Ukraine

Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove attends a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Jan. 22. Breedlove told NPR on Thursday that

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NATO Commander: 'Conditions In Eastern Ukraine Have To Change'

11:05am February 06, 2015

by NPR Staff

Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander of Europe, tells NPR that "hundreds and hundreds" of Russian troops as assisting separatists in eastern Ukraine.

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Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev Thursday. The U.S. and its NATO allies are discussing how to help Ukraine maintain its borders against a separatist movement.

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U.S. And NATO Seek New Ways To Help Secure Ukraine's Border

11:49am February 05, 2015

by Bill Chappell

"Clearly what we see is that conditions in eastern Ukraine have to change," NATO Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove tells NPR's Renee Montagne.

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Smoke rises above buildings after shelling in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Tuesday. The number of people who have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine has climbed to 5,358, with the escalating violence claiming an average of 10 lives per day in the past

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A Rise In The Civilian Death Toll As Ukraine Fighting Increases

11:34am February 03, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

At least eight civilians have been killed in the past 24 hours and 22 wounded in fighting between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops in the separatist stronghold of Donetsk.

A woman sits inside a bomb shelter in Donetsk on Wednesday. Some local residents have lived in bomb shelters and basements for more than a month, looking for cover from artillery strikes.

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Amid Fighting In Donetsk, On Edge And Seeking Safety Underground

9:01pm January 28, 2015

by Corey Flintoff

The eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk has been under siege and subject to artillery and rocket attacks for months — residents are living in stressful conditions and the separatist militia is jumpy.

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Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov (right), was arrested on charges of terrorism last year in Crimea shortly after Russia seized it from Ukraine. He's shown here at a hearing at Moscow's Lefortovo District Court on Dec. 26, 2014.

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Russia's Prominent Prisoners Reflect Tension With Its Neighbors

5:50am January 18, 2015

by Corey Flintoff

Russia is jailing three prominent figures from Ukraine and Estonia on what critics say are highly questionable charges. The cases also reflect the friction between Russia and its neighbors.

Igor Girkin, a Russian citizen who headed the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine last year, walks with his bodyguards in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk in July.

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The Russian Who Claims Credit For Fanning The Flames In Ukraine

1:16pm January 08, 2015

by Corey Flintoff

Igor Girkin claims to have touched off the conflagration, and he says he's proud of what he did. The former member of the Russian security service has a knack for turning up in tumultuous places.

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President Vladimir Putin speaks in Moscow on Dec. 23. Russia's current economic crisis stems from Western sanctions and diving oil prices.

Sanctions Intensify Russia's Free Fall Into Economic Crisis

11:39am December 31, 2014

by Jim Zarroli

The Russian economy took a big hit in 2014. The U.S. and other countries imposed economic sanctions after Russia annexed Crimea, but it was falling oil prices that really hurt the country.

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A man smokes next to a bombed out house near Donetsk airport in the city of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine on Sunday.

Ukraine Says Russia Is Sending Tanks, Artillery Across The Border

11:00am November 07, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

The alleged movement continues to put into question a ceasefire that went into effect in September. It also comes after separatists held elections and Russia recognized them.

Valentin Danilov, 83, is a former executive officer on a Soviet sub who proudly wears his old Soviet military uniform. Crimeans like Danilov have, without changing their residence, lived in three different countries in the past 25 years — the Soviet Uni

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As Crimea's Borders Change, So Do Lives

9:04am October 31, 2014

by David Greene

Russia's annexation of Crimea is reshaping the lives of residents throughout the peninsula. Some find comfort in Russian rule, while others equate Moscow's control with intimidation and persecution.

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Ask Me Anything: NPR's David Greene Takes Questions On Crimea

4:41pm October 29, 2014

Morning Edition Host David Greene recently returned from a reporting trip to Crimea and responds to questions on Reddit about how the Black Sea peninsula has changed since it was seized by Russia.