Note: This episode uses artificial intelligence to translate and dub the voice of Jan Jessen into English.

🎙️ In this episode of "In Crisis Mode",

FUNKE reporter Jan Jessen reports from the hard-hit city of Kherson.

How do people live when drones are circling overhead, homes are in ruins — and yet peace is being negotiated?

What does hope mean in a place where not a single day passes without explosions?

Featuring: Natalia, Denys, Tetiana, Olha, and Taras — Voices from Ukraine and perspectives on life during wartime.

🇺🇦 Voices from Ukraine

• Natalia – On life under Russian shelling and why Kherson must not fall
• Denys and Taras – Two young men from Kherson on fear, education, and a soldier’s perspective
• Tetiana – A teacher whose students learn under bombs
• Olha – “We’ve gotten used to the explosions — but we will never give up Kherson”
• Artem Lysak – Journalist and fixer, on Trump’s call with Putin

🧭 Episode Overview

1 | Putin, Trump — and the Prospect of Peace?

Jan discusses international negotiations — and what they really mean for people in Ukraine.

2 | “They will never be the same again” – How Kherson became a symbol of this war

Natalia talks about Russian drones, destroyed neighborhoods — and why Kherson must not fall.

3 | “You can only hide under trees” – Denys on daily life in a war zone

A young man describes life under constant bombardment — and trying to study despite it all.

4 | “My mother buried my father alone” – Tetiana on teaching and family during the war

A teacher instructing children in exile — and her hope of returning to a united Ukraine.

5 | “Kherson will never surrender” – Olha on 8 months of occupation and defiance

Under constant fire, with a Pekingese by her side: why she refuses to believe her city could be handed over.

6 | Air raid in Kramatorsk – and the failed Trump–Putin conversation

Jan has now reached eastern Ukraine. Sirens wail in the background, frustration with diplomacy grows.

7 | “Trump wants deals, not stability” – Fixer Artem’s take on the Putin call

A Ukrainian journalist explains why Trump’s diplomacy offers nothing to the people of Ukraine.

8 | Jan’s Take – What peace on Russian terms would really mean

A personal reflection on the situation, the West’s role — and the future of this war.

9 | Outro & Farewell

Credits, contact info, where to listen — and a look ahead.

📬 Contact & Feedback

Questions, feedback, suggestions? Write to us:

✉️ [email protected]

🟢 Subscribe now

"In Crisis Mode" – Available wherever you get your podcasts:

Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Deezer | YouTube

📅 New episodes

Every two weeks, always on Wednesdays.