Explaining Ukraine

Russian hostile propaganda against the “West” and the democratic world has been getting ever more insane over the past years. But the “anti-Western” topics in Russian propaganda have deep cultural roots. The opposition to the “West” has been a recurrent topic in the thinking of key Russian intellectual figures, regardless of their ideology. In this episode, we try to analyze and understand these roots. – Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld

We visited villages between Izyum and Slovyansk which were wiped off the face of the Earth in the spring. We talked to people still living there. Their living conditions are horrible. Listen to our dispatches from these places. – Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld

Discovering Ukrainian Culture is a new series of episodes of the Explaining Ukraine podcast. In our first episode, we discuss Hryhoriy Skovoroda, the founding father of Ukrainian philosophy. Skovoroda lived in the 18th century, but his lifestyle and teachings are just as vital now as they were in his day; his idea of personalized nature helps us find meaning in today’s world. – Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, head of the international department at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld

One week after Ukraine liberated Kherson, it renewed the train connection with the city. Ukraine’s president Zelensky visited Kherson only a few days after the Russians fled the biggest city they had occupied since February 24th. Ukrainians are renewing electricity supply across the country, though its infrastructure was heavily damaged by the Russian strikes. Russian propaganda says the West is afraid of Russia, although the reality is that Russian defeats in Ukraine provoke increasing disappointment inside Russia. Learn more from the weekly digest of our Explaining Ukraine podcast. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld

Odesa, a city on the Black Sea. One of the most beautiful Ukrainian cities. Always in danger of Russian strikes from the sea. And a key place for global food security, as Odesa ports export majority of Ukrainian food when other ports are occupied by Russia. We visited Odesa some time ago to understand how this city is living. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld

The war has made Ukrainian universities much more international than they used to be. Many students and professors are on the frontline, but many have also gone abroad. Universities are seeking international partnerships, while demand for expertise from and in Ukraine has also increased. Are we facing a brain drain, or is this the start of a true internationalization of Ukrainian universities? Learn more from the new episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast. This conversation is hosted by Tetyana Ogarkova, a Ukrainian scholar and journalist, and head of the international department at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. Tetyana's guest is Olena Orzhel, chief scientific officer at the Institute of Higher Education of Ukraine's National Academy of Educational Sciences. This episode was recorded as part of a project of the Education Analytics think tank, supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the authors' and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and b

Bruno Maçães is a Portuguese politician and author. He is the former Secretary of State for European Affairs in Portugal, and the author of numerous books, including The Dawn of Eurasia; History Has Begun: The Birth of a New America; and Geopolitics for the End Time: From the Pandemic to the Climate Crisis. Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld, spoke to Bruno Maçães in Lviv, during the Lviv Book Forum, about Europe, Eurasia, power, China, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The conversation took place two days before Russia’s round of massive missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in October. UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the oldest Ukrainian media NGOs. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld.

Ukraine has liberated Kherson. The biggest city occupied by the Russians since Feb 24, and the only regional capital the Russians had captured. This is the 3rd major defeat of the Russian army since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Learn more from the weekly digest of our Explaining Ukraine podcast. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld

Ukrainian higher education is facing enormous challenges during this war. Universities have been relocated from temporarily occupied territories and territories with active fighting to more safe regions of Ukraine. Many faculty members and students have moved abroad, and are now continuing their instruction and studying online. What can and should be next? Learn more from the new episode of the “Explaining Ukraine” podcast. This episode is hosted by Tetyana Ogarkova, a Ukrainian scholar and journalist, and head of the international department at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. Tetyana's guest is Yevhen Nikolaiev, an expert of the Education Analytics think tank. This episode was recorded as part of a project of the Education Analytics think tank, supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the authors' and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of the Foundation. You can support us patreon.com/ukraineworld

Jonathan Littell is a Franco-American writer and journalist. He is the author of the bestselling novel The Kindly Ones, a story of a Nazi SS officer on the Eastern front during World War II. Littell has also reported on the wars in Chechnya, Syria, and Ukraine. Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld, spoke to Jonathan Littell in Lviv, during Lviv Book Forum, about war crimes in today’s world, fascism and putinism, and Ukrainian and Russian societies. The conversation took place two days before Russia’s massive round of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, including Lviv, in October. UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the oldest Ukrainian media NGOs. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld.

