Moscow Backed Rebels

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  'Fiercest Clashes' as Syria Regime Advances With Russian Support

  Syrian troops backed by Russian air strikes fought their 'fiercest clashes' with rebels in weeks today as Europe's top diplomats demanded that Moscow stop targeting moderate rebels.

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  Syria Army in 'Vast Offensive' Backed By Russian Strikes

  Regime troops backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah and Russian air raids advanced Thursday in western Syria in a "vast offensive" against rebels, as NATO voiced alarm at Moscow's escalating military activity in the country.

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  Ukraine Leader Says 9,000 Russian Troops Backing Rebels

  President Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday more than 9,000 Russian troops were backing Ukrainian separatist fighters that Moscow will be under pressure to reel in at high-stakes peace talks in Berlin.

• Ukraine Seeks to Join NATO; Defiant Vladimir Putin Compares Kiev to Nazis

  Ukraine called on Friday for full membership in NATO, its strongest plea yet for Western military help, after accusing Russia of sending in armoured columns that have driven back its forces on behalf of pro-Moscow rebels.

• Crisis Deepens as Ukraine Says Russian Soldiers Back Rebel Thrust

  Ukraine's president said on Thursday that Russian troops had entered his country in support of pro-Moscow rebels who captured a key coastal town, sharply escalating a five-month-old separatist war.

• Under Artillery Fire, Ukraine Rebels Switch Their Leaders

  Two of the most senior rebels battling government troops in eastern Ukraine quit on Thursday, deepening the disarray in a pro-Moscow separatist movement that is being pushed back by an Ukrainian military offensive.

• Moscow Fights Back After Sanctions; Battle Rages Near Ukraine Crash Site

  Russia fought back on Wednesday over new U.S. and EU sanctions imposed over Ukraine, where fighting between Moscow-backed rebels and government troops has intensified since a Malaysian airliner was shot down.

• US Believes Russia Gave Rebels Missiles That Downed Airliner: Report

  The United States believes Moscow provided Ukrainian rebels with the missile launchers that downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, and moved them back into Russia after it was hit, US newspapers reported late Saturday.

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  Malaysian Airliner Downed in Ukraine War Zone, 295 Dead

  A Malaysian airliner was brought down over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard and sharply raising stakes in a conflict between Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels in which Russia and the West back opposing sides.

• Europe Warns Vladimir Putin as Ukraine Truce Deadline Looms

  With Ukraine's shaky truce set to expire Monday, the leaders of Germany and France have warned Vladimir Putin that Russia could face punishing sanctions unless he forces the pro-Russian rebels Moscow is accused of backing to suspend their deadly uprising.

• Russia 'Expects' Ukraine Rebels to Comply With Organisation for Security and Cooperation Roadmap

  Russia said on Tuesday it expected pro-Moscow rebels to comply with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) roadmap for resolving the Ukraine crisis if Kiev authorities stop a military operation in the east and pull back troops.

• Russia warns US, declares military near Ukraine as deal stalls

  Russia declared on Friday that its military is massed on Ukraine's doorstep and warned against further US sanctions as a deal it had struck with Washington appeared to stall because of intransigence by rebels it backs in the former Soviet republic.