State of the World from NPR

A local journalist in small town New York and an aspiring writer in Eastern Ukraine discovered they had a lot more to learn from each other than either expected. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Olena Pareniuk of the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine about the threat to the Zaporizhzhia power plant. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

The families of Ukrainian soldiers imprisoned by Russian forces have embarked on a desperate search for information after a deadly explosion at the prison where the soldiers are kept. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

A growing shortage for neon is driving up its prices by 5000%. Neon production became highly concentrated in post-Soviet states, such as Ukraine and Russia. The world is paying for that concentration. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Concern is growing over damage to a Ukrainian nuclear facility seized by Russians in March, which is reportedly currently under bombardment. Ukraine is seeking an international mission to the plant. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Concern is growing over damage to a Ukrainian nuclear facility seized by Russians in March, which is reportedly currently under bombardment. Ukraine is seeking an international mission to the plant. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Amnesty International has criticized Ukraine for setting up military bases in residential areas. Ukrainian officials say It's Russian forces that are putting Ukrainian civilians lives in jeopardy. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Terry Virts, retired NASA astronaut and commander of the International Space Station, about Russia's decision to leave the ISS after 2024. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Turkey is part of NATO and keeps close ties with the West, but its president is on the way to Russia with some very specific requests. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska was criticized for not looking ladylike in a recent Vogue photoshoot. Her supporters pushed back, creating an online campaign asking what it means to #SitLikeAGirl. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Could Ukraine's army retake the strategic southern city of Kherson? Officers and soldiers near the front line say the counter-offensive is already underway. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Corinne Fleischer, the World Food Programme's Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe regional director, about what grain shipments from Ukraine means for some areas. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

In Odessa, Ukraine is trying to launch ships filled with grain as part of deals brokered to address a global food shortage. Its ports have been closed since Russia invaded more than five months ago. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

What it would actually take to send out Ukrainian grain. They need to bring in minesweepers, figure out shipping companies to use, assure no more missile attacks, sort out danger pay, and lots more. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

The WNBA star took the stand in Russian court Wednesday to explain why she had vape cartridges in the first place, how they ended up in her luggage and what happened after they were discovered. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Russia's gas company Gazprom has once again reduced the flow of natural gas to Europe. To counter that move, the EU has agreed to reduce its gas usage by 15%. But that's easier said than done. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Russia says it will pull out of the International Space Station after 2024. This echoes intentions previously set by Russia and comes amid tensions with the U.S. and the West over the war in Ukraine. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., about her trip to Ukraine with a bipartisan Congressional delegation and meeting with President Zelenskyy. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Ukraine and Russia agreed to a UN-brokered deal on grain shipments out of the Black Sea that Turkey will oversee. The food supplies are badly needed around the globe. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

A Ukrainian man is being forced to choose between the two: a wife and three children who have fled the country and aging parents who are trapped behind enemy lines. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

As the war in Ukraine nears its sixth month, people in the northeastern city of Kharkiv are finding a new normal. Construction crews are cleaning up bombed buildings and people are returning to work. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Russia is fighting to conquer the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. To help civilians escape, the Ukrainian railway runs a free evacuation train out of the east. Here's what it's like. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Soldiers from Chechnya, a Muslim territory, are part of the foreign fight against Russia in Ukraine. Russia brutally suppressed them in two wars, and their presence echoes old hatreds in Ukraine. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

More than 20 people were killed when Russian missiles hit several buildings in Vinnytsia, a central city that has become a major logistical hub for humanitarian aid and military operations. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

The brutal trench warfare-style fighting happening in eastern Ukraine is traumatizing soldiers. There are concerns in Ukraine about the psychological legacy it will leave behind. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy