Brian Mann

Crews in Ukraine are cleaning up this morning after a massive attack launched by Russia on Christmas, with drones and missiles appearing to target Ukraine's energy grid.

U.S. and Ukrainian intelligence suggests that Russia is using North Korean soldiers essentially as canon fodder for nearly impossible missions.

In one week there were more than a thousand North Koreans casualties in the fight with Russia against Ukraine. U.S. officials say they are sent into battle with little equipment or preparation.

Ukrainians' tradition of watching the movie Home Alone every winter takes on new meaning. Brian Mann

The attack began hours after Ukraine's president addressed his nation. He acknowledged the agony of 2024 with heavy battlefield casualties and Russia's army advancing along much of the 600-mile front.

A look at why Ukraine has halted the flow of Russian gas to Europe, and the repercussions of the move for Russia.

Ukrainian forces are fighting to hold on to the key city of Pokrovsk, in one of the fiercest battles in eastern Ukraine, but commanders admit the Russians have more troops and firepower.

A man walks down a war-ravaged street in Pokrovsk, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, on Dec. 19, 2024. Behind him is the hotel Druzhba, which was destroyed by a Russian missile last summer. Pokrovsk was once home to 60,000 people. Now it's largely abandoned, with Russian troops active within a mile of the outskirts.

People in the Ukrainian city Kherson {kHAIR-son} say Russian soldiers are using remote-controlled drones to attack civilians. Officials say the attacks escalated last summer and are a daily threat.

NPR's Brian Mann spends time with a Ukrainian mobile artillery unit as they prep their Soviet-era mobile cannon for a nighttime attack. Their goal? Stop Russia from crossing the Dnipro River and taking Kherson.