Daniel Ofman is a reporter with The World, based in Riga, Latvia.
The Republic of Georgia, located in the center of the Caucasus, and with Russia on its northern border, is a polarized nation. Over the weekend, Georgians went to the polls to vote in parliamentary elections. The result: a contested election that could plunge the country into a political crisis.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens have left the country. According to some estimates, more than 100,000 Russian citizens fled to Armenia alone. This reality has led to some changes within Yerevan, the Armenian capital, where some exiled Russians started a school.
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.