Russia

Lawmakers in Crimea called a March 16th referendum on whether to break away from Ukraine and join Russia instead, voting unanimously Thursday to declare their preference for doing so.

Accusing the West of encouraging an "unconstitutional coup" in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow reserves the right to use all means to protect Russians there.

President Barack Obama says Russia is "on the wrong side of history" in Ukraine and its actions violate international law.

Ukraine's military admitted Monday that pro-Russian troops have surrounded or taken over "practically all" its military facilities in Crimea — a move that Russia's foreign minister defended as a necessary protection for the ethnic Russians on the Black Sea peninsula.

Russian President Vladimir Putin asked parliament Saturday for permission to use the country's military in Ukraine, moving to formalize what Ukrainian officials described as an ongoing deployment of Russian troops in the strategic region of Crimea.

Russia scrambled fighter jets to patrol its border and reportedly gave shelter to Ukraine's fugitive president as pro-Russian gunmen stormed offices of Ukraine's strategic region of Crimea, deepening the crisis for the new Ukrainian government even as it was being formed.

The 2014 Winter Olympics came to a close on Sunday with the host nation on top of the medal standings. Here's a recap of the final weekend of the Sochi Games:

Russia celebrated 17 days of sport-driven global unity on Sunday night with a farewell show that hands off the Winter Games to their next host, Pyeongchang in South Korea.

Alexander Legkov's victory in the men's 50-kilometer cross-country race Sunday clinched the overall medals title for the host nation at the Sochi Games.

Canada continued its dominance over the U.S in Olympic men's hockey on Friday. Here's a recap of all the day's action in Sochi: