KIEV, Aug. 20 - A Ukrainian warplane was blown out of the sky over rebel-held territory Wednesday as fierce clashes between government troops and pro-Russian insurgents left dozens of civilians dead, AFP reported.

KIEV, Aug. 20 - Heavy shelling hit residential neighborhoods in Ukraine's rebel stronghold of Donetsk and government forces fought street battles in other towns on Wednesday as they sought to crush a four-month-old separatist rebellion, Reuters reported.

KIEV, Aug. 20 - Ukraine's conflict with separatist rebels is draining the economy by the day and hampering efforts to implement reforms as required by an IMF bailout program, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said.

BRUSSELS, Aug. 19 - MEPs Elmar Brok and Jacek Saryusz-Wolski have described the EU's position in Russia's trade war with Ukraine as passive and called for immediate action to defend Kiev and its right of a free choice.

KIEV, Aug. 20 – Russia assured Ukraine on Tuesday that it effectively stopped the vigorous scrutiny of Ukrainian shipments over the past six days that had left a backlog of cargo at the border.

KIEV, Aug. 17 – Despite the fact that there are some people living there, the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear plant remains unfit for habitation, said Dmytro Bobro, the acting head of the State Agency for the Chernobyl Zone.

KIEV, Aug. 20 — More than 309,000 people have joined a class-action lawsuit against President Viktor Yanukovych over the past 30 days by signing petition seeking his removal from office through impeachment, opposition leaders said Monday.

KIEV, Aug. 20 - Ukraine plans to import 25 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia in 2010, or less then half of what had been originally expected, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Thursday.

KIEV, Aug. 20 - Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is reluctant to secure $1.7 billion in natural gas loans negotiated with the European Commission, and instead focuses on "secret" talks with undisclosed lenders, a senior official said Thursday.

KIEV, Aug. 20 - Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych appear headed for a showdown with President Viktor Yushchenko on Friday, when they will seek to change legislation governing the next presidential election.