Explaining Ukraine

Mar 06 2025 349 ep. 40 mins 1.9k

Explaining Ukraine Podcast artwork

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

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Looking at war through photography - with Jérôme Barbosa

Mar 06 2025 32 mins

War photography is not just about capturing destruction—it is about witnessing history, shaping narratives, and conveying human resilience. What motivates a photographer to enter a war zone, and how does this experience transform their perception of the reality? The guest of the Explaining Ukraine podcast is Jérôme Barbosa, an independent photographer who has ventured into Uk

Russians make ordinary people suffer - with Catriona Murdoch

Mar 05 2025 46 mins

The humiliation of civilians is one of the widespread tactics of the Russian army. It uses starvation and deprivation as a war technique, and shells civilian targets when there are no military facilities around. We are discussing this issue with Catriona Murdoch, Vice-President of Global Rights Compliance. Catriona is an international criminal and human rights expert with over 13

Ukraine will not give up - with Dmytro Natalukha, a Ukrainian MP

Feb 23 2025 56 mins

Feelings inside and outside Ukraine are different. Outside, most people think Ukraine is doomed. Inside, most believe Ukraine will stand and never give up. I share the inside view, as does my guest today—a very active member of the Ukrainian parliament. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine. My gu

Is Europe ready to defend itself? - with Nicu Popescu

Feb 20 2025 52 mins

Trump made Europe lonely. Europe feels abandoned and perplexed in its geopolitical solitude. What it does not yet fully understand, though, is how insecure it has become. And how it should now learn from Ukraine, and not only teach it. Only if Europe understands that Ukraine is not its problem, but part of its solution, and that defending Ukraine means defending Europe, both will s

Russian war crimes in Syria and Ukraine: similar patterns?

Feb 18 2025 41 mins

There is a striking parallel between the Russian war crimes in Syria and Ukraine. In both cases, the Russian army has been using extreme violence not to achieve military means, but to intimidate people and impose a tyrannical power over them through fear. Our guest today is Raji Abdul Salam, a legal data archive analyst with experience in documenting war crimes, crimes against hu

Key trends on the frontline - with Gustav Gressel

Feb 13 2025 59 mins

What is happening on the frontline of the Russo-Ukrainian war? How is the war changing technologically? What does Ukraine need from its partners? Why is Europe slow and indecisive - and why is it wrong? The guest of the Explaining Ukraine podcast is Gustav Gressel, an Austrian political and military analyst, former Senior Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and cur

On freedom: Timothy Snyder in Kyiv

Feb 09 2025 82 mins

Timothy Snyder came to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, to present his book "On Freedom". We have had several conversations about the ideas of this book before (in Kyiv and Kharkiv), and you can find links to the podcast episodes featuring these discussions in the description. However, this was the first time we talked about this book after its publication. We recorded this conversatio

Ukraine in 2024: An Overview - with Tetyana Ogarkova

Dec 29 2024 47 mins

What have we learned from the year 2024 in Ukraine? What have been the key trends on the frontline? What does Ukraine need to defend its sovereignty? What are Russia’s goals in this war, and what are the keys to achieving sustainable peace? In this episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast, the guest is Tetyana Ogarkova, a Ukrainian intellectual, literary scholar, and journalis

Can Trump Stop the War? – with Fredrik Wesslau

Dec 17 2024 45 mins

Trump wants to stop Russia’s war against Ukraine, but what difficulties will he face? Why must he genuinely engage with Ukraine and the EU to achieve this goal? What leverage does he have to encourage Putin to negotiate? Why does any peace in this context need to be sustainable? In this episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast, the guest is Fredrik Wesslau, a Swedish diplomat a

Brazil and Ukraine: Unexpected Connections

Dec 10 2024 71 mins

Brazil has the 3rd largest Ukrainian community in the Americas. Over half a million Brazilians have Ukrainian origins, with most of them descendants of 19th century labor migrants. In this episode, we navigate through the unexpected links between the two countries, and analyze why relations between Brazil and Ukraine are difficult today. The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites y