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 UkraineWho are Ukrainians, and what do they want? | Ep. 132
We are analyzing the key features of the Ukrainian civic and political identity: a long history of fighting against tyranny, a culture of self-organization…
Explaining UkraineAmnesty International blames the victim. - Weekly digest, 1-7 August | Ep. 131
Amnesty International published a report in which it blamed Ukraine for “violating international humanitarian law” by “establishing bases and operating weapons…
- Explaining Ukraine
Russia kills Ukrainian prisoners of war. – Weekly digest, 25-31 July | Ep. 130
Over 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in an explosion in Olenivka, a town on the Russian-occupied territory in Eastern Ukraine. Earlier, a video…
- Explaining Ukraine
Solidarity during the war. Stories from Makariv and Motyzhyn | Ep. 129
Olha Sukhenko, the village head of Motyzhyn, near Kyiv, was tortured and killed by Russian soldiers, together with her husband and her son. We went to Motyzhyn…
- Explaining Ukraine
Personal Jesus on the frontline. - With activist, theologian and soldier Andriy Andrushkiv | Ep. 128
Andriy Andrushkiv, a Ukrainian activist who runs an NGO reforming Ukraine’s institutions, became a volunteer soldier after February 24th. Andriy is also a…
- Explaining Ukraine
Russia bombs Odesa after signing grain deal. - Weekly digest, 18-24 July | Ep. 127
Agreements aimed to unblock Ukrainian grain exports were signed this week in Istanbul. The very next day, Russia attacked Ukraine's most critical port in…
- Explaining Ukraine
Living on a battlefield. A story of Makariv | Ep. 126
Makariv, a town near Kyiv, suffered from heavy fighting in February and March 2022. We visited Makariv and talked to its residents. Listen to our stories –…
- Explaining Ukraine
What weapons does Ukraine need? - With Alina Frolova | Ep. 125
Why is Ukraine constantly asking for weapons? Can it defend itself with the weapons it already has? Can it mount a counter-offensive against the Russians army…
- Explaining Ukraine
Horrible missile strike on Vinnytsia. – Weekly digest, 11-17 July | Ep. 124
Russians continue their missile strikes against civilians in Ukrainian cities. Horrible attack on Vinnytsia (at least 24 people dead, many wounded and…
- Explaining Ukraine
Being a reporter during the war. - With Nataliya Gumenyuk | Ep. 123
One of Ukraine’s finest reporters, Nataliya Gumenyuk has traveled across many Ukrainian regions to understand the Russian invasion, Ukrainian resistance, and…
- Explaining Ukraine
Russia’s political sado-masochism. - With Peter Pomerantsev | Ep. 122
The explanation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not only geopolitical, but also psychological. It is rooted in Russia’s culture of violence and political…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ukrainians’ new war tactics. - Weekly digest, 3-10 July. | Ep. 121
Ukrainians are using Western-supplied high-tech weapons to destroy Russian ammunition stocks, thus undermining Russia’s whole artillery-dependent warfighting…
- Explaining Ukraine
A shield of Kyiv: Chernihiv during the war | Ep. 120
Chernihiv, a medieval city in Northern Ukraine, suffered heavily from Russian shelling and airstrikes in February and March. The city was without electricity…
- Explaining Ukraine
Russia’s missile terrorism kills civilians. – Ukraine weekly digest, 27 June – 3 July | Ep. 119
Russia made a missile strike on a trade mall in Kremenchuk, killing over 20 people; 36 went missing. This and others are cases of Russia’s increasing missile…
- Explaining Ukraine
7 things to understand about contemporary Ukraine | Ep. 118
What are the key elements of contemporary Ukraine? How can we understand its past 30 years? We discuss decentralization, generational changes, people vs power…
- Explaining Ukraine
What is it like to come home to a destroyed town? | Ep. 117
The team at the Explaining Ukraine podcast is traveling through the villages in towns around Kyiv which heavily suffered from the battles in March. We describe…
- Explaining Ukraine
Is Russia committing genocide in Ukraine? - with Christopher Atwood | Ep. 116
In this episode of the “Explaining Ukraine” podcast, we ask whether Russian actions in Ukraine amount to genocide. Our guest is Christopher Atwood, a…
- Explaining Ukraine
4 months of war; Ukraine’s EU candidacy; Russia’s missile madness - 20-26 June, weekly | Ep. 115
In our new weekly digest we look back into the key lessons from the 4 months of Russia’s full-scale invasion. We analyze why Ukraine’s EU membership candidacy…
- Explaining Ukraine
5 things to know about Russian propaganda | Ep. 114
Is Russian propaganda responsible for the current Russian atrocities against Ukraine? How has it tried to dehumanize its enemies, and has it succeeded? Chief…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ukraine, looking from America - with Marci Shore | Ep. 113
