Here is some business data from RFE/RL's news desk, which is at least peripherally related to the Ukraine crisis:
The euro fell to a nine-year low against the U.S. dollar on January 5, and the Russian ruble lost ground as oil prices dropped as low as $50 per barrel.
The European currency hit $1.1864, its lowest level since March 2006, before recovering moderately.
The decline failed to spur a rally in European stocks, which fell sharply amid fears that Greece could soon leave the 19-nation eurozone.
U.S. crude oil dropped below $50 per barrel for the first time in five years, while benchmark Brent North Sea crude was selling for about $53 per barrel.
The ruble, which lost nearly half its value last year and dropped as low as 80 per dollar on December 16 before recovering, was back below 60 per dollar late on January 5.
Russia's energy-reliant economy has been hit by falling oil prices and Western sanctions imposed over Moscow's interference in Ukraine.
(With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters)
Some comments made to today by Petro Poroshenko, as reported by RFE/RL's news desk:
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that the combat potential of the country's army units has been "restored in full."
At a ceremony in the Zhytomyr region, 140 kilometers from Kyiv, Poroshenko presented fighter jets, howitzers, and armored personnel carriers to the military.
"I am convinced that 2015 will be the year of our victory," Poroshenko said. "In order to achieve that, we need a strong, patriotic and well-equipped army."
The comments came as representatives from Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany met in Berlin in an attempt to advance efforts to restore peace in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists since April 2014 in a conflict which has killed more than 4,700 people.
Fighting has persisted despite a cease-fire agreement signed in Minsk on September 5.
(dpa, Interfax)