Is this war somehow fundamentally new in character? What is the role of technology in this war? How can Ukraine protect its cities from Russian missiles and bombs, and why does the West need to do things much faster than it is now? The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of the United States Army Europe.Host…

This war also concerns the politics of knowledge production. Today we will talk about the epistemically unjust myth of Russian imperial innocence and why the episteme of pacifism is deadly dangerous. In this episode, Daria Synhaievska, analyst and journalist at UkraineWorld is joined by Olga Burlyuk, Assistant Professor at the Department of Politic…

Ukraine and Australia - two geographically distant nations with shared values. But what was the tragedy that initiated real cooperation between these states? Why is supporting Ukraine important not just for Kyiv but for Canberra as well? And what prospects lie ahead for this partnership? In this episode, Deputy editor-in-chief Anastasiia Hersymchuk…

What challenges does democracy face in light of the Russian war on Ukraine? How can Ukraine defeat Russia while remaining a democracy?The guest of the Explaining Ukraine podcast is Lucan Way, Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, Co-Director of the Petro Yatsyk Ukrainian Studies Programme at the Centre for European, Russian, …

Is democracy in decline today? What is “Post-Wall” Europe, born after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and why is it now gone? How is Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion changing Europe? UkraineWorld invites Timothy Garton Ash, a British historian, Professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford, Isaiah Berlin Professorial Fellow at …

How can history help us understand the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Why can Moscow not even imagine itself without Kyiv? Is Russia an empire in decline? The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites Professor Serhii Plokhii, a prominent Ukrainian historian, director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI), and author of numerous books about Ukr…

Almost 20,000 Ukrainian children have been kidnapped by Russia during its invasion of Ukraine, according to Kyiv’s official data. Russia’s figures are much bigger: it says it has relocated more than half a million of Ukrainian children - and is not going to give them back. This is a horrible, systematic policy of depriving the Ukrainian nation of i…

Do India and Ukraine share common ground for cooperation? What shared interests might emerge from their unique contexts? And in the face of Russian aggression, how can these nations forge relations that benefit both sides?In this episode, UkraineWorld's Deputy editor-in-chief Anastasiia Hersymchuk spoke withSwasti Rao, Associate Fellow at the Europ…

What do citizens of the EU and the United Kingdom think about Ukraine? How substantial is their support? How high the Ukrainian topic is on their agenda? The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites experts from “More in Common” - an international initiative aiming to understand the forces driving people apart, find common ground, and bring people togeth…

A conversation about Ukraine, the Russian invasion, resistance, ideas, and ordinary people doing extraordinary things, - held during Volodymyr Yermolenko’s visit to Yale University in February 2024. Timothy Snyder is an American historian and Richard C. Levin Professor of History at Yale University.Marci Shore is an American historian and associate…

We tend to look at today’s world as a consequence of World War II. Yet, in the first years after that war, there were several directions which the world could have turned. There was a chance that China would not have become communist. There was also a chance that Europe would have become much more communist. A few years ago, Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, th…

Jen Stout is a Scottish journalist who has spent a significant amount of time in Ukraine during the hottest stages of the full-scale Russian invasion. She has just published a book "Night Train to Odesa: Covering the Human Cost of Russia's War", a very touchingly personal account of the people she has met and experiences she has lived traveling thr…

Ukraine has passed the long-awaited mobilization law. It aims to ensure that Ukraine's army has more people, as it faces hundreds of thousands of newly mobilized soldiers on the Russian side. Ukraine's army, on the contrary, lacks personnel. But will this law solve Ukraine's problems? Particular criticism was voiced at the fact the law doesn't prov…

Do we have the concepts and ideas necessary to think critically about Russian cultural imperialism? Why are the existing concepts not sufficient? Are “Russian studies” still dominating Western academia’s view of Eastern Europe? Why is it time to rethink Russian cultural imperialism and decolonize the “Slavic” or “Eurasian” studies?Our guest on the …

Germany searches for Patriot air defence systems for Ukraine not only in NATO countries but also throughout the world. Meanwhile, NATO states consider establishing a fund to secure assistance for Kyiv if Trump returns to office.This is our weekly roundup of key events and trends in and around Ukraine.Volodymyr Yermolenko, the chief editor of Ukrain…

Russia returned to its tactics of destroying Ukrainian energy infrastructure, attempting to plunge Ukrainians into darkness. Ukrainians across the country endured a week of unprecedented combined aerial attacks. Meanwhile, as March marked the tenth anniversary of the illegal referendum in occupied Crimea, we reflect on political and ethnic persecut…

Why are identity and political values, rather than geopolitics, the genuine causes of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? How can we locate the Russian invasion in the wider context of Ukrainian-Russian relations? How can we describe the divergent paths that Ukraine and Russia took after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and how do these divergent pat…

In violation of international law, Russia held sham presidential elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine. But this was far from the only violation. The terrorist attacks against Ukrainian cities continue. Meanwhile, several European intelligence services warn about the possibility of Russian aggression against the West.This is our weekly r…

The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraine’s former foreign minister, to talk about Ukraine in the world today, Ukraine’s endeavor to join the Western world, and the urgent need to stop Russia. Pavlo Klimkin was Ukraine’s foreign minister for 5 years (2014-2019), including during the first five years of the Russian invasion of Uk…

While the Russians have resorted to the scorched earth strategy on the frontlines, the Czech Republic brings the much needed ammunition closer to Ukraine. Moreover, Ukraine holds the upper hand in the Black Sea after destroying the corvette Sergei Kotov.This is our weekly roundup of key events and trends in and around Ukraine.Volodymyr Yermolenko, …

There is an increased level of debate regarding the threat Russia poses to Europe. Emmanuel Macron’s statement that sending troops to Ukraine is not excluded stirred up the infospace, causing an ambiguous reaction from NATO allies. The message, however, reached the Russian leadership bringing with it yet another warning of “tragic consequences”. Bu…

Ukraine commemorated the end of the second year since the commencement of Russia's full-scale war, a testament to its century-long struggle against Russian imperialism. This war proves that those seeking peace must be prepared to fight against dictatorships' expansionist views in the coming future. Ukraine has consolidated partners, but the war pro…

On the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and on the 10th anniversary of the Russian invasion in total, UkraineWorld's chief editor, Volodymyr Yermolenko, reflects upon the major causes of this war. These are the issues relating to identity, political values, and ethics. More - in our "Explaining Ukraine" podcast.UkraineW…

The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites prominent American historian Larry Wolff to talk about history, imagination, and politics around Eastern Europe, in particular Ukraine. Larry Wolff is a professor of history at New York University. He is the author of numerous books about Eastern Europe, in particular Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civil…

Russia has intensified its military operations on the battlefield, as a result of which, after months-long campaign to take Avdiivka, it fell. Amid these developments, the call to introduce more technological solutions grows louder. Ukraine has increased military production but still seeks more international support. President Zelenskyy secured new…

2024 could become a year of consolidation of authoritarian regimes. Liberal democracies are weak and often do not fully understand approaching threats. Can we still win the war against Russia in these circumstances? A new coalition of freedom-loving societies needs to assert itself, and the response to Russian aggression must be far more decisive. …

President Zelenskyy appoints Colonel General Syrsky to lead the Armed Forces in an attempt to reset the system, establishing an all-new management team for the defence forces. This episode focuses on the reasons for and impacts of this decision.Meanwhile, human rights researchers presented Russia's crimes in occupied Mariupol, occupiers continued t…

He is one of Ukraine’s top constitutional lawyers and experts in EU law. But he is also the founder of a mobile medical hospital which has saved hundreds of thousands of lives on the frontline since 2014. Today’s Ukraine is a country where these social roles are often combined. The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites Gennadiy Druzenko, a Ukrainian l…

A new method of war based on technology, a new training philosophy, and new combat capabilities - that’s what Ukraine needs to create a more favourable advantage on the battlefield, according to Valeriy Zalyzhnyy in his last article for CNN, which was published amid ongoing rumours about his possible dismissal. Meanwhile, EU leaders agreed on €50 b…

Let us look again at the human stories of this war. Let us recall the hundreds of people in Yahidne forced by Russian soldiers to live in a village school basement for almost a month. Let us hear the story of the crowd of people at Kramatorsk railway station struck by a Russian missile while they were waiting for an evacuation train. Let us remembe…

Russia intensifies cooperation with its allies striving to strengthen its international position and overcome the negative effects of the sanctions regime. Ukrainian partners keep looking for mechanisms not to let Ukraine lose its existential war. Meanwhile, Ukraine is seeking ways to find common ground with its neighbours, in particular Slovakia.T…

Yahidne is a Ukrainian village where the Russian army forced over 300 Ukrainians into a school basement and kept them for almost a month. 10 people died from suffocation and a lack of food and water. It was just one of Russia's countless war crimes during this war.A group of Dutch writers visited Yahidne in December 2023 as part of a trip organized…

SUPPORT: https://www.patreon.com/ukraineworld---While Russian occupiers attempt to breach Ukrainian supply lines in Avdiyivka, Ukraine remains on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson oblast, rendering Russian forces unable to dislodge Ukrainian defenders.In addition to frontline developments, the previous week brought encouraging news regar…

Europe took a sleeping pill in 1989, and needs to wake up to face the challenge of Russian authoritarianism. Does it have the courage to do so?Pascal Bruckner, one of France’s most influential philosophers, came to Kyiv in December and participated in a public discussion at PEN Ukraine on December 7th. This episode is the recording of this conversa…

