Corey Flintoff

Among the most visible Americans at the Sochi Olympics are a group of evangelical Christians decked out in black cowboy hats and bristling with pins that help start conversations. For the chaplains, every connection is a chance to make friends and proselytize.

Attempts by Ukraine's president to quell anti-government protests — including an offer to install opposition leaders in a reshuffled cabinet — seem to have failed. The protests grew over the weekend and spread beyond the capital, Kiev. The protestors say they are determined to force the president's resignation and end what they call a corrupt and dictatorial regime.

Massive protests continue to escalate in Ukraine, as demonstrators extend their barricades further into Kiev. At least three protesters have been killed in clashes with riot police so far, and protests are beginning to spread into the western regions of the country. Corey Flintoff offers an update on the unrest from the center of Kiev.

Two weeks before the Winter Olympics, Russian security forces are reportedly searching for potential suicide bombers, at least one of whom may already be in the host city of Sochi. The suspects are thought to be linked to Islamist militants who want to create a fundamentalist Muslim state in Russia's North Caucasus Mountains.

Anti-government protests have shaken Ukraine for two months. With the passage of a new law intended to limit public protests, the crisis is once again intensifying. Protesters in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, clashed with police for a second day on Monday, one day after a massive protest in the city turned violent.

Russian officials say high-tech surveillance and the deployment of tens of thousands of troops are part of the most extensive Olympic security measures ever. The region surrounding host city Sochi is home to Europe's deadliest insurgency, and Islamist militants have proven their ability to strike.

The Irony of Fateis the country's favorite holiday movie. Like classic American films such as It's A Wonderful Life, it captures the magic of the holidays, but in a way that is quintessentially Russian.

Russia's most famous prisoner, former oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was freed Saturday and flown to Germany. Russians are wondering why the former oil magnate asked for a pardon after years of denying guilt.

As pro-Europe protests continue in Ukraine, the country's president signs a deal getting billions of dollars worth of loans and gas discounts from Russia. It's the latest move in a tug-of-war over whether that brawny country will align itself economically with Europe or Russia.

Moscow has agreed to a massive financial bail-out for Ukraine, including big discounts on natural gas supplies from Russia and billions of dollars in loans. The deal will buy some time for embattled President Viktor Yanukovich, but it's unlikely to solve Ukraine's weeks-long political crisis. Tens of thousands of demonstrators continue to occupy the main square in Kiev, protesting Yanukovich's refusal to sign an agreement with the European Union, and his turn toward Russia. Critics are asking what strings are attached to Russia's largesse, and economists question whether it's a good deal for anyone.

The ongoing anti-government protests in Kiev, Ukraine, seem to be cresting toward new confrontations between police and demonstrators as the numbers of both are increasing.

Stalin ordered the Tatars on the Crimean Peninsula rounded up and sent to the deserts of Central Asia in 1944. Nearly half died. Today, an estimated 250,000 Tatars have returned and are organizing.