Explaining Ukraine

Ukraine has started a conversation with the countries of the "Global South." This conversation is difficult, but it is opening up new prospects for understanding. What do we still lack to better understand each other?

The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites you to a conversation at the PEN Ukraine / UkraineWorld event “Ukraine, South Africa, India: How can we better understand each other?” The conversation took place in Kyiv, as part of PEN Ukraine's project "In Solidarity with Ukraine", on May 2nd, 2024.

Guests:

Damon Galgut, a South African writer, winner of the Booker Prize in 2021 for his novel The Promise. His work has been translated into 35 languages.

Anjan Sundaram, an Indian author, journalist, and academic, winner of 2015 Frontline Club prize for his war reporting from the Central African Republic. Sundaram also received a Reuters environmental journalism prize in 2006 for his reporting from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine

UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian media NGOs.

Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine

Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the frontlines at PayPal: [email protected].

This podcast episode is produced with the support of the Ukrainian Institute (https://ui.org.ua/en/).

The full episode is available for UkraineWorld’s patrons at https://www.patreon.com/posts/114232265

Both India and Ukraine suffered from artificial famines imposed on them by British and Russian colonial authorities, respectively. In both cases, colonialists who committed mass crimes against the indigenous populations were considered “heroes” in their imperial metropoles.

Yet there were also differences in how the relations between the colonial master and the colonized were organized. It is time to analyze both the similarities and differences of these cases and to map a more comprehensive picture of the imperialisms and colonialisms of the past and present.

The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites you to a conversation at the PEN Ukraine / UkraineWorld event “Learning more about each other: Indian authors in Ukraine.” The conversation took place in Kyiv, as part of PEN Ukraine's project "In Solidarity with Ukraine", on April 17th, 2024.

Guests:

Tehnaz J. Dastoor - human rights activist and the UNICEF ex-Global Coordinator for Landmines and Focal Point for Child Soldiers

Bishan Samaddar - Director at Seagull Books, an Indian publishing house specializing in translating world literature.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine

UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian media NGOs.

Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine

Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the frontlines at PayPal: [email protected].

This episode has been made with the support of the Ukrainian Institute (https://ui.org.ua/)

The full version of this episode (with Q&A section) is available for UkraineWorld patrons at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/113800708?pr=true

Could a new alliance be taking shape in Europe? In 2022, just before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK, Poland, and Ukraine forged a partnership. Yet its path forward remains unclear. Does this format have a future? And what motivates each country?

This episode is part of a joint series “Ukraine’s Global Partnerships” produced by UkraineWorld and the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”.

In this episode, Deputy editor-in-chief at UkraineWorld Anastasiia Herasymchuk spoke with

James Rogers, Co-founder and Director of Research at the Council on Geostrategy,

Przemysław Biskup, a Senior Analyst in the European Union Programme at the Polish Institute of International Affairs,

and

Dr. Hanna Shelest, Director of Security Programmes at Foreign Policy Council "Ukrainian Prism"

This episode is part of a joint series “Ukraine’s global partnerships” made as a partnership between UkraineWorld and the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”.

UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian media NGOs.

SUPPORT us at www.patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the frontlines at PayPal: [email protected].

This podcast series was created with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. Its content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Renaissance Foundation.

Are Russians still using their troll armies to influence public opinion in Europe? Is their effect substantial? How does this work in different countries? How can we identify coordinated non-authentic behavior on social networks?

The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites Robert van der Noordaa, a Dutch journalist and analyst, and the founder of the Trollrensics initiative to uncover disinformation campaigns on social media. We discuss a recent study published by Robert and his team.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld and president of PEN Ukraine

UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of Ukraine’s largest media NGOs.

Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine

Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the front lines at PayPal: [email protected].

Germany has shown its support for Ukraine’s resistance against the Russian invasion. Yet questions arise whether this support is as substantial as it could be and needs to be. What are the deeper reasons for Germany’s cautious position on the Russian war against Ukraine?

Guests: renowned German politicians and civil society figures Marieluise Beck and Ralf Fücks, co-founders of the Center for Liberal Modernity (https://libmod.de/en/) in Berlin.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld and president of PEN Ukraine

UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of Ukraine’s largest media NGOs.

Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine

Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the front lines at PayPal: [email protected].

What Ukrainian non-fiction books are available in English? Why is Ukrainian non-fiction important to read for those who want to understand Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Russia’s war against Ukraine? Why has documenting wartime reality become so important for today’s Ukrainian literature?

