Berlin welcomes thousands of refugees from Ukraine

There are calls for empathy and the end of mistreatment of Africans stuck on the border of Ukraine as they try to flee the war that's followed Russia's invasion. Thousands of Africans study in Ukraine and many have been sharing their suffering and fear after having been sidelined, attacked and discriminated against as they try to flee.

The situation in Ukraine is the focus of the world's media. The shelling of Kharkiv has been condemned as a war crime by the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. There has been damage across the whole of Ukraine, but the next phase of the Russian operation is expected to be even more violent. Ukrainian people say they are resolute and prepared to lay down their lives – perhaps best represented by their own president. Volodymyr Zelensky is still in Kyiv and says he is ready to fight.

With the city of Kharkiv devastated and Kyiv braced for attack by an approaching Russian convoy, we are asking whether the US has made the right calls on Ukraine. The message of Biden's State of the Union address was one of solidarity with President Volodymyr Zelensky. But seen from Kyiv, will this feel like enough?

The cultural world has reacted swiftly to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Artists and performers have been cancelling shows in Russia, while cultural institutions are under growing pressure to cut ties with Russian oligarchs. The country will also no longer be represented at major international events, including the Eurovision Song Contest. We're joined by Ukrainian artist Nikita Kravtsov, who's also one of the organisers of "Support Ukraine" in France. He denounced a "genocide" in his country and called for the West to implement a no-fly zone over Ukrainian skies.

This week, there was a major show of support from across the political spectrum for the Ukrainian state and victims of the Russian invasion. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke via video link to Members of the European Parliament, asking them to keep up that backing and help his country accelerate down a path towards joining the EU. In this programme we're joined by two MEPs to discuss the EU's involvement in this fast-moving crisis.

Social media posts may seem insignificant when compared with the brutality on the ground in Ukraine, but what goes viral is directly affecting the war and Russia knows this. This Friday, the chairman of the Russian parliament Vyacheslav Volodin railed against foreign social media, calling it a "weapon" that Russia "must oppose". This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky secured a series of victories against Russia on the international stage, thanks in no small part to his internet star power.

Is Ukraine using paid actors for propaganda

The first group of Nigerian evacuees escaping the Russian invasion of Ukraine arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Friday. Nigerian student Oduola Joshua Adebowale, a first-year medical student said he fled his home with only his documents and laptop after an explosion shook his hostel.

Some posts on social media claim that Ukraine is using ‘crisis actors’ to stage online footage of the conflict. This term is often used in conspiracy theories, when actors pretend to be victims in breaking news events. In most cases, the origin of these videos is completely unrelated to the current crisis in Ukraine.

DW's correspondents are reporting from Ukraine and the neighboring countries about the war, the refugee situation and how Europe is responding. Here's what they've experienced over the past few days.

When it was attacked by Russian forces, Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant shifted to center stage. But while nuclear energy is important to Ukraine, the country still gets 70% of its power from fossil fuels.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is being seen as a wake-up call by many people in Taiwan. China has long laid claim to the island nation, and some fear that Beijing could launch a similar attack.