Alleged belief among military officials that Kyiv could be ‘taken easily and with little bloodshed’ adds to worries of possible overt military campaign by Moscow
Russian legislation requires telecom firms to store more data for government, mandates jail for those who fail to inform authorities about crimes
Duma approved package of controversial amendments to laws last week, critics say they greatly extend government control over digital data
Kremlin critic says problematic proceedings against Nadiya Savchenko damaged Russian image, so exchanging her for two captives became attractive idea
'An insane atmosphere of fear reigns in Chechnya. People are persecuted for any dissent,' a Caucasus expert tells VOA's Russian service
