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Art of Craft is a series about craftspeople whose work rises to the level of art. Two years later, a shop selling musical instruments opened in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, her hometown, and An became a fixture there, pelting the owner with questions. As a teenager, she decided she would become a violin maker. Eventually, a journey with twists and turns took her to Cremona in northern Italy — a famed hub for violin makers, including masters like Antonio Stradivari, since the 16th century. There, An, a rising star in the violin-making world with international awards under her belt, runs her own workshop.

Persons: Ayoung, “, Antonio Stradivari Locations: Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Cremona, Italy

☆ Russia Has No Formal Death Penalty. Here’s How That Might Change.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The attack at a concert hall just outside Moscow that killed 139 people last Friday has prompted some Russians to call for bringing back capital punishment in Russia, and to execute the assailants. Through a combination of presidential action and court rulings, Russia has had a moratorium on the death penalty for 28 years. And yet capital punishment remains on the books — suspended but not abolished outright. Who is advocating or opposing the death penalty? A number of public figures have demanded execution of the concert hall attackers, described by officials as militant Islamists from Tajikistan, in Central Asia.

Locations: Moscow, Russia, Tajikistan, Central Asia

☆ At First, He Was in His Head, but Her ‘Gut Instinct’ Prevailed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“I thought that was quite a lengthy conversation, from 9 a.m. to almost 9 p.m.,” Mr. Seck said. “I make decisions, 90 percent based on gut instinct,” she said. Thinking is good, but when you feel something and you want to do it, you have to just jump.”But Mr. Seck was more hesitant. Then, on March 9, 2023, Mr. Seck’s birthday, Ms. Yang invited him to Oiji Mi, a Korean restaurant on West 19th Street. After dinner, they went to Mr. Seck’s apartment and she told him to make a choice.

Persons: Yuna Yang, Christopher Mun, Yin Seck, ” Mr, Seck, Yang, “, ”, Oiji Organizations: Argentina, Mr Locations: New York, Korean

☆ It’s Not Just for Throuples Anymore
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since receiving half a million dollars from an angel investor in 2016, Feeld says that it has remained profitable without any additional external support. Recently, Feeld has also made the leap to IRL, hosting 31 in-person socials worldwide this year, with about 200 attendees at each. Feeld would not share how many active users it has or how many times the app has been downloaded. From 2021 to 2022, average weekly active users on Feeld grew by 90 percent, and the app is on track for 65 percent growth in weekly active users this year, according to the company. In that regard, Feeld is doing “exceedingly well,” said Lexi Sydow, head of insights at data.ai, a mobile data and analytics provider.

Persons: Feeld, Bumble, Grindr, Morgan Stanley, ”, Lexi Sydow, Sydow

The killing of an enemy admiral in a missile strike would be a coup for any military, but the celebration in Ukraine over the death of Russia’s Black Sea fleet commander may turn out to be short-lived. A day after announcing that the admiral was among 34 officers killed in a strike deep behind enemy lines, Ukrainian officials acknowledged on Tuesday that there might be some uncertainty. The Ukrainian military’s statement that it was now “clarifying” whether the admiral, Viktor Sokolov, had in fact been killed in an audacious strike last week in Russian-held Crimea came after Moscow released a video on Tuesday purporting to show the admiral attending a meeting earlier in the day. Given Moscow’s long history of refusing to acknowledge military setbacks, and the challenges of authenticating its video, it remained uncertain on Tuesday whether Admiral Sokolov was among those killed in the Ukrainian attack on the headquarters of Moscow’s fleet in Sevastopol.