In this episode we are asking what one can learn by looking at Ukraine from America. Our guest for this episode is Marci Shore, American historian and scholar…
- Explaining Ukraine
What are Ukrainians trying to tell the world? - with Dana Pavlychko, Osnovy Show | Ep. 112
Dana Pavlychko, chief editor of the Osnovy Publishing, and founder of the podcast Osnovy Show, talks to Volodymyr Yermolenko, host of the Explaining Ukraine…
Explaining UkraineNew mass graves; fights in the East; European leaders in Kyiv - weekly digest, 13-19 June | Ep. 111
With this episode, we’re starting a series of weekly podcasts, in which we’re making an overview of key events in or around Ukraine during the past week. This…
- Explaining Ukraine
Is Germany blind about Russia? - with Marieluise Beck and Ralf Fücks | Ep. 110
In this episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast, we will talk about Germany and its indecisive stance with regard to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Why is…
- Explaining Ukraine
Kharkiv, a fortress city | Ep. 109
Our episode about Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, located 40 km from the Russian border. Kharkiv has severely suffered from the Russian shelling, and…
- Explaining Ukraine
What should we know about Russian imperialism? - With Vera Tolz | Ep. 108.
What should we know about Russian imperialism? How is it connected to Russian nationalism? What does it have in common with other imperialisms in recent…
- Explaining Ukraine
Why the planet could starve without Ukrainian food | Ep. 107
400 million people around the world depend on food which comes from Ukraine. Russia has not only attacked Ukraine and killed tens of thousands of civilians…
- Explaining Ukraine
One hundred days of the full-scale war - don’t expect it will end soon | Ep. 106
100 days of the full-scale war, 8 years since Russia’s first invasion in 2014: the war does not seem to end soon. We draw some conclusions from the 100 days…
- Explaining Ukraine
Artistic avant-garde in Ukraine, fascinating and unique – with Tetyana Filevska | Ep. 105
Kazymyr Malevych, Oleksandr Arkhypenko, Sonia Delaunay, Oleksandra Exter, Dziga Vertov, Oleksandr Dovzhenko: these names from Ukrainian avant-garde art of the…
- Explaining Ukraine
Why has Russia invaded Ukraine? | Ep. 104
What are the causes of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine? Are they found in the developments of the past decades or in the deeper past? Why is this…
- Explaining Ukraine
Why Ukrainian culture has plenty to impress – with Volodymyr Sheiko | Ep. 103
Why does the world know so little about Ukrainian cultural heritage? Can Ukraine offer a new dimension to European and global culture? What are the topics…
- Explaining Ukraine
Three months of full-scale war: key conclusions | Ep. 102
Three months have passed since Russia started its invasion of Ukraine. In this episode, we draw some key conclusions. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian…
- Explaining Ukraine
How does Ukraine fit into the European political culture? – with Vakhtang Kebuladze | Ep. 101
How can we describe the Ukrainian political culture? In which way is it rooted in the European political traditions? How is it different from the Russian…
- Explaining Ukraine
Why helping Putin save the face is wrong | Ep. 100
We are hearing calls from some political leaders from across the globe calling “not to humiliate” Russia and help Putin save the face. In this episode of the…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 99: Culture and imperialism in Eastern Europe – with Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta
How can we rethink cultural imperialism and colonialism today? How can Russian imperialism be described? Is the Ukrainian culture part of the European…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 98: Living under Russian occupation: what is it like?
We traveled in the villages near Kyiv, which were occupied by the Russian forces in March: Ploske, Bobryk, Velyka Dymerka and others. We have talked to local…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 97: Is this war about geopolitics? – With Danylo Lubkivsky
Can geopolitics explain Russia’s war against Ukraine? Does the idea of “great powers’ struggle” help us understand its nature and causes? Is this war about the…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 96: Ukrainian culture and its deep links with Europe
Ukrainian culture is deeply rooted in the European cultural and intellectual traditions. In this episode of our “Explaining Ukraine” podcast, we are…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 95: Bucha Stories: Horrors of the Russian Occupation
We visited Bucha a few days ago and will tell you stories of the Russian occupation in this Kyiv suburb which became a symbol of massacres committed by the…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 94: Is Russia preparing a new Holodomor in Ukraine?
