Shows / Explaining Ukraine
Explaining Ukraine
A podcast by UkraineWorld.org, a multimedia project about Ukraine run by Internews Ukraine. Explaining Ukraine, its politics, society and its culture. Support us: patreon.com/ukraineworld
Episodes
Explaining UkraineUkraine doubles down on security talks - Weekly, 7-14 August
Russia continues targeting Ukraine’s peaceful cities as well as industrial and military infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s counteroffensive is ongoing, with…
Explaining UkraineRethinking imperialism, a look from Ukraine and India - with Aman Sethi
How can we think about imperialism and colonialism today? What can Ukrainians and Indians tell each other in this respect? How can we try to look for…
Explaining UkraineUkraine in the world today - with David Rieff
David Rieff is a famous intellectual and war correspondent. He is the author of many books, including Slaughterhouse: Bosnia and the Failure of the West; A Bed…
Explaining UkraineBeing a poet and a woman on the frontline - with Yaryna Chornohuz
Yaryna Chornohuz is a Ukrainian poet who became a soldier to defend her homeland. She is a paramedic and a reconnaissance scout who went to the frontline…
Explaining UkraineThe war seen by a Financial Times journalist - with Christopher Miller
What does it mean to live in Ukraine for over a decade, report on Ukraine’s revolution, the annexation of Crimea, and both episodes of Russia’s war against…
Explaining UkraineUkraine’s counteroffensive is ongoing; Russia bombs cultural heritage sites - Weekly, 21-28 July
Ukraine’s counteroffensive remains underway, with Ukraine’s armed forces liberating several villages in the East and in the South. Ukraine is also blowing up…
Explaining UkraineHow can science help Ukraine win and recover? - With Yury Gogotsi
What role can science play in Ukraine’s victory and recovery?What problems has Ukrainian science faced over the past decades, and how can they be overcome?…
Explaining UkraineRussia threatens global food security - Weekly, 15-21 July
Russia withdraws from the grain deal and puts global food security at risk. At the same time, it started regular shelling of the Ukrainian port cities…
Explaining UkraineThe NATO Summit; Russia’s continuing violation of international law - Weekly, 11-17 July
The NATO Summit in Vilnius: was it a complete disappointment for Ukraine, or was there a bright side? While experts are analyzing the results, the Armed Forces…
Explaining UkraineRussian narratives in the world: are they still powerful? - with Nina Kuryata
Russian propaganda is one of the foundations of this war. Are Russian narratives still widespread in the world today? What are the most toxic ones? Volodymyr…
Explaining UkraineFascism vs Democracy in Today’s World - With Jason Stanley
What is fascism? Why does the fascist danger exist today, even within democratic states? Is Russia fascist? – Jason Stanely, American philosopher and author of…
Explaining UkraineVictoria Amelina. In memoriam
This episode is about Victoria Amelina, a Ukrainian writer, and our friend, killed by a Russian missile. Victoria Amelina, a Ukrainian writer and human rights…
Explaining Ukraine500th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion. - Weekly, 1-10 July
As the world marks the 500th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Kremlin continues shelling Ukraine’s peaceful cities, while Ukraine awaits strategic…
Explaining UkraineKramatorsk war crime; Russia’s nuclear blackmail - Weekly, 24-30 June
The failed mutiny by the PMC “Wagner” and its leader Prigozhin exposed flaws in Russian leadership. Despite internal problems, Russia continues to jeopardize…
Explaining UkraineThe Wagner “revolt”: what are its consequences for the world?
