The move was widely seen as an effort to prop up the ruble and strike back at Europe amid an onslaught of Western penalties levied against Russian banks.
Reed had been held in Russia since 2019. He was exchanged for pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was serving a 20-year sentence for conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S.
Russia had a reputation for being highly skilled in secretive military communications. That notion has been largely shattered by the bumbling way it has been operating in Ukraine.
The longer Ukraine's army fends off the Russian invasion, the more it absorbs the advantages of Western weaponry and training — exactly the transformation Vladimir Putin wanted to prevent by invading.
Trans-Dniester doesn't usually get much attention. But European leaders are watching it closely because it hosts about 1,500 Russian troops and shares a 250-mile border with Ukraine.
The number is more than double what the U.N.'s refugee agency projected in February when Russia invaded the country. The vast majority of those who have already left are women and children.
The People's Friendship Arch was gifted to Ukraine by the Soviet government in the 1980s. Kyiv's mayor says the statue underneath is being dismantled, and the arch will be renamed and repainted.
The People's Friendship Arch was gifted to Ukraine by the Soviet government in the 1980s. Kyiv's mayor says the statue underneath is being dismantled, and the arch will be renamed and repainted.
Brink has served as the U.S. ambassador to Slovakia since 2019. She has more than two decades of experience in the Foreign Service, including stints in Georgia and Uzbekistan.
Director Michel Hazanavicius changed the name for the Cannes opener after Ukrainian protesters noted that the letter Z has come to symbolize support for Russia's war in Ukraine.
