FLASHPOINT UKRAINE: Russia’s Gold-Fueled War - January 15, 2024

The United Nations appealed Monday for $4.2 billion to provide humanitarian aid to people dealing with the effects of nearly two years of war inside Ukraine as well as the millions of refugees who have fled to other countries in the region. More Ukrainian children from Ukraine's Russia-held regions have arrived in Belarus. Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director of the Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health speaks with VOA about the development. Anton Shtukin, a 20-year-old fighter with the National Guard of Ukraine, was released after a year of Russian captivity in May 2023 and shares his story. An extensive investigation has found that despite international sanctions, the Kremlin has been using the Wagner group to launder billions of dollars in African gold to reportedly help fund its war on Ukraine. Jessica Berlin shares her research.