Explaining Ukraine

UkraineWorld
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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

  1. What Black Americans and Ukrainians can tell each other

    13 GIỜ TRƯỚC

    What Black Americans and Ukrainians can tell each other

    What do Ukrainians and Black Americans share in their historical and cultural experiences? Can we draw comparisons between serfdom and slavery, or find parallels in the colonial traumas and the struggle for human dignity? Furthermore, what role do culture, identity, and language play in overcoming these legacies? In this episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast, we share a recording of a vital discussion held at PEN Ukraine in Kyiv in October 2025. This conversation explores collective memory, the universal aspiration for freedom, and the growing solidarity between communities that have endured systemic oppression. *** Our Speakers are: - Terrell Jermaine Starr – Independent American journalist and host of Black Diplomats, a documentary news show covering civilian life in Ukraine. Over his 16-year career, he has reported extensively on the U.S. military, nuclear policy, and the Black Lives Matter movement. - Christopher Atwood – Human rights and communications expert, Head of the Ukraïner International, which an international branch of Ukrainer, a popular Ukrainian media. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, president of PEN Ukraine and the editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld. *** Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en *** SUPPORT: You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** CONTENTS: 00:00:00 Guests: American journalist Terrell Jermaine Starr and American civic activist Christopher Atwood. Discussion at PEN Ukraine, October, 2025. 00:04:03 What can Black Americans and Ukrainians tell each other to make their shared struggles better understood by the world? 00:07:34 What are the three profound commonalities between the 2014 Maidan Revolution and the Black Lives Matter movement? 00:18:54 How do the legacies of Frederick Douglass and Taras Shevchenko reveal the universal trauma of being "born into unfreedom"? 00:22:56 How did the exploitative "sharecropping" system in the American South mirror the traps faced by Ukrainian peasants? 00:28:41 What is the historical link between the "slave catchers" of the 19th century and the architecture of modern American policing? 00:30:30 In what ways is the current political divide in America a shadow of the Civil War? 00:32:38 Why does the American democracy only have a "30-year jump" on Ukraine’s independence? 00:33:48 In what ways is "whiteness" weaponized as a tool of convenience by Western powers? 00:35:07 What is the difference between the "colonialism of racism" and the "colonialism of assimilation"? 00:36:18 How does Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks explain language as a primary tool of domination? 00:37:15 Why does the Western intellectuals struggle to reject colonialism in practice? 00:42:48 Why is it a dangerous intellectual shortcut to blame systemic issues on "one bad man" like Trump or Putin? 00:53:32 What does the history of the Brooklyn Bridge reveal about the racial hierarchies? 00:57:17 How can Black Americans and Ukrainians build solidarity when they face the same systems of oppression but have "colonizers who look different"? 01:05:40 What are the "multiple layers of whiteness"? 01:12:50 How does Edward Said’s Orientalism help explain why Western scholars often treat Ukrainians as "objects" of study rather than "subjects"? 01:24:10 How did Western academics miss the "seething rage" that signaled Ukrainians would never welcome invaders as liberators? 01:26:56 Why does the American "dominant class" believe democracy is a finished project? 01:33:33 Can a government truly understand the cultural dynamics of another country if it refuses to reflect on the racial dynamics of its own?

