Ukraine

By Stefan J, Bos Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife KYIV, UKRAINE (BosNewsLife)-- A Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest was kidnapped Saturday, March 15, by pro-Russian forces in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, adding to concerns the tensions may turn into a religious and ethnic conflict, church sources said.

Listen to the BosNewsLife News report via Vatican Radio: By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from Uzhhorod, Ukraine UZHHOROD, UKRAINE (BosNewsLife)-- International observers have questioned Ukraine's democratic credentials saying Sunday’s parliamentary elections were overshadowed by "a lack of transparency" and abuse of power.

By BosNewsLife News Center with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos KYIV, UKRAINE (BosNewsLife)-- Churches across Ukraine are praying for an end to the bloodshed in their country, after a Malaysian Airlines plane was shot down by a missile, killing all 298 passengers on board, Christian missionaries told BosNewsLife.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife KYIV/SIMFEROPOL (BosNewsLife)-- The European Union and the United States have imposed wide ranging travel bans and asset freezes against dozens of officials from Russia and Ukraine who they blame for Russia's military incursion into Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. Monday's announcements follows a disputed referendum in Crimea where election officials said nearly 97 percent of voters decided to join Russia.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife reporting from Uzhhorod, Western Ukraine UZHHOROD, UKRAINE (BosNewsLife)-- month after Ukraine's parliament ratified an agreement with Russia to extend the lease of the Black Sea fleet there is concern about the country's future. Residents in Western Ukraine fear the move is the beginning of more Russian control over their country, which became independent following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife UZHHOROD, UKRAINE (BosNewsLife)-- A Christian group fighting corruption in Ukraine's border region with the European Union has urged judges not to celebrate their annual 'Court Workers Day' Monday, December 15, amid evidence that several Ukrainian courts received bribes or other favors in exchange for favorable rulings.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife KYIV, UKRAINE (BosNewsLife)-- Russia says it is carrying out massive new military exercises close to the border with Ukraine in response to what Moscow views as "provocative actions" by the NATO military alliance in neighbouring states.

Listen to this BosNewsLife News report via Vatican Radio: By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife BUDAPEST/KYIV (BosNewsLife)-- Ukraine's jailed former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, has begun a hunger strike in protest of the government's decision to suspend the signing a landmark trade agreement with the European Union. Her announcement came amid more clashes in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv yesterday, where police fired teargas on demonstrators.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife KYIV/MOSCOW (BosNewsLife)-- Russia has begun transferring billions of dollars to Ukraine as part of a controversial economic deal that critics say is aimed at re-establishing the Soviet Union, and amid concerns over the mistreatment of pro-EU activists.

Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife at BosNewsLife News Center BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Ukraine says a cargo ship laden with weapons, which was held by pirates off the coast of Somalia since September, has been freed, BosNewsLife monitored Friday, February 6.