Russia

In recent months, Russia, Ukraine and the US have been running online ad campaigns all targeting Russian citizens. Russia wants more men to join its military. Ukraine wants them to lay down their arms. And the US is looking to recruit spies.

​​​​In Eastern Europe, some are asking whether the upheaval in the Middle East will impact the war in Ukraine. So far, Moscow's and Kyiv’s responses to the war between Israel and Hamas have been starkly different.

Pope Francis recently praised Russian historical figures in a speech to Russian youth. To members of Ukraine’s Greek Catholic community, these comments were deemed "painful" amid the ongoing war with Russia, and put a spotlight on their needs and concerns.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sent energy costs surging, European leaders scrambling for alternative suppliers of gas, and redirected flows of Russian oil toward Asia. Some European countries also burned more coal in response to the energy shock. But the most transformational long-term change will be in increased investments in renewable energy, according to International Energy Agency chief energy economist Tim Gould.

Oleh Shpudeiko, also known as Heinali, left his hometown at the start of Russia’s invasion. To heal his trauma, he made “Kyiv Eternal,” an album fusing electronic music with recordings of his past life. 

Amie Ferris-Rotman, a global news editor for New Lines Magazine, wrote a personal essay about her experience being pregnant in Russia, where many citizens believe it is a woman’s patriotic duty to give birth and become a mother. She talked about it with The World's Marco Werman.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has consolidated power over the last two decades. Yet, as the country prepares for regional elections next month, opposition voices are encouraging a “protest vote.”