Ukraine
A Mushroom for War’s Misery
As the war in Ukraine nears its fifth year, the country is in the midst of a mental health crisis. Lacking other options, some are finding relief in the amanita mushroom, which many see as a culturally appropriate way to combat wartime trauma.
Sonic Terror
Russia’s drone strategy has created a nation on permanent, exhausting alert. Every Ukrainian is now an involuntary sound engineer, acutely sensitive to the ambient noise, trying to mentally calculate a threat’s distance from a high-pitched buzz or a faint whistle.

Inside Ukraine’s Plan To Build a Self-Sufficient Defense Force
With Western security guarantees uncertain, Kyiv is turning to its elite, battle-hardened units as the core of a remodeled military, and attempting to leave behind Soviet-era doctrines that continue to cast a long shadow.

Ukraine on the Precipice
The Financial Times’ Christopher Miller and New Lines’ Amie Ferris-Rotman join Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss recent developments in Ukraine.

Cutting US Aid Jeopardizes the Lives of Ukrainian Civilians
Dodging Russian bombs is nothing new for Ukraine’s evacuators, teams of volunteers that crisscross the country to help civilians escape the approaching front line. But the financial bombshell dropped by Elon Musk’s chainsawing of USAID was impossible to avoid.

Trump’s Incredible Shrinking Peace Plan
Trump once claimed he could end the war in Ukraine in a day, but is now growing weary of negotiations. Given the underlying resilience of U.S. ties to Europe, that may be a good thing for Ukraine.

Russia’s New Weapon: Child ‘Suicide Bombers’
Using the popular communication channel Telegram, Russia is duping Ukrainian children and vulnerable adults into carrying out horrific attacks across the country, many of them also killing the unsuspecting perpetrators. Similar tactics are being wielded by Putin across Europe to undercut support for Ukraine and its backers.