In episode 257 of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam and Alexandrareact to the breakout of war in the Middle East and what it might mean from the regional aspect. They look specifically at relations with Russia, the war in Ukraine and also the South Caucasus, which borders the conflict zone. They also catch on the situation in Albania and discuss Hungary’s latest tactics ahead of the elections in April.

For the main interview Alexandra is joined by Toma Istomina,deputy chief editor of The Kyiv Independent, on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Tome reflects on how the newsroom transformed overnight from a small startup into a major international outlet covering the war, and how journalists balance urgent battlefield reporting with deeper coverage of Ukrainian culture, history, and everyday life. The conversation explores the challenges of reporting during prolonged conflict, the importance of global understanding of Ukraine, and the role international audiences can play in supporting independent journalism covering the war.

Check out the Kyiv Independent online: https://kyivindependent.com/

Watch the special YouTube series “Dare to Ukraine” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cjMmGeLq0I&list=PLmOj0Ur_xinRpYyt31pbGt48Z6YGwX6Zt

Support the podcast and become a patron here: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

In episode 256 of Talk Eastern Europe, hosts Adam, Alexandra and Nina mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a heavy week of reflections – as well as some other news from the region. They discuss ongoing protest movements across the Balkans (includingfresh demonstrations in Bosnia and Herzegovina following a deadly tram derailment), tensions in Serbia, and what these cycles of civic anger say about corruption and accountability.

The episode then features an interview with Nedim Useinow - a Crimean Tatar originally from Crimea and now a program manager with the German Marshall Fund. Adam and Nedim discuss where the war stands after four years, why current “peace talks” feel hollow, what occupation has meant for Crimea and Crimean Tatars, and how Ukrainians’ resilience has shifted from shock to long-term adaptation. The conversation also touches on Poland’s evolving public mood, disinformation, and why continued support for Ukraine still matters for European security.

Read online: “Tortured into confession. The plight of Ukrainian prisoners of war” https://neweasterneurope.eu/2026/02/24/tortured-into-confession-the-plight-of-ukrainian-prisoners-of-war/

Listen to Part 1 of this series here - https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episodes/ukraine-four-years-of-resistance-part-1-mobilizing-empathy-for-stolen-children

In episode 255 of Talk Eastern Europe, Alexandra, Adam and Nina discuss the week’s key developments across the region, from Olympic results to the latest from the Munich Security Conference, including EU calls related to Russia–Ukraine regotiations and a high-level US visit to the countries of theregion.

The second half features the first instalment of our special series commemorating the fourth anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. For this episode, Nina sat down with Ukrainian-Canadian singer, folklorist and activist Marichka. She reflects on her journey from musician to activist, medic and war journalist and speaks about her musical project Daughters of Donbas, where she collaborates with international artists and amplifies survivor voices, including Lisa, a young woman who survived filtration camps in Mariupol.

In the bonus episode, Marichka stays on to speak about Ukrainian folk music traditions and briefly sings in the “open voice” polyphonic singing technique. She also speaks about her digital archive, Folk Songs of Ukraine. Our patrons can listen to that here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-255-folk-151154003

Check out Daughters of Donbas Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/p/Daughters-of-Donbas-61572669756771/

Check out Daughters of Donbas Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/daughtersofdonbas/

In this episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Nina and Alexandra run through the week’s key stories, from renewed diplomatic manoeuvring around Russia’s war in Ukraine (and fresh EU support for Kyiv) to political turbulence in Bosnia and Hungary and concerns over media independence in Europe.

The second half features an interview with political scientist and NEE contributing editor Tatevik Hovhannisyan on Armenia’s upcoming June elections, the post–Nagorno-Karabakh political landscape, and Yerevan’s tricky balancing act between Russia, the EU and the US.