Persons: Viktor Sokolov, Admiral Sokolov Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Crimea, Moscow, Sevastopol

When North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, visited President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia four years ago, it was mostly for diplomatic show. But this week he will visit Mr. Putin a second time with the ability to supply something the Kremlin desperately needs: munitions that could help Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. The meeting, announced by both governments on Monday, comes as Mr. Putin is courting support for his standoff against the United States and NATO from other leaders opposed to Western dominance. In a brief statement, the Kremlin said Mr. Kim would “pay an official visit to the Russian Federation in the coming days” at Mr. Putin’s invitation. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency confirmed that Mr. Kim would soon visit Russia for a summit meeting with Mr. Putin, but provided no further details.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir V, Putin, Kim, Mr Organizations: North, Mr, NATO, Russian Federation, Korean Central News Agency Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Iran, India, Kremlin

☆ Cuba Says Its Citizens Were Lured to Fight in Russia’s War in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Cuba has been a close ally of Russia since the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Álvaro López Miera, the head of Cuba’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, visited Moscow in June. He was received by his Russian counterpart, Sergei K. Shoigu, who said that Cuba was Russia’s “most important ally” in the Caribbean. About 70,000 Russian tourists visited Cuba in the first half of 2023, according to Russian state media, and about 11,000 Cubans visited Russia in 2022, according to the Russian Association of Tour Operators. It is not the first time that a country has claimed that its citizens were being recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

Persons: Elena Shuvalova, Álvaro López Miera, Sergei K, Shoigu, Russia’s, ”, ” Mr, Ukraine ” Organizations: Moscow Times, Russian Army, Cuban Foreign Ministry, Cuba’s Ministry, Revolutionary Armed Forces, Tass, Russian Association of Tour Locations: Moscow, Cuba, Russia, Cuban, Caribbean, Ukraine, Russian, Kostanay, Kazakhstan, Kazakh

☆ In a Crisis (or Two), They Both Knew Where to Turn for Help
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dr. Jain and Ms. Lee first met at Alibi Room, a bar and restaurant in Los Angeles, in May 2021 after matching on Hinge. “But we both had these immigrant stories.”“It was like, ‘What did you do on the weekends when you were young’,” Ms. Lee said. “I drove to art class six hours away in San Diego.”“I went to Korean SAT classes every weekend,” Dr. Jain answered. Dr. Jain, 42, grew up in different parts of Bergen county in New Jersey; his parents immigrated from Rajasthan, India, in the 1970s. He has a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School.

Persons: Jain, Lee, “, Dr, ’, Ms, ” “, ” Dr Organizations: Costco, Kia Motors, Central Saint Martins, Harvard, Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School Locations: Los Angeles, San Diego, Seoul, Irvine, Calif, Central, London, Coupang, Bergen county, New Jersey, Rajasthan, India

☆ New Russian High School Textbooks Seek to Justify War in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The book follows a singular and standardized version of history approved by the highest echelons of power in Russia, and it appears to be the latest push in the Kremlin’s youth-targeted propaganda campaign to justify its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The text devotes 28 pages to Russia’s war in Ukraine, which the authors frame as a response to an increasingly aggressive West that intended to use Ukraine as a “battering ram” to destroy Russia. Revised history textbooks for younger students will be released next year, according to a report from RIA Novosti, a Russian state media outlet. One of the book’s authors, Vladimir Medinsky, is a former culture minister and an adviser to President Vladimir V. Putin. Echoing Mr. Putin’s own words, the authors accused the United States of spreading what they call “Russophobia” in former Soviet republics and of escalating the war in Ukraine, leaving Russia with “no other alternatives” than to call for a partial mobilization that aimed to press 300,000 men into service in the conflict in 2022.

Persons: ”, Vladimir Medinsky, Vladimir V, Putin, Putin’s, “ Organizations: RIA Novosti Locations: Russian, Ukraine, United States, Russia, Soviet

☆ Russia Reports Widespread Drone Attacks on Country
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The police presence was heavy on Tuesday at the Porokhovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the press service of Yevgeny V. Prigozhin said he had been buried. “Those wishing to say goodbye can visit the Porokhovskoye cemetery” in St. Petersburg. The secrecy reflected the sensitivities surrounding Mr. Prigozhin, a longtime ally of Mr. Putin who launched a failed mutiny against Moscow’s military leadership in June. Video People paid tribute to Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary chief, and Dmitri Utkin, a longtime lieutenant. That left room for days of speculation about whether Mr. Prigozhin was really on the plane.