    1 giờ 41 phút
  2. Why Ukraine's resistance starts with ordinary people

    19 THG 3

    Why Ukraine's resistance starts with ordinary people

    How did two friends save hundreds of civilians? How did one restaurant feed tens of thousands in a besieged city? What does a former entrepreneur feel while recovering the bodies of fallen soldiers every day? What is life truly like under Russian occupation? And most importantly—why is the Ukrainian resistance impossible to grasp without understanding the role of ordinary people, like you and me? *** Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet covering Ukraine. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko—Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. This episode features a conversation held at PEN Ukraine in late February with the authors of the book Dark Days, Determined People: Stories from Ukraine under Siege, written by journalists Bohdan Ben and Orysia Hrudka. Part of the "Ukrainian Voices" series, the book was published in English by Ibidem-Verlag and is available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-Determined-People-Ukrainian/dp/3838219589 The book brings together 20 reportage stories documented between 2022 and 2024 across Ukraine. Originally published mostly by Euromaidan Press, these stories capture the lived experiences of Ukrainian soldiers, volunteers, artists, students, and children. *** Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en *** SUPPORT: You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** CONTENTS: 00:00 — Why Ukrainian resistance is impossible to grasp without the effort of the ordinary people 01:51 — Writing a book together: natural or unthinkable? 04:40 — The first days of invasion: urgency to inform the world 06:20 — The “human spirit radar”: stories of unexpected courage 08:15 — Small decisions that changed the war’s outcome 09:30 — Beyond the headlines: the secret to Ukraine's first victories 10:45 — The political nature of freedom: why a state is a necessity 12:56 — Navigating hell: the raw motivation behind civilian evacuations 14:39 — When heroism isn't planned, but becomes survival 17:29 — Vulnerability revealed: when nothing is guaranteed anymore 21:00 — Farming in minefields: the sheer determination to feed a nation 23:15 — Stealing warmth: Russia’s war on basic human needs 25:19 — The psychological toll of recovering the fallen 27:45 — The physical limit: the truth about endurance 30:17 — A nation turned factory: drones, innovation and resistance 31:57 — Ukraine as Europe's military asset, not a victim 34:10 — Second Life: rediscovering the will to live 36:30 — Sniper theologian: when ethics collide with survival 41:24 — Orcs and adventures: how parents explain the war 45:23 — Why Ukraine needs its own films 51:30 — Rewriting in real time: the grind of wartime reporting 54:30 — Dark stories, real hope: what keeps them going 56:30 — Where Ukrainians find hope for the future 59:45 — Stories left untold: what didn’t make the book 01:02:45 — How the war shapes the Ukrainian society 01:05:30 — The intensity of life when facing death

    1 giờ 10 phút
  3. Why the world needs Ukraine’s war tech - with Yulia Marushevska

    16 THG 3

    Why the world needs Ukraine’s war tech - with Yulia Marushevska

    Why has Ukraine rapidly emerged as a global leader in advanced defense technology? What is the secret behind this innovation? How has warfare evolved over the past few years, and how are these shifts manifesting not only in the Russo-Ukrainian war but also in the Middle East? Are new drone technologies permanently altering the balance of power between major powers and smaller nations? Finally, what is required to defend the world against the Russian and Iranian regimes—and why is the Ukrainian experience the key to global security? *** Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet covering Ukraine. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko—Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: Yulia Marushevska, a civic activist, former head of the Office of Support for Reforms at Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence and currently Supervisory board member at Brave 1, a platform for Ukrainian defense innovations. *** Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en *** SUPPORT: You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** CONTENTS: 00:00 Guest: Yulia Marushevska’s background in defense reform and innovation 01:52 Ukraine’s shift from security recipient to security provider. 03:49 What have Ukrainians learned about modern warfare? 05:58 High-precision weapons vs. cheap drone swarms 08:14 Can Western bureaucracy adapt to modern production needs? 11:04 What is a "Defense Ecosystem"? 14:15 Ukrainian civil society as a contributor to the Ukraine’s defense 16:13 A lack of urgency: key problem of Ukraine’s partners 19:03 Are authoritarian regimes better prepared for a war of attrition? 22:12 Why is joint air defense between Ukraine and the EU essential for European security? 28:18 How do volunteers "buy time" for state institutions? 34:59 Expectations for the new Ministry of Defense team 38:32 Hope through horizontal connections and people 40:10 How to support UkraineWorld.

