Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel joined Newsweek in 2021 and had previously worked with news outlets including ...

The wartime crackdown has all but destroyed the once-vibrant stand-up comedy scene, but some persevere and live in fear of going viral and being denounced.

KYIV -- In one skit, Ukraine's top spy, Kyrylo Budanov, is depicted apologizing to his wife for why they had to spend their vacation raiding the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. In another, a man ...