Robert Coalson worked as a correspondent for RFE/RL from 2002 to 2024.
Russia and the West are on the brink of an economic showdown over Moscow's incursion into Ukraine.
Fascists running Kyiv. Refugees streaming into Russia from eastern Ukraine. Rampant anti-Semitic attacks. Assaults on Orthodox churches. These are just a few of the exaggerated or demonstrably false stories that Russian media have been disseminating as tensions boil over in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggressive moves against neighboring Ukraine have analysts wondering what he is thinking and how can the West respond.
Tensions between ethnic Russians and Crimean Tatars dramatically escalated this week. RFE/RL correspondent Robert Coalson was in Crimea earlier this month and has this report on the potentially volatile relations between the two groups.
With crowds of jubilant Ukrainians milling through the palace of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, many have been speculating that Ukraine's days in Moscow's political and economic orbit may be numbered.
As Ukraine's opposition moves rapidly to assert its authority, with parliament voting to dismiss President Viktor Yanukovych and calling elections for May, politicians in the Russophone eastern and southern parts of the country gathered in Kharkiv to denounce the changes.
After two days of bloody clashes and dozens of deaths in Kyiv, opposition leaders and President Viktor Yanukovych have reportedly signed a deal to defuse the crisis.
As Ukraine's political and economic crisis drags on, its shockwaves are being felt on the strategic Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. RFE/RL correspondent Robert Coalson traveled around the peninsula and reports that pro-Russian organizations have stepped up activity that seems aimed at exacerbating ethnic tensions -- and some fear could lead to the partitioning of Ukraine.
Moldova expects to sign key association and trade agreements with the European Union later this year. But as the achievements draw closer, Russia has been stepping up pressure on the fragile pro-Western government in a bid to block European integration.
After weeks of protests and intermittent clashes between demonstrators and police in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, the country's police and security forces are stretched thin. Can President Viktor Yanukovych continue to count on their loyalty?
As Russian security forces hunt for a suspected would-be suicide bomber in the Olympic host city of Sochi, RFE/RL takes a look at the challenges facing Moscow while it prepares to greet the world next month in place on the edge of Russia's most volatile region.
Whether he was stealing a march on Syria, embarrassing Washington in the Snowden affair, or being named the world's most powerful person by "Forbes" magazine, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a lot of news in 2013. But can he carry that over into 2014?
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, whose term expires in October 2014, has rarely been out of the headlines this year. RFE/RL looks at Ashton's efforts to bring cohesion and effectiveness to the foreign policy of the 28-member bloc.
In recent days, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has seemed increasingly erratic in his statements and the actions of his government. Are there influences behind the scenes that could be the cause of Yanukovych's vacillation?
When political crises erupt in Ukraine, the fault line traditionally divides the Europe-oriented west from the pro-Russian industrial east. This time, it's not so cut-and-dried.
Whether or not Ukraine's drive to integrate with the EU is over remains unclear. But the country's stalled drive west evokes memories of another defining moment in Ukraine's history nearly a century ago.
The EU's Eastern Partnership summit is less than two weeks off, and it still unclear whether Ukraine will sign a long-negotiated Association Agreement with the bloc. What are the pressures on Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and why might the matter not be settled until at least 2015?
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili leaves office on November 17. But does that mean his United National Movement is finished?
In recent years, Baku has spent millions of dollars to persuade politicians in Europe and the United States that the oil-rich Caucasus country is a reliable partner -- and to distract them from criticism that the country is authoritarian and fails to respect fundamental human rights.
The United States is set to replace Russia as the world's largest producer of oil and gas combined by the end of this year. This is just one element of a rapidly shifting global energy environment that is revolutionizing Russia's once-dominant position. RFE/RL takes a look at the challenges and opportunities facing Moscow.
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