“The Kremlin announced on Monday President Vladimir Putin had ordered Russian forces near Ukraine back to their bases, but NATO and the United States said they saw no sign of a pullback and Moscow had failed to carry out such promises before.

Moscow has massed tens of thousands of troops near the border regions where pro-Russian separatists have declared independent states, and Kiev and its Western allies fear they could be used to invade in support of the rebels. “*

*Read more here from Steve Gutterman / Reuters:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/19/us-ukraine-crisis-russia-military-idUSBREA4I04I20140519

“More than 160,000 people, including more than 8,000 children, have been killed in the three-year civil war in Syria, a human rights organization reported Monday — a total far higher than the last reliable count.

The figure includes civilians, members of the Syrian military, foreign fighters and rebels who rose up against the government of President Bashar Assad, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain.

The United Nations reported in July that at least 100,000 people had been killed, but the U.N. stopped updating its count after that because it could not longer verify its information. “*

*Read more here from Erin McClam / AP / NBC News:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/death-toll-syrian-civil-war-tops-160-000-human-rights-n108831

The Young Turks hosts Ben Mankiewicz and John Iadarola break down both stories in this segment.