Talk Eastern Europe Talk Eastern Europe

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In this episode Adam and Aga start by discussing the latest mass drone and missile attacks on Kyiv. Afterwards, Aga reluctantly summarises the controversy around Poland's newly approved special commission which could be used by the government to target opposition figures ahead of parliamentary elections this fall. We wrap up the news section with an update on the Turkish presidential election and the ongoing rumours about the health of Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Aga then sits down with Anastasia Mgaloblishvili - a Doctoral Researcher in the Berlin Graduate School of Global and Transregional Studies program and a former Foreign Relations coordinator in a Georgian democratic, pro-Western opposition movement “Droa”. Aga and Anastasia discuss the recent developments in Georgia, particularly the controversial resumption of direct flights between Russia and Georgia. They then delve into what this latest in a string of controversial moves by the Georgian government tells us about the direction in which the ruling Georgian Dream party is taking the country and what it might mean for the relations with the EU and other partners.

Check out Anastasia's recent publication: https://visegradinsight.eu/russias-clandestine-victory-in-georgia/

Check out also NEE's latest coverage of the topic: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/03/10/the-european-dream-georgias-growing-anti-european-rhetoric-undermines-its-pro-western-aspirations/

You can also find our guest on Twitter @tasomga

Find us on Twitter too @areichardt and @awidlaszewska

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In this episode Adam and Agnieszka discuss some of the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine, including the likely full capture of Bakhmut by Russian forces, the curious case of the Free Russian Legion incursion into the Belgorod region, the results of the G7 summit as well as a recent pro-EU rally in Moldova.

During the main interview, Adam is joined by his colleague, Adam Balcer – the program director at the Jan Nowak-Jezioranski College of Eastern Europe and a leading Polish expert on Turkey. They discuss the internal political situation, the recent elections ahead of the second round of the presidential election, Turkey’s relations with Russia and what might come next.

Check out the latest updates on the region by visiting New Eastern Europe: www.neweasterneurope.eu

Find us on social media:
Adam on Twitter: https://twitter.com/areichardt
Agnieszka on Twitter: https://twitter.com/awidlaszewska

Don’t forget to rate us, subscribe and share Talk Eastern Europe widely!

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In this episode Adam and Aga talk catch up on the latest news in the region, including the many speculations about the health of Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka. They also briefly note some Ukrainian advances in Bakhmut ahead of its expected counter offensive as well as the never-ending story of Bulgaria’s election drama, which may have an end in sight (or not). Afterwards, Adam sits down with Andrzej Zaręba – New Eastern Europe’s illustrator. They discuss Andrzej’s experience as an illustrator and some of the covers of NEE (https://neweasterneurope.eu/tee-139-covers/) from over the years. For the bonus questions - available on the patreon portal - they talk about who is Andrzej’s favourite dictator to draw as well as his interest in the First World War.

Resources: Check out the special report with scenarios of Belarusian sovereignty: https://bit.ly/43nqUGn

In case you missed out – listen to Ep 137: Waiting for Ukraine's counteroffensive: https://bit.ly/45lCm78

Andrzej Zareba on Krakow and Stanislaw Lem: https://bit.ly/42Mm4Cm

The NEE covers discussed during the podcast: https://neweasterneurope.eu/tee-139-covers/

Or come over to the Talk Eastern Europe Facebook group to see the images as well: www.facebook.com/TalkEasternEurope

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Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj
In this episode Adam and Aga discuss an eventful week involving a drone attack on the Kremlin, Wagner Group's chief threatening the withdrawal of his troops from Bakhmut and the European Commission reaching an agreement with Ukraine's EU neighbours to lift bans on the transport of Ukrainian grain.

Aga then sits down with Dr Jade McGlynn to discuss her newly published book "Russia's War". Written in the months following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the book traces the main narratives about the war which the Russian population is exposed to, aiming to explain why many Russians believe and embrace them and what that tells us about modern Russia's identity.

You can find updates on Dr McGlynn's research on Twitter @DrJadeMcGlynn.
For excerpts from "Russia's War" see:

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/03/19/author-jade-mcglynn-on-russias-war-a80530

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-russia-became-obsessed-with-fake-news/

You can buy the book on https://www.amazon.co.uk/Russias-War-Jade-McGlynn/dp/1509556761/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=3RASHKENQ0IK2&keywords=russias+war&qid=1683387661&sprefix=%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-1


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Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj
In this episode Adam and Aga discuss the publication of the latest, rebranded issue of New Eastern Europe, followed by news updates on Russia's missile strikes on Ukraine, a phone call between Presidents Zelenskyy and Xi, and Poland enforcing the recovery of its properties from Russia in Warsaw.

Aga then sits down with a repeat TEE guest, Francis Farrell - a reporter working for The Kyiv Independent in Ukraine. They delve deep into the upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive and its significance for the future of the war. They also discuss the situation in Bakhmut, the leak of US intelligence on Ukraine and the general mood among the Ukrainian population as the potentially decisive war developments are about to unfold.

There's also a few bonus questions for our patrons, in which Francis talks about his recent dispatch to Avdiivka during an active Russian assault, and shares some personal reflections on his work as a frontline journalist. You can listen to the full episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/82499725

Find Francis' articles and dispatches on https://kyivindependent.com/author/francis-farrell/ and you can find him on Twitter @francisjfarrell.

He has also appeared on The Kyiv Independent's recently launched new video podcast "This Week in Ukraine": https://kyivindependent.com/tag/podcasts/

Find us on Twitter too! @AWidlaszewska and @areichardt



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In this episode, Adam and Aga recap some of the developments in the region including a new Azerbaijani check point installed at the Lachin corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh as well as the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to Hungary.

During the main interview of the episode, Adam interviews Victoria Leukavets, a researcher with the Stockholm Centre for Eastern Europeans Studies. They go through most recent developments related with Belarus, discuss the probability of Belarusian entry into the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin pressure being exerted on the Lukashenka as well as the current situation facing the civil society in the country and in exile.

Cited Sources in the podcast:

“Ukrainian civil society as one of the key players in the Russo-Ukrainian War”, by Andrii Kutsyk, New Eastern Europe, 18 April 2023: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/04/18/ukrainian-civil-society-as-one-of-the-key-players-in-the-russo-ukrainian-war/

“The fall of Milo Djukanović heralds an uncertain new dawn for Montenegro” by Kenneth Morrison and Srdja Pavlović, New Eastern Europe 24 April 2023: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/04/24/the-fall-of-milo-djukanovic-heralds-an-uncertain-new-dawn-for-montenegro/

“Bulgaria’s election spiral: the anatomy of disappointment” by Radosveta Vassileva, New Eastern Europe, 21 April 2023: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/04/21/bulgarias-election-spiral-the-anatomy-of-disappointment/

Belarusians in Poland, Lithuania and Georgia. [Report in Russian]: https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/belarus/19480.pdf

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