Donbas

Russian forces leaving the northern battlefields around Kyiv and Chernihiv may end up fighting in the east and south as Moscow tries to win back momentum.

The same national fervor that's helped Ukraine mount a fierce resistance against Russia could complicate Zelensky's ability to compromise with Russia.

The claims from Russia were quickly discounted by Ukrainian officials who said the issues will be settled when Ukraine regains sovereignty over the regions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he may be willing to compromise on the contested Donbas region, but the economic cost could be high.

A Ukrainian official estimated Ukraine's losses at nearly $565 billion and said the country will "seek compensation from the aggressor."

"Return to where it all began, and there we will try to solve the issue of Donbas, the complex issue of Donbas," Zelensky called on Russian troops in Ukraine.

The comments come after Russia said it would focus its war efforts on "liberating" eastern Ukraine.

Both Russian and U.S. officials are saying that the Russian army are changing their minds about claiming other Ukrainian cities.

There is still no agreement on Crimea and Donbas, two eastern areas of Ukraine that Russia sees as its own territory.

Officials in Kyiv said Russian forces had blown up a refinery in Lysychansk owned by Kremlin-controlled oil giant Rosneft.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has said that Russia had received 16,000 applications from foreigners wanting to fight alongside Russian forces.

After leaving America to join pro-Russian forces in Ukraine in 2014, Bentley tells Newsweek he'll only return to "liberate" the U.S.

"I voted for peace, not for war," lawmaker Mikhail Matveev tweeted on Friday.

Earlier this week, ahead of his formal order for the invasion of Ukraine, Russian president Vladimir Putin gave one of his most aggressive speeches yet.

Video shows a huge explosion at an air base in Millerovo, Rostov from what appears to be a Ukrainian missile strike.

"[Putin] believes that in the months to come, Ukraine will become more fragile," former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told Newsweek. "He can afford to keep his troops around our borders. Of course it's costly, but for him it's fine because oil is expensive and gas is expensive."

Philip Crowther, an international affiliate correspondent for the Associated Press, spoke about the ongoing crisis while based in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday.

Denis Pushlin, who heads the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk, called for "all men able to hold a rifle to come to the defense of their land."

Ukraine's military has developed since 2014, but there are concerns over Moscow's superiority in the air.

At the Ukraine-Russia Border, Soviet-era tanks and old fighter jets line up against Russia's Su-35s jets. But that is far from the whole story.

Newsweek analysis of OSCE data shows a spike in violence along the Donbas front line as Russian troops massed around Ukraine.

Ukraine's defense minister denied any accusations that Ukraine plans to attack anyone, saying the troop buildup is a defense against Russia's troop buildup.

A high-ranking Russian military official warned the Ukrainian government against using force to stop the Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region.

Policy analysts and think tanks have said Moscow is intent on regaining imperial control of Kyiv.

The ongoing violence in the Donbas comes as NATO discuss concerns over Russia's military build-up by Ukraine.

The U.S. has been sending military aid to Ukraine to help its forces battle Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country.

Ukraine's president called for officials to draft an formal claim, as recent estimates from Kiev suggest the bill could exceed $50 billion.

Since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the question of where Ukrainians go to worship has become a political issue.

The sober memorial came amid growing international clamor for Russia to cooperate in the plane crash investigation.

The U.S. State Department demanded an end to the hostilities as the conflict entered its fifth year.