NPR News says it will open a bureau in Kyiv, Ukraine that will help the news organization better cover the conflict there.
The bureau will be led by Joanna Kakissis, NPR’s international correspondent, who has already produced on-the-scene reports from throughout Ukraine.
“NPR’s coverage of the conflict is unparalleled, due to the extraordinary work of dozens of NPR staff who have volunteered to travel to Ukraine to report on and support our uncompromising look at the facts on the ground,” Did Schanche, NPR’s chief international editor, said on Wednesday. “Having Joanna at our bureau in Kyiv will provide additional consistency and depth to our reporting.”
Kakissis began her reporting on Ukraine before the invasion by Russia in February. Her stories included a package on refugees who were fleeing Ukraine for neighboring Poland; families displaced by conflict; and relatives of prisoners of war.
“NPR is opening this new bureau at a crucial juncture in the conflict. Ukrainian forces are reclaiming occupied territory from Russia, and Russia is retaliating with punishing airstrikes on cities and infrastructure, threatening a bitter winter,” a spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. “At a time when other news organizations have reduced international coverage, NPR’s is covering some of the most important stories of our time.”
“What has remained constant, and even strengthened, since Russia’s invasion is Ukraine’s vision for a future as part of the West and the European Union,” Kakissis said on Wednesday. “It’s a vision so attractive that Ukraine has staked its survival as a nation on it. I’m honored to lead NPR’s coverage of this crucial story.”
