History in the Making: The War in Ukraine

A great pleasure and honor to have back on the show one of my favorite and most popular guests, existential philosopher Professor Sheldon Solomon. Our earlier show - on August 28, 2025 - is one of my top 3 shows of nearly 100 to date.

Last time around we focused on getting inside the heads of Putin and Trump. This time around, rather than focusing on individuals, I wanted to take a broader view of things and focus on societies. This feels like a natural continuation of our previous conversation, moving from the psychology of leaders to the psychology of societies and civilizations.

The world has only gotten more crazy and dangerous since we last spoke so for that reason I wanted to speak with Professor Solomon to discuss how these rising existential threats - AI, threats of nuclear war, War in Ukraine, War in Iran, climate change, etc - are reshaping politics, democracy, and Western civilization.

I admit, we started off a bit depressing (to say the least) but ended up on a positive note. Listen to the end so you don't get too discouraged!

About Professor Sheldon Solomon
Professor Sheldon Solomon is an American social psychologist. He is a professor of psychology and existential philosophy at Skidmore College in New York. His studies of the effects of the uniquely human awareness of death on behavior were featured in the award winning documentary film Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality. He is co-author of The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life.

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Always a pleasure to have on the show my friend and great war correspondent, Giorgio Provinciali, who has see it all across the entire front the last 4 years.

We talked about the comprehensive picture of what Ukraine is facing these days, the good and the bad. We discuss Ukraine's problems with ballistic missile defense, then move to the front where Ukraine is taking back the advantage in Donetsk around Lyman. And finally a word about a major breakthrough in Ukraine's ability to combat Russia's fiber optic drones.

This podcast was recorded on August 26.

About Giorgio Provinciali

Giorgio Provinciali, War Correspondent, writes from the trenches of democracy in Ukraine. Engineer, journalist, war reporter. Medium writer since November 2023.

Read more from Giorgio:
https://medium.com/@giorgioprovinciali

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If you found this episode valuable, follow the podcast and share it with someone who wants to better understand the war in Ukraine.

For years, Vladimir Putin has managed to insulate much of Russian society from the direct costs of the war in Ukraine. Now that this deal is breaking down, what happens if Russia conducts a major mobilization on top of it all?

I spoke with Professor Jeremy Morris, an expert on Russian society and everyday politics, about the growing pressures beneath the apparent stability of Putin’s Russia.

Drawing on his recent Jacobin article, Russia’s Authoritarian Neoliberalism Reaches Its Limits, Morris argues that Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy and economic infrastructure, growing war fatigue, labor shortages, and the increasing difficulty of recruiting soldiers through enormous financial incentives are beginning to erode the sense of normality that has helped sustain the war.

Morris explains how economic pressure, inequality, and forced mobilization could interact to produce something much harder for the Kremlin to control.

The discussion also goes deeper into the structure of Putin’s political system, including how ordinary Russians actually experience the war and where the limits of social endurance may ultimately lie.

Further reading:

• Russia’s Authoritarian Neoliberalism Reaches Its Limits — Read the Jacobin article here: https://jacobin.com/2026/08/russia-ukraine-war-neoliberalism-putin?
• Everyday Politics in Russia: From Resentment to Resistance — View the book at Bloomsbury: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/everyday-politics-in-russia-9781350509344/
  

About Professor Jeremy Morris
Jeremy Morris is Professor of Global Studies at Aarhus University and a specialist in Russian society, political anthropology, and the lived experience of post-Soviet transformation. His latest book is Everyday Politics in Russia: From Resentment to Resistance (Bloomsbury, 2025).

To connect and message with Mark on LinkedIn:
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If you found this episode valuable, follow the podcast and share it with someone who wants to better understand the war in Ukraine.

Military developments, diplomacy and geopolitics dominate discussion of the war in Ukraine. But behind every missile strike and frontline shift are millions of civilians whose lives have been fundamentally transformed by more than four years of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

In this episode of History in the Making: The War in Ukraine, Mark McNamee speaks with Matthias Schmale, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, about the human reality of a war that is now well into its fifth year.