    41 phút
  4. Decoding Trump’s Ukraine policy - with Christopher Atwood

    19 THG 2

    Decoding Trump’s Ukraine policy - with Christopher Atwood

    Since Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency, Russia has drastically escalated its missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities. In January 2026, launches exceeded 6,000—a sharp increase from approximately 2,000 in January 2025. The use of guided aerial bombs (KABs) also reached a record high of almost 6,000 per month. With the Trump administration significantly cutting military aid to Kyiv, Ukraine now finds itself in an increasingly vulnerable position. What are the underlying causes of this policy shift, and what does it reveal about Trump’s vision for global order and human rights? *** Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet covering Ukraine. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko—Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: Christopher Atwood, an American human rights and communications expert and Head of Ukraїner International—the international branch of the popular Ukrainian media platform, Ukraїner. *** Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en *** SUPPORT: You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** CONTENTS: 00:00 Intro 06:00 Why is it important to be in Ukraine? 10:08 Analysis of the US political shift: Biden VS Trump 13:58 Trump and violence 15:00 "Empathy Recession": How cruelty has become a cultural zeitgeist 21:10 The role of the media establishment 27:11 Trump`s perspectives on Ukraine: Is he a mediator or closer to Putin’s vision? 30:43 The threat to Europe 35:27 Trump’s economics 40:01 Public vs. Political support: Why most Americans still favor Ukraine 44:04 Building a coalition of the willing

    50 phút
  5. Russia's energy terror against Ukraine - with Oksana Ishchuk

    10 THG 2

    Russia's energy terror against Ukraine - with Oksana Ishchuk

    During this record-breaking cold winter, millions of Ukrainians are regularly left without electricity, water, or heat as temperatures plummet to -20°C and below. Does Russia intend to make life in Ukraine unlivable? Can the country’s civilian infrastructure continue to withstand such a massive, relentless assault? And what are the alternatives for the future? *** Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet covering Ukraine. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko—Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: Oksana Ishchuk, an analyst specializing in international and energy relations at the Centre for Global Studies "Strategy XXI," a prominent Ukrainian think tank. *** Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en *** SUPPORT: You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** CONTENTS: 02:05 — The real goal behind Russian energy strikes on Ukraine 05:10 — Is a "total blackout" in Ukraine possible? 09:00 — A Soviet-built system: pros and cons 12:20 — Why Ukrainian cities go dark all at once 14:40 — Why every citizen must prepare for the next winter now 16:40 — The reason Russia succeeded only this winter 18:30 — Fragmenting the grid: Russia’s new energy tactics 19:55 — Why can’t Ukraine defend every power plant? 22:30 — The terrifying reality of Russia’s "indirect" nuclear terrorism 27:40 — Rebuilding the grid for a long war 32:10 — Why sanctions policy should be improved 34:30 — How Russia bypasses sanctions via the Baltic Sea 36:40 — The kind of Ukraine’s resilience Europe tries to understand

    39 phút
  6. Can Ukraine win the technological war? - with Volodymyr Havrylov

    5 THG 2

    Can Ukraine win the technological war? - with Volodymyr Havrylov

    What are the prospects for peace talks — and why are many Ukrainians skeptical about them? Does Ukraine have technological parity with Russia on the battlefield? And how has Ukrainian civil society become one of the country’s greatest assets during the war? *** Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: Volodymyr Havrylov, retired major general of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, former deputy defense minister, and former Ukrainian defense attaché to the United States. *** Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld and brought to you by Internews Ukraine. This episode is created with support from Politeia, a Ukrainian NGO. Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en *** SUPPORT: You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** CONTENTS: 00:00 - Intro. 01:26 - On peace negotiations. 08:31 - Who is winning the technological war? 15:30 - Key challenges of Ukrainian military technological progress 18:59 - Why we need integration of European and Ukrainian military production 24:19 - What’s next in war tech? 30:05 - Is Ukraine digitizing its defense? 33:38 - Can reliance on Chinese components become a risk? 38:44 - What to expect from Russia in the coming years? 47:53 - Where should we look for hope? 51:00 - Outro. 51:35 - Support us: patreon.com/ukraineworld

    52 phút
  7. Cities without kings: humanity's prehistory on Ukrainian soil — with David Wengrow

    28 THG 1

    Cities without kings: humanity's prehistory on Ukrainian soil — with David Wengrow

