Russian Roulette offered raw, on-the-ground reporting from Ukraine's 2014 war

Stay up to date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war with BBC's 'Ukrainecast'

BBC's "Ukrainecast" offers ongoing coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war, featuring on-the-ground reporting, expert analysis, and personal stories from Ukrainians living through the conflict.

'20 Days in Mariupol' is a firsthand look at a siege from the war's front lines

The award-winning documentary "20  Days in  Mariupol" follows a Ukrainian AP team trapped in Mariupol during the first weeks of Russia's 2022 invasion—documenting the bombing of a hospital, mass graves, and civilians under siege. Note: graphic content.

The first year of war in Ukraine, in photos

The Russian/Ukrainian war grows more real in this series of photographs from Associated Press News. Showing the effects of war on soldiers and civilians alike, the photographs turn an unflinching eye on the injuries and fatalities wrought by the conflict, now in its second year after Russia's invasion in 2022.

The day Russia invaded Ukraine—an oral history

Experience the slow build-up to the Russian-Ukraine war, to the moment when it was clear Putin intended to invade, to the actual invasion and occupation in this oral history compiled by Politico. Multiple US and Western officials share their perspectives and thoughts on the war, how it's been conducted, and what can happen next.

Russian forces seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014

Days after Ukraine's 2014 revolution, unmarked Russian troops occupied key sites in Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula with a predominantly Russian-speaking population that had been part of Ukraine since 1954.

See the progress of the war in this interactive, visual timeline

Follow the progress Russian/Ukrainian War through this interactive map. Watch as events develop, get a daily overview of movements, and switch back and forth between different dates and time periods during the conflict. Results will change in real time and depending on all available information about troop movements and more.

Ukraine's contested Donbas region: a visual explainer

Russia's heavily industrialized eastern Donbas region has been largely controlled by Russian separatists since 2014. Here's everything you need to know on the key strategic region.

Hear how Putin's Soviet childhood shaped his rule

In this podcast, journalist Julia Ioffe traces Putin's worldview to his "dvor"—the rough Soviet courtyards where he learned power, loyalty, and survival. The series shows how these early lessons shape his war in Ukraine.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is the largest ground war in Europe since World War II in casualties, forces mobilized, and displacement of civilians.

Breaking down Western military weapons in Ukraine

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western military aid has helped dictate Ukraine's capability and strategy on the battlefield. From advanced ground-launched missiles to millions of rounds of ammunition, the supplies have been critical for Ukraine but force Western countries to tip-toe around the appearance of direct conflict with Russia. This visual deep-dive breaks down some of the most important military aid to date.

Protests in Ukraine from 2013 to 2014 set the stage for the current conflict

Beginning in November 2013, the Euromaidan movement saw hundreds of thousands of protesters gather in Kyiv's Independence Square after the government rejected an EU deal. Months of demonstrations and violent crackdowns culminated in President Yanukovych fleeing to Russia. Note: graphic content.

Ukraine's sushi restaurants have remained open through the country's war with Russia

Although the country's cities have become battlegrounds, its sushi restaurants—a popular comfort food for Ukrainians—have remained open. That's especially surprising considering they require imported fresh fish and highly skilled chefs.

Ukraine's reformist candidate survived a poisoning attempt in 2004

During the 2004 presidential campaign, Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned with dioxin, which disfigured his face but did not prevent him from winning the rerun election. The attack was widely suspected to involve pro-Russian security forces.

Russia's private military force, explained

Not all participants in the Russian/Ukraine war are enlisted or drafted soldiers. Some, like the Wagner Group, are private mercenaries. But their reach extends past Russia and Ukraine's borders. This eight-minute video explores the activities of this shadowy company and how they aid Vladimir Putin in his military endeavors.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has destabilized safety and oversight at Chernobyl

Russian forces cut power and disabled monitoring of the decommissioned nuclear power plant in 2022, endangering operators at Chernobyl. In February 2025, a Russian drone struck the confinement structure—part of broader efforts to pressure Ukraine's energy infrastructure—punching a hole in the containment shell.

Anonymous' war against Russia

Anonymous has been waging a cyber war on Russia for invading Ukraine. CNBC takes a look at how effective the collective’s six main strategies have been.

After it was banned from Eurovision, Russia resurrected its Cold War-era version

Russia was barred from the Eurovision Song Contest following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In 2025, President Vladimir Putin announced the revival of Intervision, a similarly structured song contest that the Soviet Union had organized throughout the Cold War.

