Ukraine invasion — explained The roots of Russia's invasion of Ukraine go back decades and run deep. The current conflict is more than one country taking over another; it is — in the words of one U.S. official — a shift in "the world order."
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Ukraine invasion — explained

Kathryn Ellis's book informed two manuals on sex and intimacy now being used in Ukraine. "This is an area where there are a lot of hopeful outcomes," Ellis told NPR. Amazon/ 2022 The Sager Group LLC hide caption

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Amazon/ 2022 The Sager Group LLC

NASA Harvest analysis of unharvested crops (in purple), along the front line of the war in Ukraine. Daniel Wood/NPR hide caption

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Daniel Wood/NPR

The bruising artillery battle in Ukraine has left a scar that is visible from space

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Worshippers loyal to the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox church gather for a protest service outside a monastery in Kyiv. Many believers say they're loyal both to Ukraine and their traditional faith. Brian Mann/NPR hide caption

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Brian Mann/NPR

Anger grows over Ukraine's largest Orthodox church, aligned with Moscow despite war

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A wounded Ukrainian soldier who goes by the call sign Flame awaits evacuation after being injured in fighting near the eastern town of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Sept. 4. Ukraine has been waging an offensive against Russian forces since June, but so far has made only limited gains. Libkos/AP hide caption

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Libkos/AP

In Ukraine, the focus is the fighting, but are negotiations possible?

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Technicians at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant demonstrate the process for reactivating one of the facility's Soviet-era reactors. Brian Mann/NPR hide caption

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Brian Mann/NPR

Ukraine strains to safely operate nuclear power plants while under Russian invasion

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) listens to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting at Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, Monday. Sergei Guneyev/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP hide caption

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Sergei Guneyev/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Turkey has failed to persuade Russia to rejoin the Ukraine grain deal

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Ukrainian refugee Anastasiia Ivanova says her faith is what's helped her get through all of her trials. She brought her Bible with her when the family fled Kharkiv for a new home in Brazil. But a new crisis made her wonder if Brazil was the right place for her. Gabriela Portilho/NPR hide caption

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Gabriela Portilho/NPR

People swim and sunbathe on a reopened beach at the Black Sea on Aug. 22 in Odesa. When missiles and drone attacks first hit the city — and Russian naval vessels started laying explosive sea mines around the port — the beaches were closed. Warning signs urged people to keep their distance. Pierre Crom/Getty Images hide caption

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Pierre Crom/Getty Images

Odesa beaches reopen, offering Ukrainians a respite from war

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Alina documented Andrii's injuries and steps in his recovery on Facebook. In the post here, she describes hearing of her husband's injuries as "the worst news of my life." Alina Smolenska hide caption

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Alina Smolenska

Eduard Skoryk (center) helps lift Viktor Nesterov onto an evacuation train. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

A Ukrainian rescue worker's memories are on pause as he evacuates people

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Law enforcement officers inspect the site of a missile strike in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Saturday. Anatoli Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Anatoli Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska heads the country's mental health campaign, called "How Are You?" She says the country is still overcoming the legacy of the Soviet era, when the government sometimes said dissidents had "psychiatric problems" and locked them in mental institutions. She's shown here meeting with students in Paris last December. Julien de Rosa/AP hide caption

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Julien de Rosa/AP

With a simple question, Ukrainians probe mental health at a time of war

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Ukraine's Olha Kharlan (L) refuses to shake hands with Russia's Anna Smirnova, registered as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN), after she defeated her during the Sabre Women's Senior Individual qualifiers, as part of the FIE Fencing World Championships on July 27. Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images

Yuriy Kopishynskyi stands with a horse at his family's horseback riding school on Khortytsia, an island on the Dnipro River just outside Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

The Cossacks' traditions live on near the front lines in Ukraine

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A Ukrainian sailor stands watch at a machine gun on the back of a patrol boat in the Dnipro River off Kyiv. Russia seized or destroyed much of Ukraine's navy, but the country is trying to rebuild its sea forces. Greg Myre/NPR hide caption

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Greg Myre/NPR

Ukraine struggles to rebuild a navy destroyed by Russia

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Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar discusses Putin, Zelenskyy and the war in Ukraine

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U.S. and Europe search for new Ukraine export routes after Russia leaves grain deal

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A poster photo of U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former Russian prisoner Trevor Reed stands in Lafayette Park near the White House, March 30, 2022, in Washington. Reed, a former U.S. Marine who was released from Russia in a prisoner swap last year, has been injured while fighting in Ukraine, the State Department said. Patrick Semansky/AP hide caption

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Patrick Semansky/AP

Olha Kornych, 58, stands in front of her newly rebuilt home on Vokzalna Street in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv. Her home was among the many that were badly damaged or destroyed in Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kateryna Malofieieva/NPR hide caption

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Kateryna Malofieieva/NPR

Ravaged by Russian troops, Bucha rises from the ashes

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This photo released by Ostorozhno Novosti on Monday, July 17, 2023, reportedly shows damaged parts of an automobile link of the Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait not far from Kerch, Crimea. AP hide caption

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AP