Europe

Luda Toryanyk, 58, walks across the railroad tracks in Kozacha Lopan, Ukraine, on Sunday. The village was retaken by Ukrainian troops on Sept. 11 after being occupied by Russian forces for more than six months. Toryanyk carries home bags of food that Ukrainian volunteers were distributing in the center of the village.

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In a retaken border village, Ukrainians point to signs of Russian abuse of civilians

10:26am September 22, 2022

by Jason Beaubien

Villagers describe allegations of abuse and officials say they found a torture chamber in Kozacha Lopan, in the Kharkiv region, which Russian forces invaded and took over at the start of the war.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech Wednesday at a ceremony. In separate remarks, Putin said Russia will mobilize additional troops to fight in Ukraine and he expressed support for referendums in parts of Ukraine on joining Russia.

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Facing setbacks, Vladimir Putin makes his biggest gamble yet in Ukraine

8:45am September 22, 2022

by Greg Myre

The Russian leader has already lost several big bets in Ukraine. He may be taking his largest risk yet by mobilizing more troops and pushing ahead with plans to annex Ukrainian territory.

U.S. military veterans Andy Huynh, left, and Alexander Drueke. The two veterans, who disappeared while fighting Russia with Ukrainian forces on June 9, have been released after about three months in captivity, relatives said Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Russian separatists release 2 U.S. veterans as part of a prisoner exchange

6:55pm September 21, 2022

by The Associated Press

Two U.S. military veterans who disappeared three months ago while fighting Russia with Ukrainian forces were among 10 prisoners released by Russian-backed separatists as part of a prisoner exchange.

In this image made from video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 21, 2022.

Putin announces a partial military mobilization for Russian citizens

6:05pm September 21, 2022

by Charles Maynes

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Wednesday a partial mobilization in Russia as the war in Ukraine reaches nearly seven months and Moscow loses ground on the battlefield.

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Some Ukrainian towns are now liberated, but Russian forces left them in shambles

5:59pm September 21, 2022

by Jason Beaubien

One Ukrainian woman planted flowers after Russia took over her town — to show she wasn't going anywhere. Now the Russian forces are gone and she and the town are trying to pick up the pieces.

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The reopening of McDonald's in Ukraine is serving up a reminder of life before war

5:27pm September 21, 2022

by Julian Hayda

Many in Ukraine are unfazed by the news that Russia is mobilizing 300,000 troops — and are instead going to McDonald's, which has just reopened.

The building housing Mykolaiv's regional government, bombed early in the war, lies in ruins on Aug. 11. Governor Vitaliy Kim says he knew he was the target "because it was my window." Thirty-seven of his colleagues died in the bombing.

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Ukraine hunts for pro-Moscow collaborators suspected of helping Russia strike targets

4:40pm September 21, 2022

by Joanna Kakissis

The southern Mykolaiv region has seen targeted strikes, leading Ukrainian officials to round up hundreds of people suspected of leaking information to the Russians.

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As the weather gets colder, Russian forces have targeted Ukraine's energy supply

4:23pm September 21, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with German Galushchenko, Ukraine's Minister of Energy, for the latest on Russian shelling of Ukrainian power and heating plants as the weather starts to get colder.

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Passengers from the Moscow-Belgrade flight, operated by Air Serbia, pass through the airport in Belgrade, Serbia, on Wednesday.

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Russians rush for flights out amid partial reservist call-up

9:54am September 21, 2022

by The Associated Press

Flights filled up and ticket prices sky-rocketed, apparently driven by fears that Russia's borders could close or that a broader call-up might send many Russian men to the war's front lines.

Top Zelenskyy advisor discusses Ukraine's latest military moves

5:00am September 21, 2022

A top advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to NPR about the latest Ukrainian military advances and Russia's plan to hold a referendum in territory it occupies.