New York Times reporter Kim Barker joins International desk; Barker to cover war in Ukraine after notable investigations in United States

She has helped show how police traffic stops turn deadly and described the seedy underbelly of a “zombie McDonald’s.” She revived a cold case about a homicide in Laramie, Wyo. for Serial’s first show hosted by a Times reporter, and took on New York City’s broken system for protecting tenants and affordable apartments.

Now we are pleased to announce that Kim Barker is bringing her estimable skills back to the International desk for overseas assignments that will start with coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Kim’s roots go back to ProPublica, where she worked before joining The Times in 2014, and The Chicago Tribune, where she served as South Asia bureau chief. Her 2011 book “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan” was made into the film “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” with Tina Fey starring as the fictional Kim.

She joined The Times with Metro, where she garnered attention with a series on unregulated flophouses. “Kim is a tenacious reporter who pursues stories aggressively, digs deep and writes them evocatively,” said her former editor in Investigations, Rebecca Corbett. “Whether writing off the news or on enterprise and investigative stories, she delivers untold stories by finding hidden information, developing sources and going there — wherever that might be.”

Despite spending much of her professional life digging into unsavory topics and characters, Kim maintains a wide-eyed view of the world she covers and relies heavily on her sense of humor. “Kim is collegial, talented — and fun!” Rebecca added.

Kim is already off to a strong start in Ukraine, having conceptualized and led a reconstruction of the Ukrainians’ surprise offensive into Russia in August, just two weeks after she arrived there.