The Rundown -- April 16

# WSJ Marketwatch cites Farangis Najibullah on Russia's political weatherman

# Ukraine launches "gradual" operation in the east

# A Russian journalist's 24 hour ordeal at Kyiv airport

# "The Ukraine Situation Requires More Nuance" - Volodymyr Ishchenko, "The Guardian"

# How to repatriate Ukraine's stolen assets

# "U.S. Should Send Troops" - James Jeffrey, "Washington Post"

# "Spiegel" on growing ties between European far right and Moscow

# "Crimea Helped Putin Hijack the Nationalists" - Vladimir Frolov, "Moscow Times"

# "Russia is Quick to Bend Truth About Ukraine" - David Herszenhorn, "New York Times"

# What would Russia do if it crossed into Ukraine?

# Divisive debate in Germany over Russia

# Russia and China racing to finish gas talks

# New round of Transdniester talks in May

# Moldova is "newest front" between Russia and the West

# Iran dilutes nuclear material

# "How the Ukraine Crisis Could Work to Iran’s Advantage" - Joshua Keating, Slate

# Khamenei having trouble controlling his hardliners; Zarif says he's not worried about hardliner push-back

# Afghanistan minister kidnapped in Kabul

# NATO airstrike in Afghanistan reportedly kills civilians

# Confidential U.S. assessment says Afghanistan not ready to govern on its own

# Afghan economy faces serious revenue shortfall

# Afghanistan journalists' Taliban boycott

# Pakistan to establish polio vaccine checkpoints

# Iraq closing Abu Ghraib

# Clegg demands release of Iraq inquiry

# Azerbaijan appears to back Gulen crackdown

# Tajik remittances more than half GDP

# "Russians Blend Loyalty to Nazarbayev with Pro-Kremlin Sentiments" - Eurasianet

# The guy who invented the Twitter disclaimer

# It may be okay to kill comments