Drawing on his travels across Ukraine, including communities just kilometers from the front, Schmale shares what he has witnessed on the ground, the people and experiences that have stayed with him, and what worries him most about Ukraine’s future. They discuss the consequences of declining international humanitarian support, what continues to give him hope despite the devastation, and what he wishes world leaders better understood about Ukraine.

The conversation also steps back to a larger question: what has Russia’s invasion of Ukraine revealed about the international system created after the Second World War—and its ability to protect civilians when a major power chooses to violate its most fundamental rules?

About Matthias Schmale
Matthias Schmale is the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, aka Head of the UN in Ukraine, where he leads and coordinates the UN’s development and humanitarian work across the country. He brings more than 30 years of international experience, including senior roles in Nigeria, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan, working with the United Nations, UNRWA, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

To connect and message with Mark on LinkedIn:
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Vladimir Putin is likely approaching one of the most consequential decisions of the war and in fact of his entire reign: escalate further through another major mobilization, or accept some form of ceasefire. Or can he continue delaying that choice?

In this episode, I spoke with Russian foreign policy expert Dr. Olena Snigyr about what Putin is likely to do in the coming months and what could actually force him to change course.

They discuss why Putin has maintained his maximalist war aims after more than four years of fighting, whether the Russian political system now depends on continued war, what another mobilization would mean for Russian society, and the circumstances under which Putin might accept a ceasefire. They also examine the risks of nuclear escalation, how Russians are responding to increasingly frequent Ukrainian attacks deep inside the country, what could come after Putin, and a fundamental question for Ukraine and Europe: what would it actually take to make Moscow conclude that continuing the war is more dangerous than stopping it?

About the Dr. Olena Snigyr
Dr. Olena Snigyr is a political scientist and expert on Russian foreign policy, European security, and Russian strategic narratives. She is a Senior Fellow at the Delphi Global Research Center and a Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute. Previously, she spent more than 15 years at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies, including as Head of its Foreign Policy Department.

To connect and message with Mark on LinkedIn:
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Today's guest is someone who has helped shape how thousands of people around the world understand this war on a daily basis. Francis Dearnley is Executive Editor at The Telegraph and one of the co-hosts of the award-winning podcast Ukraine: The Latest, which has become one of the most respected and widely followed sources of analysis on the conflict since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

One of the things I've always appreciated about Francis' work is that it combines rigorous journalism with a deep appreciation for history. As I also try to do with my podcast, rather than simply asking what happened today, he's constantly exploring the bigger questions and how these events fit within their historical context.

So today, rather than focusing solely on the latest battlefield developments, I want to take a step back. We'll get Francis’ personal views on the war, what Ukraine has taught him after years of reporting from the country, and ultimately how history may judge this conflict.

Link to Francis' podcast Ukraine: The Latest - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO-F29HDAmtnKk7p0LMLqc5Xb4lpeqU5T

About Francis Dearnley
Francis Dearnley is a British journalist, writer and podcast host who has spent years closely following Ukraine and the war with Russia. He is the host of Ukraine: The Latest, the leading English-language podcasts covering the war, and brings a rare combination of on-the-ground reporting, historical context and deep knowledge of Ukrainian affairs.

To connect and message with Mark on LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mcnamee-58950910

To learn more, visit:
https://ubn.network/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
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If you found this episode valuable, follow the podcast and share it with someone who wants to better understand the war in Ukraine.

If you've ever wondered why the US seems so divided, this conversation offers one of the most compelling explanations you'll hear.

For many outside the US (and for many it in too), American politics can seem increasingly incomprehensible. Polarization is intensifying, compromise has become elusive, and debates over America's role in the world—from NATO to Ukraine—often appear deeply divided.

In this episode, I spoke with award-winning journalist and historian Colin Woodard, author of American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America. Woodard argues that the US is not one unified nation in the cultural sense, but a collection of distinct regional cultures, each founded by different groups of settlers with their own values, institutions, and competing visions of society. More than four centuries later, the sharp differences of these founding cultures persist and continue to shape elections, political identities, public policy, and even America's approach to the world.

