WhoWhatWhy’s Best International Stories for 2024 - WhoWhatWhy WhoWhatWhy’s Best International Stories for 2024 - WhoWhatWhy

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Yemen's Houthi, oppose, GAZA War
Yemen’s Houthi protest to oppose the Gaza war. Photo credit: © Osamah Yahya/dpa via ZUMA Press
International

WhoWhatWhy’s Best International Stories for 2024

12/24/24

Ukraine remained the major focus through much of 2024, as well as Israel’s continued attacks on Gaza. WhoWhatWhy was there.

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Ukraine

Chasiv Yar, Ukraine, Stab Point, operating theater, medics
Photo credit: Madeleine Kelly / WhoWhatWhy

Facing an Offensive at the Front, Ukraine Has to Watch Its Back After Trump Win

Ukraine not only has to worry about Russia stepping up its attacks in the east, but also whether Donald Trump’s win means a reduction of aid from the West. WhoWhatWhy’s Madeleine Kelly observed Ukrainian medics caring for the wounded as they faced a potential future without US support. Read more.

Russian prisoners, captured, Kursk offensive
Russian prisoners of war were captured by the Ukrainian army during the Kursk offensive. Some are contractors who were sent from other front line areas in occupied parts of Ukraine or shortly after signing their contracts. Others are conscripts with only a few months left until the end of their service, August 23, 2024. Photo credit: Iryna Matviyishyn / WhoWhatWhy

Russian Prisoners Reveal Moscow’s Vulnerability in Ukraine

Russians captured in Ukraine’s Kursk offensive may provide a valuable bargaining chip in future negotiations. Most were hastily recruited and rushed into battle with little or no training. WhoWhatWhy’s Joseph Roche and Iryna Matviyishyn visited Russian prisoners of war held in Ukraine. Read more.

Victoria Torop, driving tractors, Snihurivka, Ukraine
Victoria Torop driving tractors in Snihurivka in the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine. Photo credit: Stefan Weichert / WhoWhatWhy

Russian Attacks Push Ukrainian Women to Train for New Jobs

As more and more Ukrainian men are sent to the front line, WhoWhatWhy’s Stefan Weichert spoke with Ukrainian women who are taking jobs normally reserved for men. Read more.

train, Przemyśl, Poland, Kyiv, Ukraine
Passengers wait to board a Ukrainian Railways train departing from Przemyśl, Poland, to Kyiv, Ukraine, February 3, 2023. Photo credit: © Laurel Chor/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire

Riding the Kyiv Express

With Russia increasing its bombing, the train has become an essential route in and out of Ukraine. WhoWhatWhy’s intrepid reporter Anna Conkling described what it’s like to make the trip. Read more.

Drone, fire control, post, trenches, Ukraine,115th Mechanized Brigade.
Drone fire control post in the trenches in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Photo credit: Thomas Mutch / WhoWhatWhy

Deadly Drones Take Center Stage After Republicans Block Ukraine Aid

Republicans in Congress have left Ukraine short on weapons to defend itself. The immediate answer: an increased reliance on a variety of deadly drones. WhoWhatWhy’s Thomas Mutch observed Ukrainian drone pilots working on the front lines. Read more.

Gennady Arkelov, chess, child
Gennady Arkelov teaching a child chess in the Donbas region of Ukraine. Photo credit: Stefan Weichert / WhoWhatWhy

Searching for Normalcy in Ukraine Where Nothing Is Normal

A chess club and a zoo provide the illusion of normalcy in eastern Ukraine despite continuing missile attacks from Putin’s “special military operation.” WhoWhatWhy’s Stefan Weichert reported on everyday life in war-torn Kramatorsk. Read more.

Ukraine, women fighters, Kyiv Park
Valkyrie volunteers practice weapons training in Kyiv. Photo credit: Madeleine Kelly / WhoWhatWhy

Ukraine’s Fighting Women

Russia’s continuing onslaught is drawing Ukrainian women into the fight. WhoWhatWhy’s Madeleine Kelly interviewed women taking on combat roles to defend their country. Read more.

Israel – Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu, Gaza
Photo credit: Illustration by DonkeyHotey for WhoWhatWhy from U.S. Embassy Jerusalem / Wikimedia (CC BY 2.0 DEED) and Wafa / Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED).

Eyeless in Gaza: Hamas and Israel’s Tragic Reprise of Samson and Delilah’s Story

With Hamas reappearing at locations that had already been cleared, Gaza is beginning to resemble a militarized version of whack-a-mole. WhoWhatWhy’s William Dowell considered Benjamin Netanyahu’s true objectives. Read more.

Woman protesting, Release of Hostages
An Israeli protester calls for the release of hostages. Photo credit: Joseph Roche / WhoWhatWhy

Israel Divided Over Gaza

Ultra-Orthodox Jews continue to support Netanyahu’s Gaza campaign, while secular Israelis care more about the hostages than eliminating Hamas. WhoWhatWhy’s Joseph Roche and Iryna Matviyishyn reported from Tel Aviv on attitudes toward Israeli attacks in Gaza at the beginning of the year. Read more.

Bangladesh

flash flood, Sylhet, Bangladesh
A man leaving his house with bundled necessities in the aftermath of severe flash flooding in Sylhet, Bangladesh on October 14, 2022. Photo credit: Nayeemibnmatiur / Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED)

Bangladesh Is Left Without a Government

After its prime minister fled to India, Bangladesh’s army offered to take over. While protesters say they won’t accept that, the alternative may be anarchy. WhoWhatWhy’s William Dowell analyzed the upheaval in Bangladesh while remembering the time he once spent there. Read more.

Azerbaijan

Ilham Aliyev, voted, Khankendi, Azerbaijan
Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan, voted in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, on February 7, 2024. Photo credit: President of Azerbaijan (CC BY 4.0 DEED)

Azerbaijan, ‘Managed Democracy,’ and a Year of Elections

With more than half the world holding elections in 2024, Azerbaijan finds itself, free-and-fairwise, somewhere in the middle. Read more.

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