President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday Russia must maintain its nuclear deterrence because of what he said were a growing number of possible security threats.

• September 10, 2014

The Kremlin's prized oil firm Rosneft is cutting staff and production and selling stakes in Siberian fields in the strongest evidence to date that Western sanctions are hurting what was the world's fastest growing oil firm in recent years.

• September 9, 2014

Five Ukrainian servicemen have been killed in the past four days, the military said on Tuesday, underscoring the strains in a ceasefire between government forces and pro-Russian separatists that officials insist is still broadly holding.

• September 9, 2014

European Union countries will discuss on Wednesday whether to implement new sanctions against Russia over its involvement in the Ukraine war, the European Commission said on Tuesday, as Kiev urged the 28-nation bloc to move without delay.

• September 9, 2014

A ceasefire struck between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists was largely holding on Monday in eastern Ukraine despite sporadic violations, but Europe's security watchdog said the sides must push for a political settlement.

• September 8, 2014

Russia signalled on Monday it might ban Western airlines from flying over its territory as part of an "asymmetrical" response to new European Union sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.

• September 8, 2014

Lithuania's central bank cut its 2014 economic growth forecast on Monday, citing in part Russia's ban on imports on certain foods from several Western countries.

• September 8, 2014

An uneasy calm prevailed in eastern Ukraine on Saturday after Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists signed a ceasefire as part of a drive to end a war that has triggered a deep crisis in relations between Russia and the West.

• September 6, 2014