    What can the deep past of Ukrainian lands reveal about the global story of humanity? Six thousand years ago, "mega-sites" flourished in what is now central Ukraine—but can these be considered the world’s first cities? How were they organized without central authorities, and how do they challenge everything we thought we knew about early social life? *** This is Thinking in Dark Times, a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language multimedia project about Ukraine. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: David Wengrow, a renowned British archaeologist and Professor of Comparative Archaeology at University College London. He is the co-author, alongside David Graeber, of the international bestseller "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity". *** Thinking in Dark Times is produced by UkraineWorld and brought to you by Internews Ukraine. It is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation and Politeia, a Ukrainian NGO. *** SUPPORT: You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** CONTENTS: 00:00 - Intro. What can the deep past of Ukraine reveal about the global story of humanity? 00:14 - Were the world’s first cities actually built in what is now Ukraine? 02:51 - Why does the Ukrainian soil play a key role in rethinking the origins of cities and states? 03:55 - Why are standard narratives of human history fundamentally wrong? 09:15 - What were the Cucuteni-Trypillia megasites? 17:23 - Why does the existence of egalitarian cities overturn political history itself? 20:35 - What does a circular city say about how people imagined the world? 21:27 - How did thousands of people govern themselves without rulers? 26:36 - Did democracy exist thousands of years before ancient Greece? 28:29 - Were Hobbes and Rousseau both wrong about human nature? 42:29 - Is Ukrainian history shaped by a tension between freedom and vulnerability? 47:22 - What do burning rituals reveal about cyclical views of life and nature? 50:51 - Why does Ukraine’s past matter for the future of humanity?

    52 phút
  8. Ukraine in 2025: can peace talks succeed?

    17/12/2025

    Ukraine in 2025: can peace talks succeed?

    In 2025, Ukraine is facing unprecedented pressure from one of its key partners, the United States. The Trump administration has chosen not to act as Ukraine’s ally, but rather as a mediator between Ukraine and Europe on the one hand, and Russia on the other. This shift has fundamentally changed the geopolitical framework of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Around the world, the language of victory has largely been replaced by the language of peace. Yet under current conditions, “peace” often implies that Ukraine will not regain its occupied territories—and such a peace may, in fact, amount to Ukraine’s defeat. In this episode, we explain why this is a dangerous path. We also look back at 2025 and summarize its key developments *** Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: Tetyana Ogarkova, a Ukrainian journalist and public intellectual, the head of the international department at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre, and author of the podcast “L’Ukraine face a la guerre”, “Ukraine facing the war”, in French. *** Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media platform about Ukraine, run by Internews Ukraine. Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en *** SUPPORT: You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** CONTENTS: 00:00 - Introduction 01:46 - US's shift from ally to mediator in Russia-Ukraine war. The impact of the Trump administration's approach to military aid. 06:13 - Trump and Putin's similar world vision regarding spheres of influence. 07:03 - Key elements of proposed peace plans: territorial concessions, security guarantees, and military withdrawal. 08:38 - Ukraine's public opinion against territorial concessions. 13:55 - The "fog" of peace negotiations occurring amidst ongoing total war and Russia's strategy of buying time. 17:33 - Legal and moral challenges of territorial concessions and skepticism about the legitimacy of peace plan negotiators. 20:48 - The escalation of the war, increased civilian suffering due to infrastructure bombardments, and Ukraine's strategy to target the Russian economy. 25:01 - Ukraine's dilemma in peace talks and Russia's strategy of worsening conditions over time. 29:04 - Donald Trump's political weaknesses and Zelenskyy's strategy 30:57 - The security situation on the front line: the rise of drone warfare, its increasing danger to civilians, and the expanding "kill zone." 39:07 - Ukrainian internal politics: the war against corruption, the role of civil society, and Zelenskyy's responsiveness to public opinion. 46:45 - Concluding remarks and a call for support for UkraineWorld.

    48 phút
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Giới Thiệu

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

Thông Tin

  • Nhà sáng tạo
    UkraineWorld
  • Năm hoạt động
    2018 - 2026
  • Tập
    412
  • Xếp hạng
    Thô tục
  • Bản quyền
    © All rights reserved
  • Trang web chương trình
    Explaining Ukraine

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