Russia-Ukraine Crisis

Brittney Griner’s wife, Cherelle, wants President Joe Biden to secure her partner’s release, doing whate,ver is necessary to get the WNBA star home from Russia where she has been detained for more than three months. Cherelle Griner became emotional detailing what little she knows about Brittney’s detainment during an interview that aired Wednesday on Good Morning America. The Phoenix Mercury...

Rodrigo Duterte, who openly calls Vladimir Putin an idol, voiced his rebuke for the first time over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in remarks aired Tuesday where he blamed the 3-month-old war for the spike in global oil prices.

President Joe Biden has warned fellow leaders of the informal Indo-Pacific security coalition known as the Quad that they are “navigating through a dark hour in our shared history.” His warning comes as Russia continues a brutal war on Ukraine. Biden called for greater Indo-Pacific leadership in the effort to stop Russian aggression at the start of a summit Tuesday...

Countries that relied on Ukraine for crops like wheat and beets are seeing shortages after months of war. Egypt and other nations on the African continent are going to see food costs “skyrocket” as a result. Donor nations should step up to provide relief, says Lester Munson, principal international and trade consultant at BGR Group.

A Russian soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a Ukrainian civilian was sentenced to life in prison. The sentencing Monday comes amid signs the Kremlin may hold trials of its own, particularly against the captured Ukrainian fighters who held out at Mariupol’s steel plant. Meanwhile, in a rare public expression of opposition to the war from the ranks of the...

The psychological cost of the repressions, restrictions and shrinking opportunities could be high for ordinary Russians, albeit difficult to measure.

Russia says hundreds more fighters have emerged from the Mariupol stronghold where they made their last stand and surrendered. The Red Cross is working to register the fighters as prisoners of war, as the end of a key battle in the conflict draws closer. Meanwhile, in the first war crimes trial held by Ukraine, a captured Russian soldier testified Thursday...

Don’t say that Ukraine “gave up” Mariupol, says Chris Miller, professor at Tufts University. This was a retreat of the last bastion of soldiers in the city which Ukraine held out far longer than analysts thought would be possible. “I don’t think we should read this as heralding a major change in the character of the conflict,” Miller tells NBCLX...

Ukraine surrendered a steel plant in the city of Mariupol and evacuated troops, giving full control of the battleground city to Russian forces. But experts including Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state, worry Russia will “parade around” freed Ukrainian soldiers and not live up to humanitarian agreements. He explains more on LX News.

Sweden and Finland have pushed ahead with their bids to join NATO even as Turkey insists it won’t let the previously nonaligned Nordic countries into the alliance because of their alleged support for Kurdish militants. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strongly worded objections caught the two applicants and other NATO members off guard, complicating what was envisioned to be a...

The Ukrainian government says Russia has shelled more than 1,000 schools, destroying 95, while experts say such wide-scale wreckage can be used as evidence of Russian intent.

McDonald’s says it’s started the process of selling its Russian business, which includes 850 restaurants that employ 62,000 people. The fast food giant pointed to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war, saying holding on to its business in Russia “is no longer tenable, nor is it consistent with McDonald’s values.” The Chicago-based company had temporarily closed its stores in...

Ukrainian officials say the regiment that doggedly defended a steel mill as Ukraine’s last stronghold in the port city of Mariupol has completed its mission. The declaration came Monday after more than 260 fighters, including some badly wounded, were evacuated and taken to areas under Russia’s control. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the evacuation to separatist-controlled territory was done to...

Joining the Kentucky Republican in the unannounced trip to Ukraine’s capital were Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John Barrasso of Wyoming and John Cornyn of Texas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned his Finnish counterpart that relations between the two neighbors could be “negatively affected” if Finland follows through with plans to apply for NATO membership. The Kremlin’s press service said in a statement Saturday that Putin told Sauli Niinisto Finland’s abandonment “of its traditional policy of military neutrality would be an error since there are...

Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra has won the Eurovision Song Contest in a clear show of popular support for the war-ravaged nation that went beyond the music.

Ukrainian and British officials say Russia suffered heavy losses when Ukrainian forces destroyed the pontoon bridge enemy troops were using to try to cross a river. That’s another sign of Moscow’s struggle to win decisive victories and salvage a war gone awry. Russia’s campaign in Ukraine’s east is making faltering progress. Ukraine’s airborne forces command has released images of what...

Finland and Sweden have traditionally preferred to be militarily “nonaligned.” But Russia’s war in Ukraine has shaken their security notions to the core.

Finland’s leaders said they are in favor of rapidly applying for NATO membership, paving the way for a historic expansion of the alliance.

Negotiations are happening as Kyiv prepares for its first war crimes trial of a captured Russian soldier.