Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Tensions remain high in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine. Violence has led to the worst death toll since February, including more than 30 pro-Russian separatists who died in a building fire.

The Ukrainian government says it has begun an operation to retake the eastern Ukrainian town of Slovyansk from pro-Moscow militants. Militants there have already shot down two government helicopters.

Pro-Russian gunmen in the eastern Ukrainian town of Slovyansk have shot down at least two Ukrainian helicopters.

The self-proclaimed governor of the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk announced that preparations were underway for an independence referendum. Separatists' intentions there appear to...

Pro-Russian separatists have seized government buildings in another eastern Ukrainian city. After Luhansk fell, Ukraine's acting president said his troops were helpless in the face of...

A pro-Ukrainian demonstration turned violent as hundreds of Ukrainians in the eastern city of Donetsk marched in support of keeping their country whole. They were opposed by pro-Russi...

U.S. and European Union officials are meeting to impose more sanctions on Russia. At the same time, pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine continue to hold a group of European military observers.

Reports of what transpired during the Ukrainian offensive are stirring some confusion. Fewer people died than initially reported, and life appears normal in the allegedly besieged city of Slovyansk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is using a recent surge in popularity to crack down on opposition. Several proposed laws would strengthen penalties against protestors, and officials ...

The agreement calls on all parties to refrain from violence, requires that illegally-armed groups disarm and that control of government buildings be returned to Ukrainian authorities.

Diplomats from the United States and Europe gathered in Geneva Thursday to discuss how to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterparts from Russia...

Strong currents and rain are hampering rescuers in the search for more than 200 passengers missing after a ferry flipped onto its side and filled with water off the southern coast of South Korea.

Secretary of State John Kerry is in Geneva to meet with his diplomatic counterparts from Russia, Ukraine and the European Union. They are trying to find a resolution to the crisis in Ukraine.

U.S. and Russian relations are rapidly deteriorating over Russian President Vladimir Putin's agenda in Eastern Europe. Sanctions and other pressures haven't convinced Putin to change ...

President Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea is reigniting talk in Russia of taking back Alaska from the United States, which purchased the territory from a czar for $7.2 million nearly a century and a half ago.

Most of the talk is tongue-in-cheek, but it comes at a time of heightened ...

The deployment of tens of thousands of Russian troops along their country's western border with Ukraine worries the new government in Kiev and its Western allies, including President Obama.

In a phone call Friday, he asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull those forces back, a demand likely to be ...

NATO officials are warning about a sizable troop buildup by Russia along its border with Ukraine. NATO's top commander says the large numbers demonstrate that Russia is acting like an adversary.

It's hard to keep up with the vast array of colored ribbons that convey causes around the world, especially when the same color has multiple meanings. Red ones, for example, represent AIDS awareness but also drunk driving prevention, among other things.

Last week, deputies in the Russian parliament, or Duma, ...

The U.S. and EU are trying to punish Russia for its actions in Ukraine. By doing so, they hope to create in Moscow a growing sense of isolation from the international community.

Germany and its European allies react to Sunday's referendum in Crimea. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson joins us from Berlin.