Russia

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Russia arrests 'Wall Street Journal' reporter, accusing him of espionage

10:08am March 30, 2023

by NPR Staff

Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, was on a reporting assignment in the Ural mountain city of Yekaterinburg when he was detained by agents from Russia's Federal Security Services.

Soldiers spend time swimming in the pool during the course.

A rehab center revives traumatized Ukrainian troops before their return to battle

5:01am March 30, 2023

Built largely with Western donations, the spa-like retreat provides soldiers with counseling, aromatherapy and more. But most soldiers are there for no more than a week.

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An aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of heavy battles with Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday.

Latest in Ukraine: Putin will move tactical nuclear weapons into Belarus (March 27)

1:58pm March 27, 2023

by NPR Staff

Catch up on key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Magnus Ek, 53, a retired Swedish lieutenant, is teaching a group of Ukrainian conscripts how to fire an AK-47 in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. Ek, who spent a decade as an instructor in Sweden, is among a group of foreign military volunteers who have gone to train Ukrainians how to defend their country from Russia's invasion.

Foreign volunteers race to train new Ukrainian troops to be sent to the front

9:01am March 27, 2023

by Frank Langfitt

Former service members and combat medics from other countries are in Ukraine to train civilians. They typically have just days with new conscripts before they are sent to the front.

A howitzer is fired at a training area in the Volyn region. Ukraine is using this region, quiet for the moment, to train troops for the front line in the east.

On the border with Belarus, Ukrainian troops prep for a long war — and the front line

5:01am March 26, 2023

Russian forces crossed from Belarus into Ukraine a year ago, headed for Kyiv, before their unexpected retreat. As the war drags on, Ukraine is fortifying even the quietest stretch of this border.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Russian Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev during a meeting in Moscow on Saturday.

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Putin says Russia will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus

7:31pm March 25, 2023

by The Associated Press

Putin said the plan was in response to Britain's decision this past week to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands after speaking to the media during a signing ceremony following their talks in Moscow on Tuesday.

The leaders of China and Russia have finished talks. Here are some takeaways

2:25pm March 22, 2023

China's Xi Jinping says he has a peace plan for Ukraine and wants to mediate an end to the war. Ukraine and its neighbors are skeptical.

Ukrainian servicemen fire with a D-30 howitzer at Russian positions near Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, on Tuesday.

World News

Russian drone strikes in Ukraine kill at least 4, wound another 20

8:26am March 22, 2023

Drones hit two dormitories and an educational facility in the city of Rzhyshchiv, south of the capital Kyiv, partially destroying them.

Aquatic plants and debris are exposed by the falling water levels at the Kakhovka Reservoir. Researchers say that the draining of the reservoir by Russian forces are but one example of the war's effect on Ukraine's water supply.

A shrinking reservoir signals Ukraine and Russia are waging a dangerous water war

7:30am March 22, 2023

Russia is using a dam it controls to release water from Ukraine's massive Kakhovka Reservoir. It's one of dozens of cases where the war is limiting access to safe water.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference at his official residence in Tokyo on March 17, 2023. Kishida was seen Tuesday, March 21, heading to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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Japan's prime minister arrives in Ukraine for talks with President Zelenskyy

3:25am March 21, 2023

by The Associated Press

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida began a surprise visit to Ukraine early Tuesday, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in neighboring Russia for a three-day visit.