Russia

World News

Courtroom drama: Ukrainian widow confronts Russian who shot her husband

12:39pm May 19, 2022

The widow asked the Russian soldier what he felt when he killed her husband. "Fear," he said. "I understand you probably won't be able to forgive me. But I ask for your forgiveness."

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From left, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden and Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz speak as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, back, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Canada's Prime Minister Justin T

How the war in Ukraine is challenging the long-sought pivot to Asia

5:01am May 19, 2022

by Asma Khalid

President Biden is traveling to Japan and South Korea this week — his first trip to Asia since taking office. Like presidents before him, he's seeking to reorient U.S. foreign policy toward Asia.

Russian army Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, is seen behind glass during a court hearing in Kyiv on Wednesday. He went on trial in Ukraine for the killing of an unarmed civilian and pleaded guilty. It is the first time a member of the Russian military has bee

Russia-Ukraine war: What happened today (May 18)

5:08pm May 18, 2022

by NPR Staff

A roundup of key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Demonstrators in Krakow, Poland, hold a banner reading "Legal Abortion Without Compromise" at a December 2021 protest. Poland has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe.

Health & Safety

U.N. and advocates raise concerns of abortion access for Ukrainian refugees in Poland

9:10pm May 17, 2022

by Patrick Adams

Poland's abortion laws are among the strictest in Europe. Advocates are seeking to help Ukrainian refugees who wish to terminate a pregnancy — including women raped by Russian soldiers during the war.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks via video during the opening ceremony for the 75th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on Tuesday.

Russia-Ukraine war: What happened today (May 17)

5:37pm May 17, 2022

by NPR Staff

A roundup of key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A wounded service member of the Ukrainian forces from the besieged Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol is transported out of a bus on a stretcher under escort of pro-Russian fighters, upon arrival in Novoazovsk, Ukraine, on Monday.

Russia-Ukraine war: What happened today (May 16)

10:50pm May 16, 2022

by NPR Staff

A roundup of key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A Ukrainian soldier examines a fragment of a Russian Air Force Su-25 jet after a battle at the village of Kolonshchyna, Ukraine, on April 21. Russia was expected to establish air superiority in the first days of the war. But Ukraine's air defenses have be

World News

Ukraine says it's downed 200 aircraft, a mark of Russian failures in the sky

5:22pm May 16, 2022

by Greg Myre

Russia was expected to dominate the skies over Ukraine. But Ukrainians are still shooting down helicopters and planes, making Russian pilots very wary about venturing into Ukrainian airspace.

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Burned-out Russian tanks stand on the road between Malaya Rohan and Vil'Khivka, Ukraine, just east of Kharkiv. Both villages were in Russian hands for much of March and into April.

People are picking up the pieces around Kharkiv after liberation by Ukrainian forces

3:55pm May 16, 2022

by Jason Beaubien

Ukrainian troops are pushing Russian forces away from the country's second-largest city. That's allowing residents to move out of shelters, assess damage and try to resume something of a normal life.

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McDonald's arrived in Moscow when Russia was still part of the Soviet Union. Tens of thousands of customers stood in line when its first restaurant opened on Jan. 31, 1990, at Moscow's Pushkin Square.

McDonald's is leaving Russia, after more than 30 years

8:43am May 16, 2022

by Bill Chappell

In 1990, the Big Mac's arrival in Moscow signaled a new era. Now McDonald's is tearing down the golden arches and writing off its investment in Russia.

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin, left, and President Sauli Niinisto announced Sunday that Finland will apply for NATO membership.

World News

Finland and Sweden announce they want to join NATO, marking a big blow to Putin

2:31pm May 15, 2022

by Frank Langfitt

Finland changed its policy toward the military alliance after troops invaded Ukraine. Sweden has avoided all military alliances, but like Finland, has also grown closer and closer to NATO over time.