Explaining Ukraine

Latest Episodes:

What research tells us about the Ukrainian army - with Oleksiy Moskalenko Aug 07, 2025

Show notes

How can we understand what’s happening inside the Ukrainian army? How do soldiers feel? What challenges do they face? What parts of military life do they believe aren’t working? Traditional sociology doesn’t always provide the answers. But another discipline — anthropology, also called ethnography — offers a different approach. This method involves deep immersion into the everyday lives of soldiers. A more recent innovation, called mobile ethnography, takes this further — allowing researchers to stay connected with soldiers even when they’re not physically present. We wanted to learn more about what such a deep dive can reveal about the Ukrainian army. *** Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: Oleksiy Moskalenko, an analyst at the Initiatives Centre of Come Back Alive (Povernys zhyvym) — one of Ukraine’s most prominent charitable foundations, supporting the military and veterans since 2014. *** Come Back Alive foundation: https://savelife.in.ua/en/ The Foundation’s Initiatives Centre: https://cbacenter.ngo/en From Civilian to Soldier: A Study: https://cbacenter.ngo/en/page/how-civilians-become-soldiers-come-back-alive-initiatives-center-studies-basic-military-training-in-ukraine *** Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld, an English-language media project about Ukraine, run by Internews Ukraine. *** SUPPORT US: You can support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your contributions are essential, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also help fund our volunteer trips to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we support both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com *** CONTENTS: 00:00 - Intro. Support UkraineWorld on patreon.com/ukraineworld 01:51 - What is "Mobile Ethnography"? How a Civilian Foundation Studies the Ukrainian Army's Reality 15:14 - What Do Soldiers Really Struggle With? 17:55 - Risk Management for Civilians: How Understanding Army Life Can Prepare You? 20:49 - What "Sovietness" Really Means: Deconstructing the Biggest Complaint in the Ukrainian Army 35:12 - Ukraine's Existential Question: Can You Value Life and Still Win a War? 38:04 - From Civilian to Soldier: How Ukraine's Army is Changing from the Inside Out 43:03 - The "After-War" Problem: Why Ukraine Needs Help NOW

How Does Ukraine Talk to the Wider World? We Asked the Ukrainian Institute Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

Ukraine wants to be heard around the world. But we must also learn to listen to the wider world in return. The Ukrainian Institute — the country’s leading institution for cultural diplomacy — is doing remarkable work to make Ukraine’s voice heard not only in Europe and North America, but also across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In this episode, I speak with two key figures at the Ukrainian Institute who work on engagement with the wider world. We discuss the challenges and opportunities of building these vital connections. Our guests are Alim Aliev, Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, and Anabell Ramires, Head of the Department for Asia, Africa, and Latin America. *** Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. This is the final episode in our special series with the Ukrainian Institute, exploring Ukraine’s growing ties with the countries of the wider world — including Asia, Africa, and Latin America. *** Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld, an English-language media project about Ukraine, run by Internews Ukraine. Choose your podcast platform: li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine You can SUPPORT our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld. Your support is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also help fund our VOLUNTEER trips to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we support both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com *** CONTENTS: 00:00 – Alim Aliev, Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, and Anabell Ramires, Head of Department for Asia, Africa, and Latin America of the Ukrainian Institute 02:00 – How Ukraine communicates with the wider world, particularly with the countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia 03:04 – Building bridges: the Ukrainian Institute’s new direction 04:42 – Сommonalities between Ukraine and the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America 10:31 – Lack of knowledge: How it influences relations between Ukraine and countries of AALA 12:14 – Topics that unite: ecocide, children, multicultural identity, and others 17:18 – When personal identity becomes a diplomatic tool 24:11 – Crimean Tatars are muslims, and indigenous people in Ukraine 28:54 – Difficulties in comparing European colonialism with Russian colonialism 36:40 – The rise of Ukraine Studies across the world 42:00 – Distance, and the shadow of Russian narratives 46:39 – What Ukrainians can tell people in Asia, Africa, and Latin America? 50:06 – Support UkraineWorld on Patreon: patreon.com/ukrainewold

