Putin and Xi further their embrace to defy U.S.-led pressure
President Xi Jinping of China and Russia's Vladimir Putin doubled down on their alliance against the West this week during the Kremlin leader's visit to Beijing.
Russia
Blinken tells Ukraine U.S. aid will make a difference against Russia's offensive
Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Kyiv and said some new U.S. aid already arrived and more will reach the battlefield in the coming weeks.
'I did not feel like a human': Brittney Griner tells NPR about detention in Russia
Griner's new memoir recounts being humiliated by guards, of the pain from squeezing her 6-foot-9 frame into cramped beds and cage, and cutting her locs because it was so cold that her hair froze.
Ukraine's Zelenskyy calls God an "ally" against Russia in Orthodox Easter message
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians in an Easter address to be united in prayer and called God an "ally" in the war with Russia.
Ukraine pulls U.S.-provided Abrams tanks from the front lines over drone threats
Five of the 31 tanks have already been lost to Russian attacks in Ukraine, where the use of surveillance and hunter-killer drones had made it difficult for them to operate.
The U.S. counterintelligence head says the list of threats is long and getting longer
Mike Casey tells NPR that the scale of spying against the United States is "impressive and terrifying." He says: "More players are getting into it with more tools, going after more targets."
Chechnya is banning music that's too fast or slow. These songs wouldn't make the cut
Authorities in the Russian republic of Chechnya will only allow music between 80 and 116 beats per minute, though it's unclear how the rule will be enforced.
Attacks on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant increase accident risk, IAEA head says
The head of the U.N.'s atomic watchdog agency on Sunday condemned a Ukrainian drone strike on one of six nuclear reactors at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.
A mayor in Ukraine aids his town's few remaining people, as Russia closes in
Russian attacks have driven out most of Chasiv Yar's residents. NPR accompanies the mayor on a routine visit to check on those who remain.
Opinion: Russian Jehovah's Witnesses remain devout despite facing bans
Russia's ban on Jehovah's Witnesses has led to raids, arrests and imprisonment. NPR's Scott Simon says that the religion the Russian government calls "extreme" would be better described as "devout."