Istanbul (Turkey)
Ukraine War Divides Orthodox Faithful
In a small parish in northern Italy affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church, the mostly Ukrainian worshipers — IT specialists, migrant factory laborers, nurses and cleaners — decided to repudiate the full-throated support for the war in Ukraine from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. The Moscow Patriarch had repeatedly bestowed blessings on the Russian military, giving […]
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‘Things Will Only Get Worse.’ Putin’s War Sends Russians Into Exile.
ISTANBUL — They lined up at ATM’s, desperate for cash after Visa and Mastercard suspended operations in Russia, swapping intelligence on where they could still get dollars. At Istanbul cafes, they sat quietly studying Telegram chats or Google Maps on their phones. They organized support groups to help other Russian exiles find housing. Tens of […]
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Cashing In Grandma’s Gold Coins, a Turkish Family Struggles to Get By
ISTANBUL — The list of things that Bilal, a Turkish factory worker, and his family have had to give up is growing longer by the day. They stopped buying meat a year ago and recently had to cut back on using their gas heater and cooking oil, and on snacks for the children. He and […]
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Many Turks Can’t Afford Bread, and Bakers Can’t Afford to Make It
ISTANBUL — A line of glum-faced people wrapped up against the rain stood along the street outside a government bread bank in a suburb of Istanbul. “People cannot manage,” said Sengul Essen, 57. “I worked 21 years as a cleaner at the university and now I am waiting in a bread queue.” Turks are grappling […]
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