Why colonialism is more complicated than you think - with Botakoz Kassymbekova Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

What’s the difference between colonialism and imperialism? What types of colonialism can we identify — and which of them are playing out in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other countries? This conversation is not purely academic. It helps us better understand what’s happening today — and what might happen tomorrow. Russian colonial and imperial practices sometimes resemble those of other empires — but at other times, they differ significantly. Russia often masks its imperial violence with nationalist mythology. It’s important to reveal why that mythology is misleading — and dangerous. *** Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. Our guest today is Botakoz Kassymbekova, a renowned scholar of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She is currently Professor of Eastern European History at the University of Zurich and specializes in Soviet history, Stalinism and post-Stalinism, and Russian imperial practices. She holds a PhD from Humboldt University of Berlin. *** Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld, an English-language media project about Ukraine, run by Internews Ukraine. This episode is created in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute, the country’s leading cultural diplomacy institution. *** A quick reminder: you can SUPPORT our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your support is essential, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also help us fund VOLUNTEER trips to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we support both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com *** CONTENTS: 00:00:00 — Intro: what is colonialism and imperialism, and why does it matter now? 00:02:06 — Why Russia is an empire? What is the difference between colonialism and imperialism? 00:04:32 — Russia’s colonial tactics 00:07:44 — Why does Russia seek full control over Ukraine? Not just influence, but domination and assimilation. 00:09:55 — Difference vs. sameness: how empires shape identities 00:11:24 — Settler colonialism vs. extractive colonialism: what drives conquest? 00:16:30 — Russia as a settler empire: back then and now 00:18:22 — How Russia colonises its internal nations through assimilation and language suppression. 00:20:50 — Censuses, schools and silent erasure: how Russian state mechanisms classify and erase non-Russian identities within its borders. 00:23:00 — Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and the memory of famine 00:25:30 — Why colonialism is about state power, not ethnicity, and why Ukrainians were tools, not masters, of the Russian colonialism elsewhere. 00:27:42 — Soviet categorisation: Muslims vs. Europeans. How the USSR racialised and managed populations with a colonial gaze. 00:32:04 — Why Russia criticises Western colonialism while mimicking it. 00:34:57 — “Greatness” as the keyword of Russian imperial ideology. Territory as the imperial prestige 00:40:15 — Russia's strategic aims: bullying Europe for superpower status. 00:43:33 — Why the Soviet Union’s support for global decolonisation masked its own imperial domination. 00:45:15 — “Friendship of peoples”: a Soviet colonial tactic in disguise 00:50:10 — Nuclear tests, cotton fields, and poisoned generations: how Moscow exploited Central Asia 00:53:20 — Health and autonomy: why so-called “Soviet development” often meant suffering, not progress. 00:55:44 — Who decides? The colonial theft of political agency 00:58:12 — Why many Western scholars failed to see Soviet colonialism and still don’t. 00:59:21 — Final reflection: Ukraine’s struggle is part of a bigger story

