We were joined by a University of Illinois Journalism alum who's been covering the war between Russia and Ukraine from the front lines.

Lynsey Addario is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist whose striking images from wars in the 21st century tell the story of living in conflict zones.

In order to get a better understanding of where the conflict in Ukraine stands today and where it came from, we talked with someone who had deep experience in the region: Former ambassador, State Department official, and Russia expert Ian Kelly. He’s currently ambassador-in-residence at Northwestern University.

We discussed the war in Ukraine and the response from the Ukrainian community here in Illinois to the reinvasion of the country by Russia, plus some of the economic effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and what that means here in Illinois. The 21st was joined by reporters from WBEZ and the Quad City Times, an assistant professor of political science, and the vice president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America Illinois Division.