Russia's grain blackmail has failed, as Moscow showed it was incapable of blocking Ukrainian food exports. The next big battle will be over Kherson, with the Russians preparing to defend the occupied city. Ukraine is still suffering from massive blackouts. Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klychko says the city is making contingency plans to evacuate 3 mln people from Kyiv in case of a total blackout in the winter. Learn more from the weekly digest of our Explaining Ukraine podcast. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld

Philippe Sands is a British and French writer and lawyer. He is a Professor of Law and Director of the Centre on International Courts and Tribunals at University College London. He also wrote the bestsellers East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity (2016) and The Ratline: Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive. His latest book is The Last Colony: A Tale of Exile, Justice and Britain's Colonial Legacy. Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld, spoke to Philippe Sands in Lviv, during the Lviv Book Forum, about the origins of concepts of genocide and crimes against humanity, the key role of Lviv in their origins, and about the future of international law. The conversation took place two days before Russia’s massive round of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in October. UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the oldest Ukrainian media NGOs. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld.

4-8 hours of blackouts per day: Ukrainians are facing rolling electricity outages after Russian missiles have hit civilian infrastructure in the previous weeks. Russia's warships are damaged in Sevastopol by drone strikes; in response, Russia withdraws from the grain agreement, which could result in a new global food crisis. Learn more from the weekly digest of our Explaining Ukraine podcast. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld

Luke Harding is The Guardian’s correspondent on Ukraine, Russia, and Eastern Europe. He is the author of books "Mafia State", "Collusion", "A Very Expensive Poison", and "The Snowden Files" - books about Russia and its devastating influence on global politics. His upcoming book is called "Invasion: The Inside Story of Russia's Bloody War and Ukraine's Fight for Survival". Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld, spoke to Luke Harding about his experience of covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine, about the atrocities of the Russian army in Ukraine, and about Ukrainian political identity. UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian media NGOs. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. Luke Harding's new book "Invasion" will be available on Nov 24: https://sites.prh.com/luke-harding-invasion

Russian troops are preparing for street fighting in Kherson, as they cannot hold back the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the South. There is a risk that they will blow up the dam at the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, provoking one of the worst environmental disasters in Eastern European history. Learn more from the weekly digest of our Explaining Ukraine podcast. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld

This episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast is made in partnership with Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast. With this podcast’s hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell we discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine through the lens of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. We talk about how Russian literature and Russian culture have separated crime from punishment, creating a society that distrusts laws and regulation, and values power and impunity. “Explaining Ukraine” hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, and chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, who heads the international department of Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld

We went to Kharkiv region again, to learn more about the life of Ukrainians near the frontline and in liberated villages and towns. In this episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast, we tell you the story of the mass grave in Izyum, of an 8-year-old girl killed in Bezruky, of a Ukrainian writer who went missing in Kapytolivka, his autistic son, and of how Kharkiv remains brave and strong with a vibrant cultural life despite constant shelling. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us on patreon.com/ukraineworld

Russia is using Iranian kamikaze drones to attack Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. On October 17th, several drone strikes on Kyiv killed at least 4 people, including a pregnant woman and her husband. Russia is continuing its state terrorism against Ukraine. The increasing number of missile and drone strikes on civilian targets testifies to Russia’s incapacity to win this war on the ground. This is the weekly digest of our “Explaining Ukraine” podcast. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us on patreon.com/ukraineworld

Russia carries out one of the most massive and horrible missile barrages on Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February. 83 missiles were launched at various Ukrainian cities, including the center of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Civilians have been killed and wounded, dead bodies are lying on the streets in downtown Kyiv. - Learn more from our podcast “Explaining Ukraine”. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld

Russia has made a new illegal annexation of the Ukrainian territories by grabbing 15% of the Ukrainian lands that it occupied in the past 8 years. This is the biggest annexation in Europe since World War II. Ukrainians responded by continuing their counter-offensive and taking control over the first annexed territories. Learn more from the weekly digest of our “Explaining Ukraine” podcast. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld . Patrons get full episodes