Why Russia fears Ukrainian literature - with Myroslav Shkandrij Jul 23, 2025

Show notes

Myroslav Shkandrij is a prominent scholar of Ukrainian cultural history and Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba in Canada. He has written extensively on topics such as avant-garde art in Ukraine, Ukrainian nationalism, Jews in Ukrainian literature, cultural imperialism, and decolonization. His book “Russia and Ukraine: Literature and the Discourse of Empire, from Napoleonic to Postcolonial Times”, published in 2001, remains a classic text on Russian cultural imperialism and Ukrainian resistance to it. Find the book here: https://diasporiana.org.ua/literaturoznavstvo/shkandrij-m-russia-and-ukraine-literature-and-the-discourse-of-empire-from-napoleonic-to-postcolonial-times/ *** I invited Myroslav to revisit this work and reflect on how literature has, for centuries, served as a battleground of ideas between Russia and Ukraine. My name is Volodymyr Yermolenko. I’m a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine. UkraineWorld.org is an English-language media outlet that explores Ukraine and its connections to the wider world. It is run by Internews Ukraine. Choose your platform: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine 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. *** This episode is made in partnership with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and under the framework of the project “HER-UKR: Challenges and opportunities for EU heritage diplomacy in Ukraine”, co-funded by the EU within the ERASMUS+ Jean Monnet Policy Debate action. *** Contents: 00:00 - Intro. Support us on patreon.com/ukraineworld 08:46 - Why is assimilation so crucial to Russian imperialism? 16:59 - Were there any anti-imperial voices within Russian culture? 21:30 - Who were the key figures of Ukrainian intellectual resistance in the 19th century? 35:33 - Why did Ukraine's fight for independence fail after 1917? 40:56 - How does "decolonization" theory apply to Ukraine's struggle?

His callsign is Caesar, he’s British, and he fights for Ukraine Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

There are foreigners fighting for Ukraine in this war — but their numbers are small. They are not sent by their governments; they come as volunteers, driven by a personal sense of justice and a desire to help. One of them is a British man with the callsign Caesar. He serves in Ukraine's International Legion, fighting not only for Ukraine but for the values this struggle represents. *** Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine. UkraineWorld is an English-language media outlet exploring Ukraine and its connections to the wider world. It is run by Internews Ukraine. Choose your platform: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine *** You can SUPPORT our work on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld) — your help is vital, 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. *** We thank the press service of the International Legion of Ukraine's Territorial Defense for assisting us in arranging this interview. *** Contents: 00:00 – Caesar, a British veteran, fights for Ukraine 01:15 – Why did Caesar come to Ukraine? 04:19 – Why do foreigners fight for Ukraine? 06:47 – Language and communication on the front line 08:45 – Eyes in the sky: How the drones work 09:22 – Evolution of the Russia-Ukraine war 14:44 – Ukrainian vs Russian tactics of waging the war 16:20 – Are Russian commanders good at modern warfare? 19:47 – Is Ukraine becoming a global military innovator? 20:46 – Do Ukrainian soldiers teach their NATO colleagues? 21:44 – “My friends think I’m crazy”: Family and friends' reactions 22:50 – Why Europe must support Ukraine 24:17 – Kharkiv and cities near the frontline through Caesar’s eyes 26:26 – Why Russia hits so many Ukrainian civilian targets 28:00 – Why is the Russian army so cruel? 29:09 – The hardest battle of Caesar 30:47 – What does this war mean to Caesar? 32:58 – The origin of his call sign 33:56 - Outro. Support UkraineWorld at patreon.com/ukraineworld

Propaganda: shaping narratives in times of war. A public discussion at CEU, Vienna Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

Propaganda has long been a powerful tool for shaping public opinion, influencing international discourse, and justifying military actions. In Russia’s war against Ukraine, propaganda has been a central instrument for creating narratives that legitimize aggression, undermine democracy, and manipulate perceptions both domestically and internationally. This episode is a recording of a public event held by Central European University in Vienna. The speakers of the event were: - Teresa Marques, a philosopher of language, Associate Professor at the Philosophy Department of the University of Barcelona - Juliane Fürst, a historian, professor at the Department of Historical Studies at Central European University. - Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, president of PEN Ukraine and chief editor of UkraineWorld. The event was moderated by Fabio Lampert, Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Vienna. It was organized by the Knowledge in Crisis, a Cluster of Excellence supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). *** UkraineWorld is run by Internews Ukraine, one of the country’s leading media NGOs. You can support our work at patreon.com/ukraineworld. Your support is crucial, as we increasingly rely on crowdfunding. Even a small monthly contribution can make a meaningful difference. You can also help fund our regular volunteer missions to Ukraine’s front-line areas, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians—primarily by providing vehicles for the military and books for local communities. To support these efforts, donations can be made via PayPal at ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** Contents: 00:00 Intro 01:59 The story from Bucha 07:02 How can philosophers define propaganda? 13:31 How crucial was propaganda for the Soviet Union? 18:58 How does Russia frame information? 24:01 How does virtuality become reality? 33:34 Weaponization of the language 40:09 Putin’s rhetoric in the Russian-Ukrainian war 49:54 What role does the information play in the Russian-Ukrainian war? 01:00 How do we counter propaganda? 01:14 Q&A 01:18 How does Russian propaganda name this war: the tactic of blaming the victim 01:22 Skeptical view: Is propaganda ineffective? 01:36 How does propaganda shape the war perceptions of Russia’s National Republics? 01:44 Isolationism as a new narrative 01:56 Outro

