UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CRISIS

A Pro-Russian separatist fighters stand guard on October 23, 2014 at the entrance of a shelter where families have been living for several months in the village Petrovski, which is 1,5 kms from the frontline and 20 kms of the center of Donetsk center. As war-weary Ukraine prepares to vote in a snap parliamentary election on October 26, its former master Russia stands by for once apparently unable to influence the outcome. Of the 29 parties running for seats in the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada, the country's parliament, none formally represent the ousted regime of Kremlin-backed Viktor Yanukovych and most support closer ties with the West. AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGET (Photo credit should read DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP via Getty Images)