What are the consequences of the Wagner “revolt” against the Kremlin? Will it weaken Putin’s power? What is the future of Russian criminal paramilitary groups…
Explaining UkraineA story of a Ukrainian village head tortured by the Russian soldiers
Mykola, the acting head of Nechvolodivka, a village near Kupyansk in Kharkiv Oblast, was twice kidnapped and tortured by the Russian occupiers. We went to his…
Explaining UkraineNuclear threats from Russia; Ukraine's counteroffensive, postwar reconstruction - Weekly, 17-23 June
While Ukraine is gradually moving forward in its counteroffensive, Russia keeps attacking Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles almost every night, and is…
Explaining UkraineUkraine's counteroffensive, African diplomacy, 13th Rammstein meeting - Weekly, 9-16 June
Another Rammstein meeting delivers on further support to Ukraine while the latter achieves its first successes in the counteroffensive. In the meantime, a…
Explaining UkraineIs this war different from others? - with Janine di Giovanni | Ep. 235
Every war is different, yet they share a lot of similarities. Bosnia, Syria, Iraq, Chechnya, Ukraine - how can these wars be compared? What are the patterns of…
Explaining UkraineKakhovka ecocide, its causes, and impact - Weekly, 5-9 June | Ep. 234
On June 6th, Russia blew up the Kakhovka dam, causing a massive environmental catastrophe in southern Ukraine. The impact of this ecocide will last for…
Explaining UkraineHow Ukraine gave up its nukes, and why this made it vulnerable - with Mariana Budjeryn
In 1994, Ukraine gave up the nuclear weapons it had inherited from the Soviet Union. It was invited to sign the Budapest Memorandum with Russia, the UK, and…
- Explaining Ukraine
Russia blows up the Kakhovka dam and creates a huge environmental disaster
On June 6th Russia blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydropower plant in Southern Ukraine. This act of geopolitical terrorism and ecocide produces a major…
Explaining UkraineRussia’s continued bombing of Ukraine; Patriot coalition; China’s diplomacy - Weekly, 30.05 - 5.06
Russia’s daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities; a drone attack on Moscow; Ukraine’s efforts to create a coalition to deliver Patriot air defense systems…
Explaining UkraineUkraine and the Jewish world - with Rabbi Jacobson
Why is Ukraine important to the Jewish world? Which figures and elements of Jewish religious history and culture are linked to Ukraine? How can we look at…
- Explaining Ukraine
How Ukrainians overcome their inferiority complex — with the Ukraine Calling podcast
A conversation about the Ukrainian experience during the war, Russian fascism, the future of this war, and Ukrainian security. Volodymyr Yermolenko, the chief…
- Explaining Ukraine
Bakhmut, F-16 fighter jets, Russian volunteer corps - Explaining Ukraine Weekly, 22-29 May
Bakhmut, F-16 fighter jets, Russian volunteer corps attacks Russia - Explaining Ukraine Weekly, 22-29 May 7 key events in and around Ukraine over the past…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ukrainian Identity vs Putin’s tyranny - Volodymyr Yermolenko with the Silicon Curtain podcast
A conversation about Ukrainian identity, Europe, and Russian imperialism. Volodymyr Yermolenko, UkraineWorld’s chief editor, was a guest of the Silicon Curtain…
Explaining UkraineUkraine as seen from Latin America - with Carolina Amoroso | Thinking in Dark Times # 18
In this episode, Argentinian journalist Carolina Amoroso speaks about her experience of reporting from Ukraine during the war. She shares her understanding of…
Explaining UkraineTimothy Garton Ash - on Ukraine’s role in Europe | Thinking in Dark Times # 17
Why should we avoid dividing Europe into “Western,” “Central,” and “Eastern,” and instead speak of Europe as a whole? What is Ukraine’s struggle bringing to…
Explaining UkraineEU diplomat Søren Liborius. World War II and the Russian invasion of Ukraine - Vol. 2
How does Russian propaganda manipulate World War II, and how is it using the Allied victory over Nazism to justify its current invasion of Ukraine? How does…
Explaining UkraineHistorian Serhii Plokhii: World War II and the Russian invasion of Ukraine - Vol. 1
Russia has tried to assert a monopoly for itself in the victory over Nazism in WWII. But what role did Ukrainians and other nations of the former USSR play in…
- Explaining Ukraine
This Ukrainian man lost 7 members of his family to a Russian bomb. We’re telling his story | Ep. 222
A Ukrainian man lost 7 members of his family, including 3 children, in a matter of seconds. They were killed by a Russian bomb in Izyum in March 2022. We met…
Explaining UkraineNicolas Tenzer - on morality in geopolitics | Thinking in Dark Times # 14
Nicolas Tenzer is a French philosopher, analyst, and author of numerous texts about the issues of security and strategy. He founded and runs the blog “Tenzer…
Explaining UkraineThere is still much to learn about Ukrainian history - with historian Andrii Portnov
Andrii Portnov is a Ukrainian historian and essayist, the Chair Professor of Entangled History of Ukraine at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt…
- Explaining Ukraine
What’s happening on the Eastern front? Bakhmut, Lyman, Slovyansk, and more | Ep. 219
What is happening on the frontline? Are Russian claims of taking over Bakhmut true? What does the situation on the Eastern front look like? Are there still…
Explaining UkraineFinland joins NATO: has Russia’s strategy failed? - Around Ukraine # 10
Finland has officially joined NATO, which is further proof that the results of Russia’s foreign policy are contrary to its strategic goals. Russia has drafted…
- Explaining Ukraine
Writers under attack: the cases of Ukraine, Nicaragua, Myanmar, and Egypt - with PEN International
PEN International, a worldwide association of writers, presented its 2022 CASE LIST, which documents 115 cases of writers facing harassment, arrest, violence…
Explaining UkrainePutin plays a nuclear card again - Around Ukraine #9