Nobel-Winning Economist Joseph Stiglitz on the Failures of Neoliberalism and Sanctions Against Russia Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

Joseph Stiglitz is a world-renowned economist and thinker who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2001. I met him in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, in June 2025 during the inspiring Zeg Festival in which we both participated. In this podcast episode, we spoke about his latest book, "The Road to Freedom", published last year, and about how flawed ideas of freedom can ultimately undermine freedom itself. I also asked him what the world can do to stop Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. *** Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine. UkraineWorld is an English-language media outlet focusing on Ukraine and its connections with the wider world. This media outlet is run by Internews Ukraine. This episode is also made in partnership with "Politeia", a Ukrainian NGO focusing on preparing a new generation of change-makers in Ukraine. *** You can support UkraineWorld on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld). Your support is vital, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we provide aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** Contents: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:02:24 - How does "The Road to Freedom" compare to Hayek's "The Road to Serfdom" and Snyder's "The Road to Unfreedom"? 0:02:45 - What are Stiglitz’s main criticisms of neoliberalism? 0:08:09 - What's the core flaw in the concept of "limitless freedom"? 0:17:33 - How is Russia undermining democracy? 0:19:00 - What steps can Europe take with frozen Russian assets for Ukraine? 0:20:46 - Why won't seizing Russian assets cause a capital crisis or violate rule of law? 0:27:22 - How can good regulation foster beneficial innovation, not just exploitation?

How Drones Are Dramatically Changing the War – with Nataliya Gumenyuk Jul 04, 2025

Show notes

This is a new kind of war. Drones have fundamentally changed its nature—and continue to do so every day. The threats now come from above, not just ahead. If you’re wounded, medics may not reach you quickly because of the drone threat. Dugouts should be less massive—and more concealed. And the drones themselves are diverse: small and large, for observation and for attack, for bombing and for supply. Let’s try to understand this evolving battlefield. *** My name is Volodymyr Yermolenko, I am a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine. My guest today is Nataliya Gumenyuk, a leading Ukrainian journalist and co-founder of the Reckoning Project, which combines war crimes documentation with journalism. Nataliya recently embedded with three Ukrainian brigades to study drone warfare in depth. She wrote a major article for "The Atlantic". https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/05/ukraine-troops-front-lines/682910/ In this episode, I asked her to share what she saw and what she learned. *** The Explaining Ukraine podcast is produced by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet about Ukraine, run by Internews Ukraine. You can support our work on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld. Your support is vital, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our frontline volunteer efforts, where we assist both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** Contents: 00:00 Intro 02:10 How is drone warfare changing the Russia-Ukraine war? 05:22 Why and how the frontline became transparent 14:59 Different types of drones and their purposes 27:51 Scaling or diversity: is Russia leading in the drone manufacturing? 32:11 Danger of the fiber-optic drones 37:42 What are the Ukrainian production capacities? 39:42 Ukraine strikes deep: Operation Spiderweb 42:29 What challenges does Ukraine face in drone production and how can international partners best support these efforts? 52:18 Support our work: https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld

Look at Georgia to Better Understand Ukraine and Russia – with Tornike Gordadze Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

