Daniel Ofman is a reporter with The World, based in Riga, Latvia.
A year ago, Azerbaijan’s military took control of Nagorno-Karabakh. Some 100,000 Armenians fled the enclave, a region within Azerbaijan made up largely of Armenian residents. Many families who fled Nagorno-Karabakh are still struggling to adjust to life in their new home.
Andriy Danylko’s onstage persona is Verka Serduchka — a middle-aged woman who works as a railroad sleeping car attendant — who became one of the biggest celebrities in Ukraine in the early ’90s. Today, Danylko uses her to represent Ukraine on the world stage.
Across Latvia, farmers are planting sunflowers as part of an effort to raise money for Ukraine. The idea is to attract people to take selfies with the flowers, and donate to Ukraine. The funds will then go to the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv, hit by a Russian strike last month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is threatening to restart production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons. This is in response to plans by the US to position long-range missiles in Germany. The World’s Daniel Ofman reports on the rising nuclear tensions between the US and Russia.
Last week, the US and Russia completed a historic prisoner swap. Twenty-six people in total were released, including 24 adults and two children. But it wasn’t just Americans — most of those released by the Kremlin were Russian political dissidents. Now, many of them are stuck in exile.
In a surprise move, the US, Russia and five other countries carried out a prisoner swap. Twenty-six people in total were released, including 24 adults and two children. The World’s Daniel Ofman has the latest, and explains what it all may mean for US-Russia relations.