The Explaining Ukraine podcast speaks to Iryna Baturevych, co-founder and development director of Chytomo.com, a Ukrainian media about books and literature.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld and president of PEN Ukraine

UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of Ukraine’s largest media NGOs.

Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine

Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the front lines at PayPal: [email protected].

This episode is produced in partnership with the Ukrainian Book Institute.

Some books mentioned in this episode:

Illia Ponomarenko, I Will Show You How It Was. The Story of Wartime Kyiv

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/i-will-show-you-how-it-was-9781639733880/

Oleksandr Mykhed, The Language of War

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/461801/the-language-of-war-by-mykhed-oleksandr/9780241690840

Kateryna Zarembo, The Rise of the Ukrainian Sun: History of Donetsk and Luhansk at the Beginning of the 21st Century. Academic Studies Press (USA) - to be published

Victoria Amelina, Looking at Women Looking at War. A War and Justice Diary

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250367686/lookingatwomenlookingatwar

Pavlo Kazarin. Wild West of Eastern Europe. Ibidem Verlag, Germany - to be published

Ukraine has succeeded in restoring its food exports to pre-2022 levels. It has achieved this tremendous victory despite the loss of large swaths of its agricultural lands to occupation, combat, and mines. Ukraine also had to overcome the loss of several key ports, Russia’s attempts to blockade Odesa and its surrounding ports, and the threat of ongoing Russian strikes.

Despite all this, Ukraine has again shown a miraculous capacity to produce and export food globally.

The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of the Economy and the country’s trade representative to discuss how the war influences Ukraine’s economy and trade.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld and president of PEN Ukraine

UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian media NGOs.

Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine

Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the front lines at PayPal: [email protected].

Ukraine and Qatar - two nations with seemingly little overlap. But what brought these countries closer? How did Qatar become involved in Ukraine's most sensitive humanitarian issues? How does Qatar navigate its stance on the Russian invasion, and why does it matter? And what cooperation opportunities between Ukraine and Qatar should we look out for?

In this episode, Deputy editor-in-chief at UkraineWorld Anastasiia Hersymchuk spoke with Prof. Dr. Omar Ashour, Professor of Security and Military Studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (Qatar) and the University of Exeter, Director of the Strategic Studies Unit at the Centre for Research and Policy Studies, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, and Dr. Hanna Shelest, Director of Security Programmes at Foreign Policy Council "Ukrainian Prism", Editor-in-chief at UA: Ukraine Analytica

This episode is part of a joint series “Ukraine’s global partnerships” made as a partnership between UkraineWorld and the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”.

UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian media NGOs.

SUPPORT us at www.patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the frontlines at PayPal: [email protected].

This podcast series was created with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. Its content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Renaissance Foundation.

On July 8th “The Guardian” featured an open letter titled, “The Nato Alliance should not invite Ukraine to become a member”. It claimed that, by admitting Ukraine into the Alliance it would reduce the security of other Nato allies, at a considerable risk to all. In this episode, we argue the opposite: that Ukraine’s NATO membership will be an asset for global security and can put an end to Russia’s aggressive wars.

The guest of the Explaining Ukraine podcast is Andreas Umland, Senior Expert at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future in Kyiv, and a research fellow at the Swedish Institute for International Affairs in Stockholm.

Host: Daria Synhaievska, an analyst and journalist at UkraineWorld.

UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian media NGOs.

Listen on various platforms: li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine.

Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the frontlines at PayPal: [email protected].

Ukraine and Canada share a strategic relationship. It is bolstered by a large Ukrainian diaspora in Canada and an extensive legal framework, that allows for easy cooperation. Yet, we must ask: Does the label "strategic" reflect the real nature of their bilateral ties? And, in light of Russia’s aggression, is Canada responding adequately to the Russian threat on a global scale?

In this episode, Deputy editor-in-chief at UkraineWorld Anastasiia Hersymchuk spoke with Dr. Balkan Devlen, Director of the Transatlantic Program at the Macdonald Laurier Institute, Canada - and Yevhen Hlibovytsky, Director of the Frontier Institute, Ukraine.

This episode is part of a joint series “Ukraine’s global partnerships” made as a partnership between UkraineWorld and the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”.

UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian media NGOs.

SUPPORT us at www.patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the frontlines at PayPal: [email protected].

This podcast series was created with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. Its content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Renaissance Foundation.