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Matthew Mpoke Bigg
For Matthew Mpoke Bigg's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Maryna Bodnar, 24, with her children, Matviy and Gennady, at home in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on April 11, 2023. 'I don’t feel strong,' Bodnar said. 'But I am looking for strength to continue.'
WORLD / Society
Nov 1, 2023
Coming of age in Ukraine
The ongoing war has accelerated their transition into adulthood.
The Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant near the city of Netishyn, Khmelnytskyi region, Ukraine, in August.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 27, 2023
As winter nears, Ukraine braces for attacks on energy grid
Russian drone strikes near a nuclear power plant in western Ukraine this week have revived anxiety among officials and civilians.
Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov (center) attends a ceremony marking 240th anniversary of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea, on May 13.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2023
Did Ukraine really kill a Russian admiral? Questions emerge.
Given Russia’s long history of refusing to acknowledge setbacks, it remains uncertain whether Sokolov was among those killed in the attack on Sevastopol.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 28, 2022
Ukrainian forces battling to regain strategic gateway city in east
Recapturing Kreminna, in eastern Ukraine, would be a step further in Ukraine's campaign to retake major cities that Russia seized after it invaded.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 2, 2022
Brace for bombs, fix and repeat: Ukraine’s grim efforts to restore power
Even as Ukrainian workers race to restore basic services like electricity, heat and water, new Russian airstrikes send them back to the starting line.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 7, 2022
Russia looks to private militia to secure a victory in eastern Ukraine
Wagner Group forces launched attacks from several directions on the city of Bakhmut, though analysts said seizing it would yield little strategic value.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 7, 2022
‘Playing with fire’: U.N. team calls for no-fire zone at Ukraine nuclear plant
In a highly anticipated report, nuclear experts who inspected Europe's largest nuclear plant called for Russia and Ukraine to halt all military activity around the complex.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 31, 2022
Ukraine calls for investigation into prisoner deaths as outrage grows
The explosion is particularly painful for the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy because many of the dead had fought to defend Mariupol.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 3, 2022
As war rages into its 100th day, Russia now controls a fifth of Ukraine
Though battered, depleted and repulsed from their initial drive to capture the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Russian troops have used their superior artillery power to make new gains.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores