Black Sea

For many, it's hard to imagine the violence playing out now in Odessa — the charming port city on the Black Sea is known for its literature, arts, and perhaps above all else, humor. It's especially hard for The World's reporter Jason Margolis.

Violence in Ukraine has now spread to the city of Odessa, a resort town on the Black Sea. Writer Keith Gessen tells PRI's The World that Odessa has always been a special place to Ukrainians and Russians, known as a city where many cultures mixed.

With Ukraine's military in heavy fighting with pro-Russian separatists, has Ukraine slipped into a civil war?

There's a place we want you to name in The World's snap Geo Quiz for Tuesday. It's a bay on the shores of the Black Sea. And it's famous for — get this —its nude beaches.

As the Russian military moves into Crimea, there seem to be few good options for the US and NATO. Retired Brigadier General Kevin Ryan sees economic sanctions as one of the few tools, but that requires time and a focus on the long-term strategy.

Russia's military moves since the fall of Ukraine's government last week seem to signal one thing. Russia is not prepared to lose the Crimea. And the reason is pretty straightforward, if you look at history.

Islamic militants have threatened to disrupt the Sochi Olympics in part because they claim the Games are taking place on former Muslim lands. Local Muslim tribes were ethnically cleansed by the Russians in the 19th century. And that's just one small piece of Sochi's history.

Russians are getting ready to show off Sochi for the 2014 Olympics, but not everyone is excited. Some residents have paid a hefty price in order for the games to be played here.

Russia today began locking down the southern city of Sochi, a month before the Winter Olympics get underway. Tens of thousands of police and army troops are being deployed in and around the Black Sea resort. So can Russia provide security without suffocating the Olympic atmosphere?