Investigations

An illustration of a man talking to a woman on an online dating site.
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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Rescuers dig for bodies after Russia bombs village aid center to rubble, killing dozens inside

After three days of uncertainty, police found 56-year-old Olha alive and unharmed on Nov. 5. Her family had not been able to reach her since Russian bombs devastated the front-line settlement of Komyshuvakha on Nov. 2, and feared she might be buried under the rubble. Olha is the seventh person police have located since, but dozens of others remain missing. For a fifth consecutive day, rescuers are searching through the ruins of an underground humanitarian aid center, where the death toll contin

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KYIV OBLAST — A clash between an angry mob and Ukraine's National Guard and law enforcement on a sleepy street in the Petropavlivska Borshchahivka suburb of Kyiv on Nov. 2 has fueled the information war around Ukraine's mobilization. The incident, involving roughly 200 people attacking law enforcement officers, military personnel and vehicles, prompted a response that included tear gas and warning shots fired into the air. The arrival of President’s Office Head Kyrylo Budanov further underscor

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