We explore the origins of Woodard's fascinating framework, how it builds upon David Hackett Fischer's classic Albion's Seed, why political compromise has become so much harder in recent decades, the rise of populism, competing visions of American identity, and whether U.S. democracy is facing its greatest test since the Civil War.

Finally, we examine what these deep historical divisions reveal about America's support for Ukraine, its future as a global leader, and whether the American experiment can continue to hold together in the decades ahead.

About Colin Woodard:

Colin Woodard is an award-winning journalist, historian, and New York Times bestselling author. He is the Director of the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, where he leads research on American identity, democracy, and the historical forces shaping public life. He is the author of American Nations, American Character, Union, and The Republic of Pirates.

You can find his book American Nations here: https://colinwoodard.com/books/american-nations/

To connect and message with Mark on LinkedIn:
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To learn more, visit:
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Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
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If you found this episode valuable, follow the podcast and share it with someone who wants to better understand the war in Ukraine.

Did something a little bit different for this one. I was the one interviewed this time.

Thanks to Scott Jacobson for joining the show and asking the questions.

Covered alot in this episode to give an update on where things are at with the economy, investment environment, attacks on energy infrastructure, and what's going on in Russia. Feel like we just came out of winter and now looking ahead to the next one - what will it be like for Ukraine?

And what about what's happening in Russia?

Also touched a bit upon the latest regarding the firing of the Minister of Defense Fedorov...

Enjoy!

To connect and message with Mark on LinkedIn:
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Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
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If you found this episode valuable, follow the podcast and share it with someone who wants to better understand the war in Ukraine.

In this episode, I was happy to host by far the youngest guest I've had on my show.

This episode is about Ukraine’s future. Not what’s happening today in the war, or the war outlook, or looking at historical drivers and context of the situation here as most of my shows do, but instead looking ahead.

As we all know, Ukraine has a severe demographic problem, only worsened by the war, leaving its future precarious.

For that reason, I spoke with Nikol Makhovka, who is 16 years old, a representative of Ukraine at the Genius Olympiad in the US, and currently residing in the UK, to talk about her vision and her feelings regarding Ukraine’s future. Nikol is among the ‘best and brightest’ of her generation and her thoughts give an idea of what lies ahead for this country after the war.

And gives us reason to be hopeful for Ukraine's future.

About the Guest:
Nikol is a 16-year old student currently residing in the UK, where she fled to after the full-scale invasion, and is attending school there. She also periodically comes back home to Ukraine and plans to return to Ukraine after her studies and rebuild her country.

To connect and message with Mark on LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mcnamee-58950910

To learn more, visit:
https://ubn.network/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/Mark-McNamee/

If you found this episode valuable, follow the podcast and share it with someone who wants to better understand the war in Ukraine.

It was an absolute pleasure to do this podcast - the first one I have done live, in person at my guests' office in the center of Kyiv. (Hence some of the side comments and background noise!)

I had the honor of speaking with the Co-Founders of RePower NGO, Sebastian Lindstrom and Maryna Sadikova - such inspired and inspirational people who you can't help but feel the warmth, drive, and energy flowing from them. And they're doing awesome work.

This episode follows upon my podcast in June with the press officer of the 37th Marine Brigade regarding The Lanterns, a documentary they filmed with United24 covering their program of providing psychological rehabilitation for frontline medics and doctors in the forests of Sweden.

Listen in for more details on Sebastian and Maryna's personal journey, their motivation for serving the frontline medics, most emotionally compelling experience in supporting the medics, and what they want Westerners to take away from watching the documentary.

To watch The Lanterns, check the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JHK6RMhK1I

To see the before and after rehabilitation of the frontline medics, check out "Through Their Eyes" here - https://www.repower.ngo/projects/through-their-eyes

And here is RePower's work on IG and LI (please share and follow!)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZP_PLCDDXJ/

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/repowerngo_is-it-truly-possible-to-leave-the-war-behind-activity-7469762440860237825-GU8e

To connect and message with Mark on LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mcnamee-58950910

To learn more, visit:
https://ubn.network/

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:
https://missionmatters.com/author/Mark-McNamee/

If you found this episode valuable, follow the podcast and share it with someone who wants to better understand the war in Ukraine.