NewsTracker Answers for week of Aug. 19, 2024

Q: Nearly two and half years after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian forces drove into Russia this month and took control of nearly 400 square miles in the Kursk region. Where is the eastern European country of Ukraine?

Circle the area on this map


Q: When the Russians invaded in February 2022, they were expected to conquer Ukraine and replace its government quickly. But, Ukrainians fought back, driving back Russian troops who had reached the suburbs of Ukraine’s capital city …

A. Kherson

B. Kyiv

C. Mariupol

D. Odesa


B. Kyiv was a large thriving city long before Russia’s capital of Moscow existed as a small town. It was the capital of the Kyivan Rus, the first East Slavic state. Kherson, Kyiv, Mariupol, and Odesa are all Ukrainian cities bombed or shelled by Russian forces. Russians also struck many civilian targets in those cities.


Q: Ukrainian officials said its incursion aimed to push Russia into peace talks, but the Washington Post reported that the action derailed plans for secret talks to reach a partial cease-fire. Ukrainian and Russian delegations reportedly were ready to go to what small Persian Gulf nation already involved in talks on the Gaza War?

A. Jordan

B. Lebanon

C. Qatar

D. Yemen


C. The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar serves as a mediator between Israel and Hamas in negotiations for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Jordan and Yemen border the Red Sea and Lebanon is on the Mediterranean Sea. Russian officials denied there were any plans for talks about Ukraine.


Q: Ukraine gained its independence in 1991 as the former Soviet Union broke apart into how many nations?

A. 3

B. 5

C. 10

D. 15


D The 15 nations that emerged from the Soviet Union are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Russia has tried to maintain political and economic dominance over the other former Soviet states with threats and the use of armed force.


Q: The Russian invasion has its roots in a dispute over Ukraine’s 2013 bid to join ...

A. European Union

B. NATO Alliance

C. Poland

D. United Nations


A. Ukraine’s parliament overwhelmingly voted to associate with the European Union in 2013. After a Russian threat, Ukraine’s president refused to sign the agreement. Amid widespread protests, parliament removed the president from office, and he fled to Russia. The two nations have been at odds ever since.