Inside Vitalik Buterin’s trip to Russia

A Vice reporter heads to Russia, where he documents Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin’s time there. Buterin, then 23, attends events in the country to raise awareness about Ethereum and its potential to pave the way for a new financial future. At the same time, Vice notes that Russia’s interest in crypto could stem from its potential to allow the country to evade international sanctions. Watch the full video here.

A 103-episode podcast offers an unmatched deep dive into the Russian Revolution

After covering the entire history of Rome, historian Mike Duncan devoted Season 10 of his Revolutions podcast to Russia, producing 103 episodes that trace the origins, upheaval, and aftermath of the Russian Revolution. Start with Episode 10.1 — The International Working Men’s Association.

Dubbed 'stalkers,' some Ukrainian youth illegally explore Chernobyl's exclusion zone

A subculture of thrill-seekers, driven by a desire for rebellion and adventure, is representative of dark tourism in the region. Some stalkers sneak past militia posts to venture into abandoned ruins, risking radiation exposure while scavenging for ruins of the past.

An interactive documentary exploring violence in the Central African Republic

This photographic and audio documentary explores a decade of violence in the Central African Republic. In March 2013, rebel groups in the north of the country united to form Seleka, which went on to take power of CAR’s capital. Waves of violence...

The Minsk peace accords failed to end fighting in eastern Ukraine in the mid-2010s

The Minsk Agreements of 2014 and 2015 sought to halt the war in eastern Ukraine through ceasefires and political reforms, but repeated violations left the accords unenforced and the conflict unresolved.

Listen to firsthand accounts by Holocaust survivors

Hear the tragic history of the Holocaust through the words of those who were there. Multiple survivors are interviewed about their experiences. Organized by topic and birthplace, this collection of videos puts the width and breadth of the Holocaust into better perspective, and with a more personal touch as well.

A video showing how drug dealing really works

What motivates people to sell drugs? The “News on Drugs” series asks how people get drawn into the drug trade, unpacking the different goals and aims involved in dealing drugs. While there is a lot of focus on cartels, traffickers, and gangs...

Red wine, 101

How does a bottle of red wine get to the table? In this podcast episode from VinePair, tastings director Keith Beavers covers this wide-ranging wine category. Learn about the entire process of red wine production, from grape to glass. The episode provides a great starting line for general wine knowledge and a jumping-off point into individual varieties or regions.

Major scandals have undermined the reputation of the Olympics

With billions in public money in play and the high stakes of winning gold for one's country, the Olympics have had their fair share of scandals. This Global Investigative Journalism Network list highlights eight groundbreaking investigations by journalists about the Olympics. It includes the 2014 Russian doping scandal, venue corruption in Rio, and the decadeslong cycle of sexual abuse by an Olympic doctor.

The tragic Pulitzer Prize-winning image 'The Vulture and the Little Girl' (1993) generated controversy, raised concerns about ethics in photography, and eventually led to the photographer's death.

This real-time tracking of the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak in May 2026 offers a unique glimpse into the global reach of the outbreak and whether the virus sickened passengers and their communities around the world.

Watch contemporary footage covering the US-backed Shah of Iran fleeing the country in the face of the 1979 Iranian Revolution

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

During the French Revolution, a botanist's letter asking about "dear Rhus" (poison ivy) was intercepted, leading authorities to suspect he was conspiring with the Russians.

In 2019, a laptop loaded with six of the worst malware in history and described as 'an exhibit of historical weaponry' sold for $1.3M.

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

In 1984, Operation Smash Hit intentionally crashed a 239-ton train into a nuclear waste canister at 100 miles per hour to prove the canister's safety, which remained completely intact and lost just 0.29 of its 100 pounds of pressure.

Abraham Lincoln was almost assassinated weeks before his inauguration as he traveled from Illinois to DC through Baltimore in 1861; it took two independent claims for Lincoln to be convinced the threat was real

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

In preparation for this weekend's Eurovision finale, which is something like the World Cup of pop music, here's a young Céline Dion performing (for Switzerland?) at the 1988 competition.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

Long before Major League Baseball began allowing instant replay for balls and strikes, an umpire reluctantly used the technology to determine whether a hit was a home run, a move that inadvertently ushered in a new era for the sport.

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

Sunflowers have long been a symbol of nuclear disarmament because they can extract large amounts of radioactive cesium from soil.

See the 25 of the best photos of auroras from around the world.

Stanford built a Google Maps for the Roman Empire, revealing how much it cost to travel in the ancient world

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

Fireworks-related ER visits are on the rise—in 2024, they increased by 52% as compared to the prior year.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

Before the current East Wing ballroom project, only two White House renovations in the past 100 years cost more than $10M.