As the world reels from the horrific, criminal events being perpetrated in Ukraine by Vladimir Putin, the Russian state, and the Russian military, all of us who nurture a love for Russian people, their culture and history, have been heartbroken. It is not easy to remain a Russophile when suddenly, all across the globe, the adjective “Russian” has become toxic.

Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev writes a "no war please" message on a camera after a match. 

"Total donations to the APU in cryptocurrency have grown to $12.7 million. This is just two days! Most of all donations are made to Ethereum - $5.5 million, Bitcoin - $4.4 million, Tether - $2.1 million."

– Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation, speaking on cryptocurrency donations to the army 

The situation in Ukraine is complex and constantly changing, so here are our top picks for where you can get the latest scoop.

Is Russia is looking to streamline its 30+ types of visas by potentially adding four more?

The Russian Olympic Committee has won 26 medals in the Beijing Winter Olympics of 2022. 

The newly released Wordle game now has a Russian language version! Go try it out! 

"Yes, we growl and bite. Yes, we have sharp teeth and strong grip. But we are the prerequisite for progress. We are the antidote against tyranny."

–  Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta Dmitriy Muratov, celebrating the work of journalists on December 10.

"I knew Hafez Assad, I knew Saddam Hussein, I knew Muammar Gaddafi. We had very good and close relationships with them. We met with them. I'll tell you, the greatest thinkers!”

– President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko name drops on November 10.

The digital ruble is about to be tested, so here's a crash course in how digital currency works.

A decade has passed since an entire Russian professional hockey team was lost in a moment.

In this week's Odder News, enormous pumpkins, LARPing in honor of Alexander Nevsky, and horses in cars.