MOSCOW-Russia's U.N. envoy on Wednesday warned the United States against trying to put a Western-backed independence plan for Kosovo to a vote, saying it would split the U.N. Security Council and create deadlock on the issue. Vitaly Churkin said Russia continues to strongly oppose the plan proposed by U.N. special envoy Martti Ahtissari that would give independence to Kosovo, which has been a U.N. protectorate since 1999. Churkin warned that Russia, which is a permanent member of the Security Council with veto power, was prepared to take any action necessary to block the plan, although he stopped short of saying...