Valerie Hopkins

Moscow

Moscow Correspondent at The New York Times

@NYTimes correspondent covering Russia & Ukraine. Fmr Balkan flâneuse/@FT SE Europe Correspondent. Turophile & enthusiastic cyclist.

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Articles

Chastened by Past Wars, Kremlin Tries to Elevate Its Veterans

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Valerie Hopkins |Alina Lobzina

When Ilya Rusinov returned to the Russian work force after rehabilitating a vertebra damaged in the Ukraine war, his first job was teaching in a school. But he had also launched a side project, a patriotic club he called Zveno, or "Squad," that provides military training for different age groups, including teenagers. After struggling at first, it found growing demand for its training sessions, including from instructors at similar patriotic organizations.
AsÃ es el largo camino a la recuperaciÃ³n para los veteranos rusos

Jan 12, 2025 | nytimes.com | Valerie Hopkins |Nanna Heitmann

Aleksandr solo tuvo dos semanas de entrenamiento en Rusia antes de ser enviado al frente de Ucrania en el verano de 2023. Aproximadamente un mes después, se convirtió en un amputado. Aprender a vivir sin su pierna derecha le está tomando mucho más que dos semanas. "Al principio había mucho dolor", dijo Aleksandr, de 38 años, al que solo se refieren por su nombre de pila según el protocolo militar. Pero, añadió, "con el tiempo, tu cerebro se reconfigura y te acostumbras".
For Many Returning Russian Veterans, a Long Road of Recovery Awaits

Jan 7, 2025 | nytimes.com | Valerie Hopkins |Nanna Heitmann

Aleksandr had only two weeks of training in Russia before being sent to the front lines in Ukraine in the summer of 2023. About a month later, he became an amputee. Learning to live without his left leg is taking much longer than two weeks. "There was a lot of pain at the beginning," said Aleksandr, 38, referred to only by his first name in accordance with military protocol.
Justin Trudeau to Resign, and U.S. Reports First Bird Flu Death

Jan 6, 2025 | businessandamerica.com | Tracy Mumford |Valerie Hopkins |David Zucchino |Robert Jimison

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Justin Trudeau to Resign, and U.S. Reports First Bird Flu Death

Jan 6, 2025 | nytimes.com | Tracy Mumford |Valerie Hopkins |David Zucchino |Robert Jimison |Ian Stewart |Jessica Metzger
Released From a Russian Prison, This Activist Got Right to Work

Dec 25, 2024 | nytimes.com | Valerie Hopkins

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a vehement critic of President Vladimir V. Putin, didn't want to be part of a prisoner exchange. But he says more exchanges are needed. For much of the last two years, Vladimir Kara-Murza barely used his voice. A political activist and vehement critic of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, he was confined to a harsh isolation cell in a Siberian penal colony. Now, he is using his voice as often as possible.
Far-Right Soccer Star Is Tapped for Presidency of Georgia

Dec 14, 2024 | nytimes.com | Valerie Hopkins

The vote, boycotted by opposition parties in Parliament, sets up a standoff with the sitting president and deepens turmoil in the country after protests and a disputed election. Mikheil Kavelashvili, left, who was tapped to be president, at the Parliament in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Saturday. Mr. Kavelashvili is a former striker for Manchester City, the soccer team. Credit...
What’s Behind the Protests in the Caucasus Country of Georgia?

Dec 2, 2024 | ourcommunitynow.com | Valerie Hopkins

Share Thousands of Georgians demonstrated in front of their country’s parliament for the fifth night in a row on Monday, widening a political crisis that has set the country’s pro-Russian government against those who want closer ties with the West.At the center of the clash is the announcement last week by the governing Georgian Dream party that the country would put talks on European Union membership on hold until 2028.The president, Salome Zourabichvili, who favors ascension to the E.U.,...
What's Behind the Protests in Georgia?

Dec 2, 2024 | nytimes.com | Valerie Hopkins

Thousands of Georgians demonstrated in front of their country's parliament for the fifth night in a row on Monday, widening a political crisis that has set the country's pro-Russian government against those who want closer ties with the West. At the center of the clash is the announcement last week by the governing Georgian Dream party that the country would put talks on European Union membership on hold until 2028.
With Memes and in State Media, Many Russians Cheer on Putin's Threats

Nov 23, 2024 | nytimes.com | Nataliya Vasilyeva |Valerie Hopkins

The day after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia raised the stakes in tensions with the West, many Russians awoke on Friday feeling anxious that the prospect of nuclear war had come slightly closer.