UKRAINE-Russian relations have been tense at the best of times but they bubbled to the surface recently when naval forces from Russia captured three Ukranian vessels.
We look what the disputes are over and why Russia prizes Ukraine so highly.
What does Russia want with Ukraine?
The two countries have been intertwined for more than 1,000 years, not all of it peaceful by any means.
Russia sees the Ukraine as highly strategic – due to Ukraine’s coast it gives Russian ships access to the Black Sea and a warm water port along its Western borders.
It is also important for Russia as it tries to hang on to its “sphere of influence” with countries on its Western borders after the collapse of the Soviet Union and many of its former satellite countries allying themselves with the West in general and the European Union specifically.
Ukraine is also strategic for transit routes for its natural gas pipelines to the west. Losing control of the country would mean losing control of much needed revenue.
Ukraine, particularly the eastern parts, are home to an estimated 7.5million ethnic Russians.
The country is also prized for its fertile plains and rich, dark soil with Ukraine often referred to as “the breadbasket of Europe”.
What is their history together?
While the two countries history stretches back centuries, present tensions effectively originate when the first independent Ukrainian state was declared in Kiev in 1917 following the collapse of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires towards the end of World War I.
That independence was short lived though as it was invaded by Poland and fought over between forces loyal either to the czar or the newly-established Bolshevik government.
It was eventually swallowed up into the Soviet Union in 1922 at a time when its economy was in tatters.
When Ukranian farmers refused to join the collective farms being established under Joseph Stalin in the 1930s, he stamped his tyrannical rule by orchestrating mass executions and starved millions of people to death.
Stalin also imported millions of Russians and other citizens in the Soviet Union to the region to help rebuild the country.
Ukraine eventually became independent in 1991 with more than 90 percent voting to break away from the collapsing Soviet Union.
But Russia has continued to meddle in the country’s affairs, most notably in the Ukraine’s 2004 presidential election when the Kremlin backed the pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych.
The Crimea has become a flashpoint between the two countries.
The peninsula was ruled by Russia for centuries before the then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gifted it to Kiev in 1954.
The move is still deeply unpopular with many Russians who still see the region as theirs.
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What happened in Crimea?
On November 25, 2018 Russia captured three Ukrainian naval vessels which were sailing off the coast of Crimea.
Russia opened fire, before special forces stormed the vessels.
Ukraine said it was a Russian “act of aggression”. Moscow said the ships had illegally entered its waters in the hotly-contested Kerch Strait.
Sunday’s clash was the first time Russia and Ukraine have come into open conflict in recent years, although Ukrainian forces have been fighting Russian-backed separatists and Russia volunteers in the east since 2014.
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News Pictures What does Russia want with Ukraine, what is their history together and what happened in Crimea?
You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st
To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.
Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”
Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”
kim cattrall
Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb
SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/NINTCHDBPICT000451891168.jpg?strip=all&w=960
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