Kherson may be the most dangerous regional center in Ukraine. Occupied by Russian forces in 2022, its residents were subjected to torture and intimidation.

The city was liberated by Ukrainian forces in November 2022 — but almost immediately came under daily bombardment and shelling from Russian troops stationed just across the Dnipro River.

In June 2023, Kherson was hit by a catastrophic flood caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant — an explosion orchestrated by the Russian military.

Today, the city’s residents are hunted by Russian drones, as if caught in some macabre human safari.

“Kherson: Human Safari” is the title of a documentary film by Zarina Zabrisky, an American filmmaker who has spent significant time in Kherson, reporting from this brave and embattled city.

Link to the film: https://khersonhumansafari.com/

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Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

Guest: Zarina Zabrisky, an American filmmaker and writer, author of the film “Kherson: Human Safari”.

Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld, an English-language media project about Ukraine, run by Internews Ukraine.

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

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CONTENTS:

00:00 – Zarina Zabrisky, a U.S. journalist in Ukraine

02:30 – Why is Kherson so important in the war?

04:56 – Life in Kherson: What does it look like now?

13:50 – Why does a central store in Kherson look better than posh stores in the U.S.?

15:01 – In memory: Victoria Amelina in Kherson

16:12 – Kherson: Human Safari — the story of Kherson from the start of the full-scale invasion to date

19:40 – How did Zarina Zabrisky document the newest war crime against humanity?

24:02 – Do Russians conduct the “human safari” in Kherson for fun, or is it a strategy?

26:04 – A terror campaign: How does Russia attempt to erase Kherson?

29:20 – What exactly do Russians want to achieve with their cruelty toward Ukrainians in frontline territories?

36:00 – How Russia influences the ecosystem

41:12 – Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam: Survival and resistance stories from locals

43:30 – The rescue of Ukrainian children from Russian captivity

48:10 – Deportation of Ukrainian children as a form of genocide

50:00 - Support us: https://www.patreon.com/ukraineworld