Over the past week, Russia has been attempting to establish a 15-kilometre "buffer zone" in Kharkiv oblast, while the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to launch a partial counter-offensive and recapture several positions occupied by the Russians near Kupyansk.Along with frontline developments, this episode focuses on the main achievements of the Secu…

Why is the Soviet and the “Russian” story about Ukraine’s East misleading? Why is the concept of “Donbas” problematic? How are the eastern regions of Ukraine inscribed into the Ukrainian political and cultural history, as well as the history of Europe?The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites Kateryna Zarembo, a Ukrainian scholar and writer of the rec…

As the world celebrated the winter holidays, Russia launched its most intense missile attack on Ukrainian cities since the start of the full-scale invasion, killing and wounding hundreds. Now, similar attacks of this level are occurring on a regular basis. However, the last week was marked by a long-awaited event: Ukraine managed to bring home 230 …

Over $330 billion of Russia’s central bank assets have been frozen abroad. These funds should be confiscated to fund Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as Ukraine’s recovery. The Explaining Ukraine podcast invited Olena Halushka, co-founder of the International Centre for Ukrainian Victory, and head of the international d…

The past week was marked by the EU Council's decision to initiate accession negotiations with Ukraine, coinciding with Russia's buildup of forces near Mariinka and its ongoing terror against civilians.The US and Ukraine are fathoming a new strategy for future operations against Russia, slated for implementation in early 2024. The previous week saw …

President Zelenskyy paid his first official visit to Latin America, attending the inauguration of Argentine President Javier Milei. In addition, he met with the leaders of Paraguay, Uruguay, and Ecuador.Meanwhile, Russia is ramping up its attacks along the entire frontline in eastern Ukraine, following the failure of the US Senate to pass a vote on…

The previous week was marked by Ukraine's commitment to comprehensive security and defence sector principles while Russia is attempting to intimidate and spread chaos among the Ukrainian people.Meanwhile, Commander Syrskyi confirmed that the Russian occupiers, although uniting former Storm, Storm Z, and Storm V prisoners to assault Ukrainian positi…

What story can Ukraine tell people in Latin America? Why is it important to have a conversation beyond “geopolitics” and focus on human experiences, on suffering and compassion, and on courage and resistance?The guest of this episode is Sergio Jaramillo, former High Commissioner for Peace of Colombia and founder of the campaign of solidarity with U…

Last week, Ukraine hosted the leaders of Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland, and the President of the European Council. Defence Ministers of the USA and Germany visited Kyiv ahead of another meeting in the Ramstein format to announce new military aid packages vital for Ukraine.This is our weekly roundup of key events and trends in and around U…

Explosions on the Nord Stream pipeline last year continue to raise the interest of investigators, with several recent articles pointing at possible Ukrainian involvement. However, these publications sparked criticism in Ukraine. This is our weekly roundup of key events and trends in and around Ukraine.Volodymyr Yermolenko, the chief editor of Ukrai…

A historical event for Ukraine: the European Commission recommended EU states begin accession negotiations with Kyiv.At the frontline, a positional war is being waged, with both sides wanting to take the initiative before the winter period. This is our weekly roundup of key events and trends in and around Ukraine.Volodymyr Yermolenko, the chief edi…

Ukraine is making gradual advances on the left bank of Kherson Oblast, while Russia's attempts to attack from five different directions have all failed.Amid Russia’s increase in military production, large supplies of weapons from North Korea to Russia, and lack of game-changing weapons in Ukraine, the war is entering the 'positional prolonged' phas…

Olesya Khromeychuk is a Ukrainian historian and head of the Ukrainian Institute in London. She is also the author of the heartbreaking book "The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister", in which she tells the story of her brother Volodymyr, who was killed by the Russians on the frontline in 2017. In this episode, UkraineWorld’s chief editor Volodymy…

Russian attacks are thwarted by Ukrainian defense forces, particularly near Maryinka and Novomykhailivka, while occupiers redeploy reserves from Mariupol to ZaporizhzhiaAside from frontline developments, the previous week marked unwavering international support for Ukraine. Germany will contribute 54.3 million euros to Ukraine's Energy Support Fund…

What brings foreigners to Ukraine? What motivates them to come and help a country at war? What do they find in this country that they don’t find at home?This episode's guest is Jaap Scholten, a Dutch writer and journalist, who came to Ukraine to volunteer. He regularly visits Ukraine with his friends to bring cars to soldiers, as well as medical eq…

What do we get if we turn away from the abstract “geopolitical” or “military” analysis of this war and talk about the human side of it? What do we see if we look at this war primarily as a story of human suffering and courage?This episode's guest is Catalina Gomez, a Colombian journalist working in Ukraine for France 24. In this episode, we talk ab…