Russia
Chess Ban Holds Russia in Check
Banning Russia from chess would have been impossible in any earlier era given the grip it has on the game. But now, the scales have tilted. Last month, during the Chess Olympiad in India, a young team from Uzbekistan won the gold; the Indian team took home the bronze.
Russian Torture Chambers
Proof of the horrors local residents were subjected to during more than six months of occupation was revealed on Sept. 19 in a dark and dust-filled basement under the police station in Izium, a strategic city in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region that was liberated in its latest offensive. Among the instruments used to terrorize people were Soviet-era gas masks that had been modified to prevent the victim from being able to breathe once it was placed on the face.
A Deadlocked War for Ukraine and Russia
While neither side desperately needs an immediate military advance, both also deny the possibility of a negotiated peace any time soon. This will be a long, slow fight to the death until one side is exhausted.
The Gruesome Battle of Donetsk
“Tonight, we had five raids. If we had air defense, it wouldn’t be happening. We have it, but not enough. It’s from the ‘70s and ‘80s. It’s too weak. We need modern air defense. We haven’t received any yet. And you also have to learn to use it first. It’s not like driving a car.”
Despite Liberation, Kharkiv Is in for Long-Term Misery
Many people have bloodshot eyes or skin discoloration and, in some cases, visible sores. “When we worked here our guidelines were to never spend more than half a day underground because it could make you sick,” said Nastya, a 23-year-old former train attendant who now works as a volunteer organizer. “Now there are people who haven’t left in nearly two months, and it is impossible to keep them all healthy.”
The Pro-Russian Attempt to Link the Buffalo Shooting to Ukraine
“What it appears to be is a disingenuous attempt to use the Buffalo shooting to undermine support for arming Ukraine, sending aid to Ukraine and helping them to defend themselves against Russian aggression,” behavioral scientist and disinformation researcher Caroline Orr tells New Lines Magazine.
Counting the Dead in Ukraine
Before Russia’s 2022 invasion, Ukraine had well-established mechanisms for documentation of those killed or missing — with more than 3,095 conflict-related Ukrainian civilian deaths documented from 2014 to late 2021. But the ferocity of the current conflict has fragmented those existing networks.