Persons: Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin, “, ”, Porokhovskoye, Mr, Wagner, Dmitri Utkin, Nanna Heitmann, Valery Chekalov, ” Farida Rustamova, Safronova, Jesus Jiménez Organizations: Russian, Video, Credit, The New York Locations: St . Petersburg, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Northern

☆ He Admired Her ‘Grit and Grace.’ She Was Struck by His Kindness.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Within a few weeks, the app connected Ms. Scalesse with Sheldon Thien Nguyen, 31, a pharmacist living in New Brunswick, N.J., which was at least an hour’s drive from where she lived. “Bri didn’t realize that Manhattan was something like two or three miles wide, so she had her radius set really huge,” Mr. Nguyen said. “It’s the reason we met,” Ms. Scalesse said. Their first date was at a Totto Ramen in Midtown Manhattan on the morning of Feb. 17, 2019; Ms. Scalesse fretted about what to wear. “We had talked about being in fashion, so we both wanted to show up with the coolest fits,” said Ms. Scalesse, 28, a model and a disability advocate.

Persons: Sophia Scalesse, Scalesse, Sheldon Thien Nguyen, “ Bri, Mr, Nguyen, “, ” Ms, ” Locations: Manhattan, Norwich, Conn, New Brunswick, N.J, Midtown Manhattan

The Kremlin on Friday heatedly denied blame for the presumed death of the mercenary chief Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, dismissing the idea that the Russian government had destroyed a business jet reportedly carrying Mr. Prigozhin as Western propaganda aimed at smearing President Vladimir V. Putin. The denials were repeated in various forms throughout the day by Russia’s foreign minister, state-controlled broadcasters and Mr. Putin’s closest foreign ally, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, president of Belarus. Some European leaders, many Western news outlets and people close to Mr. Prigozhin’s Wagner paramilitary force have speculated that Mr. Putin had Mr. Prigozhin killed in retaliation for his brief mutiny against Russia’s military leadership in June. U.S. officials so far have been more cautious about assigning blame, but President Biden said on Thursday: “There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind. But in the two months after the Wagner rebellion, many Russians as well as people abroad expressed surprise that Mr. Prigozhin was alive and free.

Persons: heatedly, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin, “, ”, Dmitri S, Putin’s, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Prigozhin’s Wagner, Mr, Biden, Peskov, Wagner Organizations: Kremlin Locations: Belarus, Russia, Moscow

Mr. Putin himself is under an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children, as is his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. The two entities placed under sanctions are a Russian-owned camp and an organization that has overseen Ukrainian children who were sent to a camp in the Chechen Republic. “Children are literally being ripped from their homes in the year 2023 by a country sitting in this very chamber,” Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said. Some are pressured into accepting Russian citizenship, and others have been adopted by Russian families, Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said. “You will hear Russian officials say that their transfers of children are part of humanitarian evacuations,” Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said on Thursday.

Persons: Ramzan Kadyrov, Aymani Nesievna, Kadyrova, reeducation, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Maria Lvova, Biden, ”, “ It’s, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Ms, Thomas, ARTEK, AKF, Galina Anatolevna Pyatykh, Irina Anatolyevna Ageeva, Irina Aleksandrovna Cherkasova, Mansur Mussaevich Soltaev, Magomedovich Khuchiev, Konstantin Albertovich Fedorenko, Alievich, Olena Oleksandrivna Shapurova, Vladimir Vladislavovich Kovalenko, Vladimir Dmitrievich Nechaev, “ Organizations: State Department, Kremlin, International, Court, Ukraine, Security, U.S ., Federal, Educational Institute International Children Center, Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, The State Department, Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Youth Army Locations: Russia, Russian, United States, Ukraine, Chechen, Chechen Republic ., U.S, Crimea, Chechen Republic of Russia, Belgorod, Russia’s Kaluga, Russia’s Rostov, Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Sevastopol, Crimean

