Russia

Red Cross founder Clara Barton gave cash to war refugees in the 1870s. Now, aid organizations say it empowers refugees more than in-kind aid.

In a typical year, they send more than $500 million to family and friends. Now, it’s not easy.

Unpacking Europe’s reliance on Russian energy — and the risks that now carries.

“We have gone backward probably about 30 years in a blink of an eye,” says Jon Ostrower, editor of aviation industry website The Air Current.

The ruble is a free-floating currency whose value tracks supply and demand. But sanctions have demolished demand and wrecked the market.

Germany dropped its opposition to some tough new sanctions against Russia and is now stepping up spending on defense.

Being cut off from the SWIFT system means Russian banks can’t legally or efficiently execute transactions.

Once again, a professor of Russian history says, ordinary Russians will be “the ones who shoulder the daily burden.”

For 15 years the EU has been talking about decreasing its dependence on Russia’s gas and oil, but it didn’t do it intime.

“So long as Putin continues to be president of Russia, Russia will not be able to benefit from the global economy,” said the Atlantic Council’s Eddie Fishman.