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Refugee advocates want the U.S. to do more for Ukrainians fleeing war

Mar 14, 2022
Resettlement agencies say they're ready to help.
Ukrainians board a train bound for western Poland on Monday. The Biden administration has yet to formally welcome refugees to the United States.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

In East London, a chef's kitchen becomes her post for the Ukraine-Russia conflict

Mar 14, 2022
Olia Hercules, an award-winning cookbook author, is feeding supplies to her brother in Ukraine.
Olia Hercules, an award-winning cookbook author from Ukraine who runs a kitchen in East London, shows video from her brother Sasha to her friends. Sasha is in Ukraine, and Olia sent supplies to him to help him survive the war with Russia.
Victoria Craig / BBC

The sociology of sanctioning Russian oligarchs

Mar 11, 2022
Sanctions represent an existential threat for Russia's elite, says sociologist Brooke Harrington.
The Eclipse, one of the yachts of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovitch, pictured in 2013, is reportedly worth $570 million.
Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images

Who are the Russian oligarchs being sanctioned, and how did they get so rich?

Mar 10, 2022
Their fates and fortunes are tied closely to Vladimir Putin's.
After Vladimir Putin became president, he helped fund the wealth of Russian oligarchs with state money. In return, oligarchs provided him money and loyalty.
Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

Among the aid Ukrainian refugees can expect: cold, hard cash

Mar 10, 2022
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.
Residents of Kharkiv, Ukraine, take shelter in a metro station. As aid pours in, many experts believe money would provide the greatest benefit to victims of the war.
Emre Caylak/AFP Getty Images

How has the war in Ukraine affected global hunger?

Mar 10, 2022
Even if globally significant crops in the Ukraine and Russia are eventually harvested, the chief economist of the UN World Food Programme warns they may not make it out of either country.
Some 50% of the UN World Food Programme’s grain comes from areas of Ukraine and Russia.
Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images

Could Russia return to a Soviet-era command economy as Western sanctions tighten?

Mar 9, 2022
Russia has been transitioning to a market economy. But its war on Ukraine and the sanctions that have followed could turn back the clock.
Red Square in Moscow. "A lot of private businesses are essentially being squeezed off from any financing," said Chris Miller at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. "And what's going to remain is largely the state-owned part of the economy."
AFP via Getty Images

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Why a gas tax holiday likely wouldn't make a big difference at the pump

Mar 9, 2022
The savings would average about $100 a year for drivers, and that's assuming all the savings would get passed on to consumers.
Even if the federal gas tax is paused, there's no guarantee those savings would be passed on to consumers.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Donations fortify Ukraine's defense spending

Mar 9, 2022
But international money transfers can be tricky. Ukraine is also accepting help in the form of cryptocurrency.
Ukrainian soldiers carry water near a base in Lviv. The government has been making its account information public to help it raise funds.
Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

Domestic oil could increase supply, but it won't be cheap — or quick

Mar 9, 2022
"The harsh reality for U.S. oil markets is that there is no switch that anyone can flip to suddenly turn on oil production overnight," one expert told us.
It might take six to nine months for domestic oil producers to substantially ramp up production.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images