☆ Russia Extends Pretrial Detention of Evan Gershkovich
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The pretrial detention of Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal who has been held in Russia since March, has been extended by three months, a Moscow court said on Thursday. Mr. Gershkovich has been detained in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison on espionage charges that he, the U.S. government and The Journal have vehemently denied. In secret and short proceedings on Thursday that were closed to the news media, a Moscow court ruled that Mr. Gershkovich’s pretrial detention, which had previously been extended to Aug. 30, would now stretch until at least Nov. 30. The arrest of Mr. Gershkovich was the first time since the end of the Cold War that an American journalist had been detained on accusations of spying in Russia. At the time he was detained by the Federal Security Service, or F.S.B., Mr. Gershkovich was on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg and had accreditation from Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich Organizations: Wall Street, United, Federal Security Service, Russia’s Foreign Ministry Locations: American, Russia, Moscow, U.S, United States, Yekaterinburg

Russian officials said Ukrainian forces dropped explosives on a Russian village near the border with Ukraine, killing three, and targeted Moscow with drones for a sixth consecutive day on Wednesday. Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion almost 18 months ago, Ukrainian forces have regularly fired on villages in the region, according to the regional governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. Two other drones were shot down early Wednesday in suburban districts of the Moscow region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on the messaging app Telegram. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the episodes, as has been their practice on attacks inside Russia. The drone attacks in the Moscow region have not caused injuries or deaths, according to Russian officials.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, ” “, Vladimir V, Juston Jones, Edward Wong Organizations: U.S, Moscow City, Russian Defense Ministry, U.S . State Department, Ukraine, Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Belgorod, Russia, ” “ Russia, Moscow City, Ukraine’s Odesa

The Russian ruble slumped past 100 per U.S. dollar on Monday, its lowest level since March 2022, immediately after President Vladimir V. Putin launched Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The bank’s announcement appeared to briefly slow the ruble’s descent. After weakening to about 102 to the dollar, it fell back to just under 101. The ruble’s value is down by more than 25 percent against the dollar since the start of the year. Its decline has led to fears of rising inflation, and prompted Kremlin cheerleaders to lash out at the country’s financial authorities in state news media.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Russian, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russian

Russia shot down two drones near Moscow overnight, officials said on Wednesday, the 12th time in the past three weeks they have reported intercepting such aerial assaults in the heart of the capital. The attacks suggest that the effort to push Russia’s war deep into its own territory was picking up pace amid Ukraine’s marathon counteroffensive to take back occupied territory. There were no casualties or damage, and air defenses destroyed the drones, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on the Telegram messaging app. Ukrainian officials did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, but in the past they have acknowledged orchestrating or supporting strikes in Russia and made clear that the war’s devastation would not be limited to Ukrainian soil. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has said that taking the war to Russia is “an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.”The drone attacks came on the same day that a powerful explosion ripped through a warehouse outside Moscow, killing one person and injuring at least 60 others, some seriously, according to a post on Telegram by local officials.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: Ministry of Defense Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Conflict Erupts Among Russia’s Pro-War Bloggers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russia’s famously outspoken pro-war bloggers have begun turning on one another. Since the onset of the war, the bloggers’ close ties to the military have allowed them to become invaluable sources of information. But in recent days, the military blogosphere has erupted into a conflict of its own, with some analysts accusing one another of helping the Ukrainian government. “Who do you work for?” demanded one blogger, Aleksandr Talipov, denouncing pro-war Telegram channels for posting photos of supposed Ukrainian attacks on Russian-occupied Crimea. The online battle comes as the Russian military is pursuing a brutal campaign against Ukraine, keeping up the pressure on its grain exports and targeting civilian populations.

Persons: Russia’s, —, “, ”, Aleksandr Talipov Organizations: Ukraine Locations: Crimea

☆ Dancing Till Dawn on the Albanian Riviera
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The influx of foreign visitors to a place that only a few decades ago was sealed off to the world has brought both prosperity and challenges. “It’s been a 100 percent transformation,” said Erjon Shehaj, 46, whose family opened a 10-table restaurant in Dhermi in 2016. The resort hosted the biggest stage of the festival and was booked solid all seven days. In Dhermi, the electricity or water was sometimes turned off at hotels without warning, and bathrooms in restaurants and bars were left uncleaned for long stretches. The flood of visitors is also raising fears about possible harm to the region’s flora and fauna.