Why is Georgia drifting toward authoritarianism? Why is its current government aligning more closely with Russia and blaming its predecessors for Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia? How are the histories of Ukraine and Georgia deeply intertwined—and why are these two countries key to understanding Eastern Europe? My name is Volodymyr Yermolenko. I am a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine. My guest today is Tornike Gordadze, former Georgian State Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration. He currently teaches at Sciences Po and the Jacques Delors Institute in Paris. We recorded this conversation in Tbilisi during the vibrant Zeg Festival, where both Tornike and I were participants. The Explaining Ukraine podcast is produced by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet about Ukraine, run by Internews Ukraine. You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld. Your support is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also help fund our volunteer trips to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we support both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** Contents: 00:00 – Tornike Gordadze, a former Georgian minister 01:35 – Does the Russian imperialism connect Georgia and Ukraine? 02:53 – Georgians fight for Ukraine. Why? 06:00 – The Russian war methodology in Georgia and Ukraine 08:00 – The NATO Missed Chance: Bucharest Summit 2008 and its consequences 10:10 – How did the West's fear empower Russia? 15:00 – Georgia, Syria, Ukraine: Russia didn't pay any price for the interventions 17:00 – The West was not strong 19:00 – Georgia’s Transformation: From Rose Revolution to political decay 20:22 – Why is Russia afraid of the successful democracies next door? 24:04 – Who was Saakashvili? 26:30 – The rise of Georgian Dream - did Russia win? 28:59 – Russian or Belarusian playbook in Georgia 30:57 – Why would Georgia destroy all connections with the West? 33:40 – Why does Orban support the Georgia authorities? 36:15 – Bratislava speech of Macron: Russia is not only a threat to Ukraine but also to Europe 38:30 – Two shocks for Europe 40:16 – The future of the European continent is in danger – Gordadze

Hannah Arendt on evil: what can we learn from her today? - with Marci Shore Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

Some might argue that the concept of evil is outdated in our relativistic age. And yet—how can we speak of war crimes, cruelty, or the neglect of human dignity without invoking the word evil? Perhaps it’s time to take it seriously again, to revisit the thinkers who have grappled with its meaning. One of them, of course, is Hannah Arendt. This is a conversation about Hannah Arendt and the concept of evil, which took place in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on June 1st, at the Kyiv Book Arsenal—one of the country’s major literary events. Despite the ongoing war, the fair was full of people. My guest was Marci Shore, an American intellectual, historian, and university professor. She specializes in 20th-century European intellectual history, with a particular focus on Hannah Arendt. This year, Marci co-curated the Kyiv Book Arsenal’s focus topic, alongside Oksana Forostyna. My name is Volodymyr Yermolenko. I’m a Ukrainian philosopher, the editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine. UkraineWorld is an English language media outlet about Ukraine run by Internews Ukraine, one of the country’s leading media NGOs. *** You can support our work at https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your support is vital, as we increasingly rely on crowdfunding. Even a small monthly donation can make a big difference. You can also help fund our regular volunteer trips to Ukraine’s front-line areas, where we provide aid to both soldiers and civilians—mainly by delivering vehicles for the military and books for local communities. To support these efforts, you can donate via PayPal at ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** Contents: 00:00 Intro 01:18 Support our work 04:44 Why is Hannah Arendt essential to understanding the 20th and 21st centuries? 06:16 What is Hannah Arendt's concept of 'radical evil'? 07:48 How are people made superfluous? 10:12 How has World War II shaped Arendt’s thought? 17:17 From “radical evil” to the “banality of evil”: connecting Arendt’s key concepts. 26:34 Marci Shore on the current situation in America 30:46 Thoughts on human dignity 32:14 Is the idea that 'everyone is replaceable' starting to repeat itself? 34:49 Why Sartre’s idea of “nothingness” might be dangerous? 42:14 Hannah Arendt: vita activa versus vita contemplativa 50:15 Outro

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