Yuri Luzhkov, the longtime mayor of Moscow, has been fired by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev after holding the job for 18 years. Though Luzhkov has been considered a popular politician, Premier Vladimir Putin changed the Russian constitution so mayors and governors are now appointed and dismissed by presidential decree. To tell us how and why fortunes changed for this once powerful politicians, we're joined by the BBC's Olexiy Solohubenko in Moscow.

First, watch a little snippet of the throwdown in Kiev today; there is at least one fist fight, one smoke bomb, and several umbrellas being used to block hurled eggs. After taking in the vitriolic antics displayed by Ukraine's elected leaders you'll probably want to know why they are beating each other up with fists and farm products. It was spurred by a controversial deal, that passed by a narrow margin, to extend an agreement with Russia that gives their neighbor a naval base on the Dead Sea in exchange for discounted natural gas.

Two female suicide bombers wearing belts packed with explosives blew themselves up on the Moscow subway just before eight o'clock this morning — a time when the city is busiest with commuters. Chechen rebels are believed to be responsible for the attack, which has left at least 37 people dead.

Election officials in Ukraine say they've now counted 93 per cent of the votes cast in Sunday's presidential election and that the opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych is still in the lead. However, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, refuses to admit defeat.  She has appealed to her election team around the country to fight for every vote.

President Obama announced yesterday that he is abandoning plans for a missile defense shield. President Bush had slated the shield for development in Poland and the Czech Republic, but the defense scheme became an increasing irritation in U.S.-Russian relations, and President Obama has opted to go a different direction, asking for a mixed land/sea-based system to guard against Iranian missiles. So how is Russia reacting to the news? Olexiy Solohubenko, Russian affairs expert at the BBC, joins us with a look at how the story is being in reported in Russian media.

Twenty years ago, the Soviet Union's military retreated from Afghanistan in disarray. Their bloody nine-year conflict has often been called “Russia’s Vietnam.” Now some Russians see America and its NATO allies heading for a similar destiny. To discuss this alarming possibility is Sergei Khrushchev, the son of the former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. (Sergei’s father died in 1971.) Sergei, a fellow in international affairs at Brown University, joins a conversation with the BBC’s Russia reporter Olexiy Solohubenko and James Joyner of the Atlantic Council.

Russia declared an end to its ten-year operation in the autonomous republic of Chechnya today. The decade long struggle between the nations brought ten of thousands of Russian troops to the region to fight separatist movements. It is unclear how many troops will remain in the now stable country. The move is a step towards normalizing the relations between the two countries. For more we turn to Olexiy Solohubenko, Russia analyst for the BBC.

It's the one year anniversary of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's rise to power, but many Russia watchers feel that Vladimir Putin still holds the reins. While most world leaders would envy their approval ratings, since the global financial crisis hit the country, Medvedev's and Putin's ratings have fallen. For a look back at Medvedev's first year and a glimpse of the future, we are joined by the BBC's Olexiy Solohubenko.

While most Americans may wonder where in the world is Kyrgyzstan, the U.S. military is very aware of it this week. The United States and NATO have longed use a base in Kyrgyzstan as a vital stopover in the supply route for their operations in Afghanistan. That may be changing though, because Russia offered the country two billion dollars in aid if Kyrgyzstan agreed to close the base. For more, we turn to the BBC's Olexiy Solohubenko.