Persons: “ It’s, ”, Erjon Shehaj, “ I’ve, Anisa Koteci Organizations: Kala Locations: Drymades, Dhermi, Albania, London, Vlore

☆ A Recipe for Love? Add ‘Water and Sunlight.’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ms. Ziegler booked an Airbnb apartment for a weekend in March 2021. But Ms. Woodfork had a feeling she would be visiting longer. “She told me, ‘I’d pack enough for four weeks,’” Ms. Ziegler said. After she and Ms. Ziegler began talking, Ms. Woodfork quickly realized that Ms. Ziegler, with whom she had matched on Tinder in February 2021, was “everything I ever wanted,” she said. When they met in person for the first time on March 20, Ms. Woodfork realized the depths of her feelings immediately.

Persons: Rebecca Ann Woodfork, Jennifer Kathryn Ziegler, Ziegler, Woodfork, Ms, ’, ”, “ Organizations: Tinder Locations: New York City, Boston

☆ She Drew the Line at Marriage, Then Happily Crossed It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As she rested, she noticed that someone had written “Will You Marry Me?” in the sand. When they first began dating, both had been adamant that marriage was not in the cards. “Getting married was almost the scariest thing I could do,” said Ms. Rinehart, who goes by Brooke. Starting a family and the resulting closeness ameliorated their fears about marriage, and led to them independently changing their perspectives. “I thought, am I punishing myself by saying I’m not going to get married again and drawing that line in the sand?” Ms. Rinehart said.

Persons: Heather Brooke Rinehart, ”, “ We’re, Rinehart, Tom Patrick Sinnott, Sinnott, “, Brooke, I’m, Ms Locations: Kauai

☆ From Fairly Low Expectations, a Wonderful Surprise
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He had low expectations. When he arrived at Barcelona Wine Bar, he saw Jessica Carter Altman and threw his plans out the window. “I just said I’m going to let the night take me where it’s going to take me,” Dr. Uhrich said. Ms. Carter Altman had also expected a quick drink. “We spent the first hour talking over water because we couldn’t stop talking long enough to look at a menu,” Ms. Carter Altman said.

Persons: Ross Martin Uhrich, Jessica Carter Altman, ”, Uhrich, Carter Altman, Gibson, Dunn, Crutcher, “, Ms Organizations: Barcelona Wine Bar Locations: Washington, Barcelona

☆ How 86 Episodes of ‘The Office’ Solidified Their Connection
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

She and Ms. Ramseur were active members of the Washington Improv Theater in Washington, D.C. Ms. Ali was a student at the theater with far less experience than Ms. Ramseur. “I thought there’s no way she wants to perform with a low-level student,” Ms. Ali said. “I was not asking her out,” Ms. Ramseur said. The pandemic had pushed Ms. Ramseur to reflect deeply on her life.

☆ Interested in Polyamory? Check Out These Places
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jace Knight had heard about Somerville, Mass., while working on a Ph.D. at the University of Alabama in 2020. In late March, Somerville passed two more laws extending the rights of nonmonogamous residents, this time banning discrimination on the basis of “family or relationship structure” in city employment and policing. (A similar ordinance, focused on housing, is currently being discussed by the Somerville City Council.) Around the same time these new laws passed, Mx. The city’s attitude toward nonmonogamy was a big factor in the group’s decision to move there, Mx.

☆ Friends Once ‘Escaped’ Her Cooking. Now, She’s One of the World’s Best Chefs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Valeriya Safronova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In her first days on the job, Ms. Ros dreamed of transforming Hisa Franko into a travel destination. The prime minister of Slovenia, Robert Golob, who has known Ms. Ros since 2012, considers himself a fan. “Hisa Franko is an ambassador of our country as a culinary destination,” he wrote in an email. But in her career, Ms. Ros described facing added scrutiny because of her gender. Growing up in the 1980s in Tolmin, a short drive from Hisa Franko, she was a competitive skier on the Yugoslavian national youth team from about age 10 to 17.

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