NPR announced Wednesday that it will open a new international bureau in Ukraine.
Joanna Kakissis, a correspondent for NPR, will lead the bureau, which officially opens in Kyiv Thursday.
“What has remained constant, and even strengthened, since Russia’s invasion is Ukraine’s vision for a future as part of the West and the European Union,” Kakissis said in a press release. “It’s a vision so attractive that Ukraine has staked its survival as a nation on it. I’m honored to lead NPR’s coverage of this crucial story.”
She will be the sole correspondent based in Ukraine and will be supported by local staff, according to NPR spokesperson Isabel Lara.
“We also anticipate rotating other correspondents and photographers in to support and contribute to coverage (as we have been doing),” Lara said in an email.
Kakissis has been reporting for the network since 2011, based in Athens, Greece. She has been reporting in Ukraine since February, before Russia’s invasion began, and has filed several stories about the war.
“NPR’s coverage of the conflict is unparalleled, due to the extraordinary work of dozens of NPR staff who have volunteered to travel to Ukraine to report on and support our uncompromising look at the facts on the ground,” said NPR Chief International Editor Didi Schanche in the release. “Having Joanna at our bureau in Kyiv will provide additional consistency and depth to our reporting.”
NPR has 17 international bureaus.