-Analysis- PARIS — Volodymyr Zelensky took to the stage Sunday to tell his compatriots that the West had not abandoned Ukraine. The Ukrainian president had to wait until the end of a long political suspense in Washington on Saturday before he could send this hopeful message to his war-torn country. The vote, which saw a large majority in the House of Representatives support the $61 billion aid package, had been seen by Ukrainians as a matter of life or death. For the latest news & views from every corner of the world, Worldcrunch Today is the only truly international newsletter. Sign up ..read more

-Analysis- Immediately following the terrorist attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, conspiracy theories about what happened began to spread. Both for those who have believed the Russian propaganda over the past two years, and for those who have not believed it, what lies at the center of their understanding of the world’s political reality is the struggle of Putin’s regime against Ukraine, against Western countries, against anyone and everyone who could oppose him. The emergence of another “pole of evil” – Islamic extremists – breaks this perception of the world. For the latest news & v ..read more

Updated April 12, 2024 at 6:45 p.m.* MELITOPOL — The recent presidential elections in Russia have been the most rigged to date. According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, 87.3% of voters inside Russia voted for Vladimir Putin, and almost everywhere in the occupied territories support has supposedly exceeded 90%. At the same time, the Russian authorities do not speak about any signs of protest or local resistance. One of the most well-known resistance movements in Ukraine is the women’s movement “Zla Mavka." In Ukrainian folklore, Mavkas are maidens who lives in forests, caves, mounta ..read more

-Analysis- KYIV — To win the war in Ukraine, Russia will need to control the reactions of its opponents (Ukraine and the West) and force them to act in accordance with their expectations. In Russian military doctrine, this is called reflexive control. For the latest news & views from every corner of the world, Worldcrunch Today is the only truly international newsletter. Sign up here. If Russia cannot quickly destroy Ukraine by military means, then it must force the West to end its aid and Ukrainian society to give up its fight. Once the country is defeated, Russia will erase Ukrainian ..read more

Updated April 10, 2024 at 4:50 p.m.* -Analysis- BERLIN — "Do you remember how Jesus came to Galilee and saw the fishermen beside the Sea of Galilee?" During a video call with children marking the opening of youth centers near Moscow, Vladimir Putin cited a number of Biblical verses, in a speech underlining the need to teach young Russians about “traditional” values. This is reportedly the first time the Russian president has quoted the Scriptures in a speech. Still, Putin is by no means a stranger to using religion to justify his actions — including the invasion of Ukraine. The image last ye ..read more

Updated April 8, 2024 at 5:55 p.m.* Of the 16 nuclear power plants in the Soviet Union, four were built in Ukraine. Until recently, the most infamous of these was Chernobyl. But now, all eyes are on the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, Zaporizhzhia, located in the south of Ukraine. The plant has become the new center of war in Ukraine since it was captured by Russia in March 4, 2022. Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage. Sign up to our free daily newsletter. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and its 15 reactors effecti ..read more

-Analysis- BERLIN — Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently signed a decree to usher in a new wave of conscription this spring. From April 1, men between the ages of 18 and 30 have started to be called up for statutory military service. In July, the Duma, Russia’s lower house, had raised the upper age limit by three years — meaning that men up to the age of 30, and not 27, had to join. In total, 150,000 conscripts will spend a year serving in the army, according to the Kremlin’s website. For the latest news & views from every corner of the world, Worldcrunch Today is the only trul ..read more

Updated April 7, 2024 at 6:15 p.m.* -Analysis- PARIS — "Baroque and threatening": that was French President Emmanuel Macron's description Thursday of the telephone exchange between French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu. The two words are rarely found side-by-side in diplomatic language, but summarize the unusual scene we were treated to from Wednesday's phone call. Because the stakes are high, a closer look is necessary. For the latest news & views from every corner of the world, Worldcrunch Today is the only truly international newsletter ..read more

Updated April 7, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.* BERLIN — A big bang from NATO: Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg wants to provide significantly more support to Ukraine in its defense campaign against Russia and put together a gigantic aid package. For the latest news & views from every corner of the world, Worldcrunch Today is the only truly international newsletter. Sign up here. The plans are barely three weeks old and have been the subject of intense internal debate ever since. They were presented at a two-day meeting this past week of NATO foreign ministers. The aim is to adopt the new measu ..read more

-Analysis- PARIS — "Baroque and threatening": that was French President Emmanuel Macron's description Thursday of the telephone exchange between French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu. The two words are rarely found side-by-side in diplomatic language, but summarize the unusual scene we were treated to from Wednesday's phone call. Because the stakes are high, a closer look is necessary. For the latest news & views from every corner of the world, Worldcrunch Today is the only truly international newsletter. Sign up here. A telephone conversa ..read more