Russia

Listen to this BosNewsLife via Vatican Radio:   By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent KYIV, UKRAINE (BosNewsLife)--Russian President Vladimir Putin has received parliamentary approval for military action in neighboring Ukraine, where thousands of Russian forces have landed on the Crimean Peninsula. It comes amid tensions elsewhere including in Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv where dozens were injured when a pro-Russian protest turned violent, with demonstrators trying to storm the local government building.

Listen to this BosNewsLife News report via Vatican Radio:   By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he would welcome closer economic ties between the European Union and Ukraine, in what appears a departure from his previous stance.

Listen to this BosNewsLife News report via Vatican Radio:  By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife KYIV/BUDAPEST (Vatican Radio)-- A tense calm has returned to the streets of Ukraine's capital Kyiv's following clashes between pro and anti-government demonstrators. It comes at a time when protesters are remembering those who died in more than two months of unrest.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- New revelations show the late designer of the world's most famous rifle feared he was guilty for the many deaths caused by his weapon. Mikhail Kalashnikov expressed his concerns shortly before he died in a letter to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. His iconic AK-47 rifle, better known as Kalashnikov, has been the weapon of choice for guerrilla forces, terrorists and military groups in the Balkans and around the world.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:   By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)--The recent attack which left at least five people dead in Stavropol, in southern Russia, has heightened security fears ahead of the Olympic Winter Games due to take place in the Black Sea resort of Sochi next month. The United States, which will send 250 athletes to compete in the games, says the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will have dozens of people in Moscow and some in Sochi to assist the Russians.

Listen to this BosNewsLife News report via Vatican Radio:   By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Russia says it has launched one of the biggest security operations in Olympic history, after two suicide attacks killed dozens of people. The announcement comes a month before the start of the Winter Olympic Games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Listen to this BosNewsLife News Report via Vatican Radio:  By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Russian President Vladimir Putin has eased restrictions on protests in and around the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where the Winter Olympics and Paralympics will be held next month, but concerns remain whether local residents complaining about construction can hold rallies.

Listen to this BosNewsLife News Report via Vatican Radio:   By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered new security measures across Russia following two suicide attacks killed dozens of people within two days in the southern city of Volgograd.

Listen to this BosNewsLife News report via Vatican Radio:   By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Russian officials say as many as 17 people, including two police officers, have died and 50 others were injured in a suicide blast that devastated a train station in the southern Russian city of Volgograd.

By BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- As New Year approached, Christians in Russia’s predominantly Muslim internal republic of Tatarstan were still awaiting the outcome of an investigation into the destruction of at least seven churches during 2013.