Russian authorities ordered to “expropriate” harvests, seeds and equipment from Ukrainian farmers in the occupied Kherson region. These orders remind of…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 93: 2 months of war: key conclusions
Two months have passed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We’re drawing some key conclusions: failure of the Russia’s initial plans; Ukraine’s…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 92: Is Russia Fascist or Stalinist?
How can we describe Putinism? Is it closer to far-right totalitarianisms like fascism/Nazism, or to far-left system like Stalinism? What is the nature of…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 91: “Moscow” Has Sunk; Testimonials from the War
Russian warship “Moskva” (Moscow) has sunk hit by Ukrainian “Neptun” missile; homes of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians (millions of m2) are destroyed…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 90: It’s Time to Stop Admiring the “Russian Soul”
A mysterious “Russian soul” has been an object of international admiration for centuries. We explain why this admiration is naïve. Russia's love for “wide”…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 89: Ukraine’s victory in the battle of Kyiv; testimonies from Mariupol
Ukraine defeated Russia in the battle of Kyiv, and Russian troops retreated from the Northern, North-Eastern Ukraine, and South-Western Ukraine. On the…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 88: Bucha Massacre
The whole world is looking at atrocities of Russian army in Kyiv suburbs: Bucha, Irpin’, Hostomel, villages on the Zhytomyr route and others. We try to explain…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 87: How can Ukraine get security guarantees? – with Mariia Zolkina
How can Ukraine get peace settlement which will ensure its security in the future? Kyiv issued proposals to find alternative ways of ensuring security…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 86: Russians are retreating from Kyiv outskirts; testimonies from Mariupol
Russians are retreating from Kyiv outskirts but concentrating their efforts in the Eastern Ukraine. Ukraine needs arms, especially air defense, anti-missile…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 85: Ukraine is counterattacking
Ukraine is counterattacking Russian forces near Kyiv, in Kherson oblast and other regions. Russians are changing their rhetoric and tactics, hitting cities…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 84: Can we negotiate with Russia?
How can we understand Russian logic? What lessons can we draw from the “great Russian culture”? What is Russia’s “negative-sum-game” and why is it crucial to…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 83: One month of war: 10 lessons learnt
10 lessons we have learnt from one month of Russian invasion of Ukraine. About strength of Ukrainian army, weakness of Russian army, Ukrainian society and…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 82: Tragedies of Mariupol and Chernihiv; Ukraine’s counterattack near Kyiv
Heartbreaking human stories from Mariupol; Ukrainians counterattack near Kyiv; Russians lost more soldiers than Soviet Union during 10 years in Afghanistan. We…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 81: Ten things to know about Ukraine and its culture
Language, folkloric roots, European connection, tradition and modernity, avant-garde art, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, cultural pluralism. We continue our…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 80: Mariupol, the martyr city
The world should talk about Mariupol, a 500-thousand city now exterminated by the Russian army. No electricity, water, food, heating, connection, no…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 79: Ukrainian identity, explained
Who are Ukrainians? What is their identity, what is their political culture? In which way are they different from Russians? What is Ukrainian political…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 78: What's wrong with Russia?
What's wrong with Russia? How can we understand this cruel and inhumane attack on Ukraine targeting civilians, hospitals, maternity houses? Why is Russia…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 77: 20 days of war, missiles hit Kyiv
20 days of Russian invasion of Ukraine: Russian missiles hit Kyiv residential areas; humanitarian disaster in Mariupol; Ukraine's resistance is smart and…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 76: 18 days of war, Russian strikes close to NATO borders
18 days of Russian invasion of Ukraine: Russia strikes airport in Lviv oblast, 20 km away from NATO border; American journalist was killed by Russians in…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 75: 16 days of war, threat of a new Chornobyl
16 days of Russian invasion of Ukraine: Russia shells residential areas, maternity hospitals, green corridors. Big danger of a disaster at nuclear power…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 74: 11 days of war: Russia tortures civilians, Ukraine begs to close the skies
Russia continues to torture civilians and shell humanitarian corridors, breaking earlier commitments to let civilians to evacuate from war-torn cities. Ukraine…
- Explaining Ukraine
Ep. № 73: 10th day of war, Russia shells humanitarian corridors
Russia shells humanitarian corridors in Eastern and Northern Ukraine, breaking earlier commitments to let civilians to evacuate from the war-torn cities. NATO…