrainian flag, centre, to replace it with a Russian one on an administration office in the centre of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, earlier this month. The appearance at the weekend of troops and armoured personnel carriers from the elite 25th Dnipropetrovsk Airborne Brigade on the outskirts of the Ukrainian village of Michurine, 30km west of the border... Forward>>

MOSCOW/SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine, March 7 (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin rebuffed a warning from U.S. President Barack Obama over Moscow's military intervention in Crimea, saying on Friday that Russia could not ignore calls for help from Russian speakers in Ukraine. After an hour-long telephone call, Putin said in a statement that Moscow and Washington were still far apart on the situation... Forward>>

EU leaders on Thursday will lead the west’s diplomatic efforts to counter Russia’s takeover of Crimea after a day of multiple setbacks when the Kremlin refused to engage with the new Ukrainian government and the allies were at loggerheads over how tough to be with Moscow. The emergency summit in Brussels comes as the US issued a detailed 10-point rebuttal of Russia’s... Forward>>

In the days after Yanukovych's fall, the Ukrainian 's lavish spurred outrage around the world. Now the provisional government is struggling to avoid the corruption and clientelism that plagued its predecessors. It was 11:37 a.m. last Wednesday when Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine's wealthiest and most powerful oligarch, released a statement: "Like all Ukrainians, we want... Forward>>

The tug-of-war continues over Ukrainian military bases in Crimea occupied since this past weekend by armed men in unmarked Russian uniforms. Many questions remain unanswered as the week goes on. The kiss scene above, captured on Monday (03.03.2014), at the Ukrainian military base in Perevalne suggests harmony. But next to the Ukrainian soldier and his fiancée are armed, uniformed... Forward>>

The US conceded on Sunday that Moscow had “complete operational control of the Crimean peninsula” and announced that the secretary of state, John Kerry, will fly to Kiev in an attempt to halt a further Russian advance into Ukraine. Senior US officials dismissed claims that Washington is incapable of exerting influence on the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, but were forced to admit... Forward>>

The protesters in Kiev were largely responsible for the fall of the Ukrainian president. But his way out of office was paved by two of the country's most powerful oligarchs. Made rich by Viktor Yanukovych, the pair made early preparations for his departure. Nobody told Ukrainian parliamentarian Yuri Blagodir that you had to be physically fit to be a representative. But last Thursday... Forward>>

William Hague says Ukraine must form an inclusive government committed to unity. The United States and Britain have said Ukraine should not be a battleground between East and West and voiced support for the country after protests that ousted pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych. World powers are seeking to ease tensions over Ukraine as the interim authorities in Kiev grapple... Forward>>

Russian and Western diplomats have signaled a desire for calm as the dust settles from the fall of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych’s government. Efforts are also underway to help the country stave off imminent bankruptcy. As Ukraine's interim government sought to grapple with the threat of economic collapse on Tuesday, weeks of disagreement between major powers gave way... Forward>>