Putin is threatening to deploy Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus. This could amount to a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. China and Japan…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ukraine’s fight against corruption: is it effective? - With Allan Pagh Kristensen
Fighting corruption is an essential element of Ukraine’s EU integration. To understand the EU perspective on this process, we spoke to Allan Pagh Kristensen, a…
Explaining UkraineHow Russia uses the grain exports problem to manipulate the global public - Propaganda diary #8
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its occupation of large parts of Ukraine’s Black Sea littoral zone caused serious problems for the exports of Ukrainian food…
Explaining UkraineAre we facing a new China-Russia axis? - Around Ukraine #8
China’s leader Xi Jinping paid a visit to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin and stress the strength of the China-Russia axis. The visit took place days after the…
Explaining UkraineAskold Melnyczuk - on Ukrainian literature, diaspora, and culture during the war
Askold Melnyczuk is a prominent American writer of Ukrainian descent, and author of books What Is Told; Ambassador of the Dead; House of Widows; The Man Who…
Explaining UkraineGillian Tett - on anthropology, imperialism, and the West’s (mis)perceptions of Ukraine
Gillian Tett is a British journalist and author. She is chair of the editorial board and US editor-at-large of the Financial Times. She is the author of…
- Explaining Ukraine
Different countries, similar narratives? Ukraine’s and Slovakia’s experience with Russian propaganda
In this episode of our "Propaganda Diary", we discuss joint Ukrainian-Slovak research studying the key narratives of Russian propaganda in both countries…
Explaining UkraineIs there a risk of the West changing its Ukraine policy? - Around Ukraine # 7
Is there a risk of the West changing course with its Ukraine policy? Are democratic values moving eastwards with the protests in Georgia? Why should we be…
Explaining UkraineSvyatoslav Vakarchuk on war, music, freedom, and resistance | Thinking in Dark Times # 10
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk is a Ukrainian rock star, the leader of the rock band Okean Elzy, and one of Ukraine’s most popular modern musicians. He is also a civic…
- Explaining Ukraine
Why Ukrainian universities need support - with Aaron Wendland | Ep. 207
Despite the war, many Ukrainian academics and students remain in the country and continue doing academic and research work. In this episode, we explain why…
- Explaining Ukraine
Nikopol, a town 6 kilometers from Russian troops, and from Europe’s biggest nuclear plant | Ep. 206
A few days ago we made a trip to Nikopol, an industrial town in southern Ukraine located 6 kilometers from the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, now occupied…
- Explaining Ukraine
Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president | Ep. 205
Kryvyi Rih is a big industrial Ukrainian city, and the hometown of president Zelenskyy. We went there to see what the city looks like during the war, and how…
- Explaining Ukraine
Words to denigrate: how Russian propaganda talks about Ukraine, and why - Propaganda Diary #6
In this episode of our Propaganda Diary, we analyze the vocabulary of Russian propaganda about Ukraine. An “anti-Russia,” “puppet of the West,” “former…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ukraine prepares a counter-offensive and seeks support - Around Ukraine #6
Ukraine may be preparing a counter-offensive in the spring, and therefore needs military support, both in equipment and ammunition. Ukrainian pilots are in the…
Explaining UkraineMarci Shore on Eastern Europe, ethics, and cruelty | Thinking in Dark Times #9
Marci Shore is an American historian and associate professor at Yale University, where she teaches modern European intellectual history. She is the author of…
- Explaining Ukraine
5 things to know about Russian imperialism | Ep. 201
How is Russian imperialism similar to, and different from, other imperialisms that we know? What are its key traits with regard to the questions of difference…
- Explaining Ukraine
What is Genocidal Propaganda? Take 2 - Propaganda Diary #5
In this episode of our Propaganda Diary, we continue looking at the genocidal rhetoric of Russian propaganda. We analyze the most common messages of the…
- Explaining Ukraine
Can China’s peace plan stop the war? - Around Ukraine #5
China has released a peace plan with the aim of putting forward ideas that could stop Russia’s war against Ukraine - but are they realistic? The UN General…
Explaining UkraineSyria, Ukraine, and parallels between autocrats - with Jean-Pierre Filiu - Thinking in Dark Times #8
What are the parallels between Putinist Russia and Syria of Bashar al-Assad? Why is the cult of violence widespread in both countries? Targeting hospitals…
- Explaining Ukraine
What is Genocidal Propaganda? Take 1 - Propaganda Diary #4
In this episode of our Propaganda Diary, we look at the genocidal rhetoric of Russian propaganda. Before starting the full-scale war, Russian politicians and…
Explaining UkraineOne year of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine - lessons and prospects | Ep. 195
One year has passed since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine. In this episode, we draw lessons from this past year: the strength of Ukrainian…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ukraine’s cultural scene after a year of the full-scale war. Die Kulturmittler podcast | Ep. 194
This episode is an interview given by UkraineWorld’s chief editor and host of the Explaining Ukraine podcast Volodymyr Yermolenko to "Die Kulturmittler", a…
- Explaining Ukraine
Biden visits Kyiv - Around Ukraine #4
US president Joe Biden paid an unexpected visit to Kyiv, showing support for Ukraine and sending a strong signal to Russia. The Munich Security Conference…