Emboldened by the takeover of Crimea, Russia's army wants to recruit 500,000 professionals in just three years, and is going hard at it.
Putin's statement has been seen as a sign that the Kremlin recognizes the legitimacy of the election in Ukraine.
Tycoon Petro Poroshenko is likely to focus on stability, and repairing ties with Russia, more than on fighting corruption.
Two days into his job, Ukraine's new president gets a hand from Europe, but he must keep Moscow happy, too.
Fighting continued into Tuesday while government forces tried to wrest control from rebel forces in Donetsk in the country’s east.
New president Poroshenko rejects negotiations with "terrorists."
10 photos from around the world.
Moscow said it was ready for dialogue with Petro Poroshenko but asked that he scale back his armed forces' campaign in the east.
The oligarch walked away with more than 50 percent of the vote that had a 45 percent turnout.
A large turnout is reported as a pro-European billionaire is declared the winner.
Is an unannounced Memorial Day trip an antidote to criticism of his handling the VA scandal?
Photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli,30, dies after a shell attack close to Slovyansk.
The two oil giants will keep drilling together in the Arctic.
The Russian leader's promise to "respect" Sunday's results doesn't imply that he will change his views or his tactics.
The clash was between Ukrainian volunteer fighters and pro-Russia separatists
Speaking in St Petersburg on Friday, Putin said he would “respect the choice of the Ukrainian people” in Sunday's upcoming presidential election.
Russia's deputy defense minister reportedly promised to "leave less than nothing behind” on its border with Ukraine.
Positive data from the world's biggest economies helped sentiments though uncertainty over China's outlook could keep markets on edge.
Irina Filatova's Vkontakte profile is full of suggestive and racy photos, and the Twitterverse has taken notice.
The violence broke out about 12 miles south of Donetsk at an army checkpoint controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
The European Union wants to break its dependence from Russian energy. Mexico might just be the solution.
Russia signed a $400 billion natural gas contract with China early Wednesday, and experts think many more deals are on the horizon.