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Investigations

Investigation: The romance scam tricking men into ‘rescuing’ Ukrainian women from Russian occupation

by Linda Hourani

Stefan, a 48-year-old Austrian national whose name has been changed at his request, had been looking for a Ukrainian partner. Having previously dated a Ukrainian woman, he said he was drawn to what he viewed as the importance of family in Ukrainian culture. He met "Alona Panchenko," who claimed to be from the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on the international dating website Christian Cupid. Soon after they matched, she suggested moving their conversation to email.

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Russia seizes on Trump's Iran setback to press White House on Ukraine

Two wars are testing U.S. President Donald Trump's ability to shape world events — and Russia is using the situation to its advantage. As the U.S. pushes Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow is also involved in the war between the U.S. and Iran. Major news outlets have reported that Russia is sharing military intelligence with Tehran, even as Trump has praised Moscow for staying out of the fighting. The contradiction was clear last week. During high-level talks in St. Petersburg, U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump in Fort Myers, Florida, U.S., on Oct. 23, 2026.

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