Moscow maintains that it is not directly involved in the separatist conflict in Ukraine, but a steady flow of so-called volunteers from Russia are signing up to fight -- and some businesses are also contributing to the war effort. In Yekaterinburg, a businessman has turned his clothing factory over to producing uniforms for Ukrainian separatists and their Russian allies. (RFE/RL's Current Time TV program)
Here's today's map of the military situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council:
Our Belarus Service on Soviet/Russian evolution:
Moscow says U.S. forcing Kyiv to prolong conflict:
Russia has accused the United States of forcing Kyiv to continue the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have been battling Russian-backed separatists for more than a year.
In a statement on June 11, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Russia was not carrying out any "unusual military activity."
It also urged Washington to fully implement a treaty on eliminating intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.
The statement comes after a U.S. State Department report accused Russia of violating its arms treaty obligations. (Reuters, TASS, Interfax)