Those who've left Kherson and others who still have loved ones there describe a community in fear of the Russian occupiers — and hopeful that increased shelling means the Ukrainians are coming.
At the heart of the Ukraine grain export deal is a complex inspection process involving Turkey and the U.N. NPR recently joined a team of inspectors aboard a ship carrying grain in the Marmara sea.
As the war has changed over the months, Ukrainian soldiers have had to adapt quickly and learn new skills — even if it means figuring out how to fire anti-tank missiles by watching YouTube videos.
Sixty percent of Ukrainians who fled their homes for other parts of the country have lost their jobs, as Russia's invasion has upended industries and destroyed businesses.
Russia, which had suspended participation over the weekend, says the grain deal is back on after assurances that shipping corridors would not be used for military purposes.
Countries are scrambling to salvage a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain, after Russia said it pulled out indefinitely, a decision that risks worsening global hunger.
Russian says it has moved to suspend its implementation of a U.N.-brokered deal which under which the United Nations says more than 9 million tons of grain and other food products have been exported.
Ukrainian forces have made significant gains in recent weeks, recapturing wide swaths of territory in the east and northeast. Now they're bracing for what may be one of their toughest battles yet.
Russia's defense minister says the military reached its target of adding 300,000 troops to fight in Ukraine. The recruitment effort led many Russians to protest and flee the country.
The war in Ukraine hasn't only destroyed lives and buildings. It's also ripped apart trust in communities that endured Russian occupation. Neighbors now see each other as collaborators with the enemy.
The decision effectively sends Griner to serve out her nine-year term in a Russian prison colony, even as the U.S. and Russia appear set to reengage in talks for a possible prisoner swap.
Young volunteers blast techno music while helping people in destroyed villages and then hold dance parties to blow off steam. "Listening to music keeps us balanced, so we can keep working," one says.
Over 1.4 million households have lost electricity after repeated Russian air raids, the president's office says. Ukraine's power utility says the extent of the damage eclipses earlier attacks.