Russia masses troops along Ukraine border

The Ukrainian government says President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to open a dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But so far, there’s been no response. Tensions are on the rise as Russia has reportedly put more than 40,000 troops at its border with eastern Ukraine and 42,000 more in Crimea.

What’s going on? Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces have been locked in a conflict in the region since Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. More than 14,000 people have died in fighting in eastern Ukraine and efforts to broker a political settlement have stalled. Western officials are warning about an increasing number of cease-fire violations in the region. Ukraine has reported military casualties daily over the past week.

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report in The Stew about how polarized U.S. politics put Ukraine’s young democracy at risk.