The hosts also share details on an upcoming Patreon-onlyfilm screening and discussion connected to Srebrenica. Want to learn more – join us on patreon: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

Further reading:

“For Armenia, peace dividends are finally starting to show up. In 2026, they need to keep coming” by Nicholas Castillo. New Eastern Europe 10 Feb 2026: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2026/02/10/for-armenia-peace-dividends-are-finally-starting-to-show-up-in-2026-they-need-to-keep-coming/

In this episode, the co-hosts break down the latestdevelopments across Ukraine, Czechia, and Croatia, while Nina explores the regional implications of the Epstein files’ release.

For the main conversation, Adam and Alexandra speak with Megi Benia in Tbilisi about Georgia’s accelerating democratic backsliding: from new laws targeting NGOs, media, and political activity to growing pressure on universities and civil society. They also discuss the OSCE’s decision to activate the Moscow Mechanism, and why many Georgians feel the EU and wider international community have responded too timidly as the country drifts away from Euro-Atlantic integration.

In the bonus section, which is exclusively available to our patrons, Megi shares her personal story of dissent inside Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after diplomats took the unprecedented step of publicly opposing the government’s foreign policy shift.

Listen to the bonus conversation here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/253-bonus-150030402

Join our patreon page here: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

In this episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Nina, Alexandra and Adam catch up on some of the latest news, including the dire situation in Ukraine, the ongoing peace negotiations and President Zelenskyy’s meeting with Belarusian democratic leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. They also look at Montenegro’s progress towards EU accession and mention the resignation of Bulgaria’s president, setting up the main topic for the episode.

After the news, Adam is joined by Svetoslav Todorov, a Bulgarian journalist and writer, to unpack the situation there. They look at last month’s wave of mass protests, the collapse of yet another government, and try to determine what’s driving public anger beyond the budget dispute. They also touch on the growing role of young people, the country’s turbulent election cycle, the smooth but controversial adoption of the euro, and how pro-Russian narratives continue to shape Bulgaria’s political landscape.

Do you like this podcast? Please support it by becoming apatron: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

Help Ukrainians survive this winter.

Here are some fundraisers you can support:

Nova Ukraine’s “warmth for Ukraine” campaign: https://novaukraine.org/warmth-for-ukraine-a-humanitarian-appeal/

United24 – Ukraine’s official fundraising portal: https://u24.gov.ua/

Energize Ukraine – by the Ukrainian World Congress: https://energizeukraine.com/

Talk Eastern Europe is back for 2026! Adam and Alex open theepisode with a discussion on the news from the region, including Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary and Kosovo. Later, Adam is joined by Mark Temnicky, contributor with Forbes, to assesshow US engagement across Eastern Europe and the region is reshaping regional security. Mark argues that while Ukraine has made real concessions in pursuit of peace, Russia has shown little interest in a sustainable settlement, raising serious doubts about the prospects for a lasting agreement in 2026. The discussion also looks beyond Ukraine to cover also Belarus, Georgia, the South Caucasus, and the wider global order.

If you enjoy this podcast please become a patron! Join ushere: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

In this special final episode of Talk Eastern Europe in 2025, Alexandra and Adam sit down with Jasmin Mujanović on the margins of the Sarajevo Security Conference to discuss current security challenges faced in the region of the Western Balkans. The conversation looks at developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the ongoing protests in Serbia, and the broader geopolitical context shaping stability in the Western Balkans, including the roles of the EU, NATO, and key regional actors.

Jasmin Mujanović is a senior non-resident fellow at the Washington, DC-based New Lines Institute's Western Balkans Center and an expert on the region, security and transatlantic relations.

If you like the podcast, please consider supporting us: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

Thank you to all of our patrons and listeners for being with us in 2025. We will be back after a short break to bring all new episodes in 2026!

In this near-final episode of 2025, the three co-hosts of Talk Eastern Europe reflect on the key political, social and geopolitical developments that shaped the region over the past year. They discuss waves of protest across several countries, the resilience of civil society, and the evolving security environment and geopolitical shifts since the start of 2025, including the impact of the new US presidency. The conversation also looks ahead to 2026 and considers what listeners should be watching in the year to come.

The opening part concludes with a reflection on the success of Talk Eastern Europe in 2025, as the co-hosts share their favourite episodes and recommend past conversations worth revisiting.

In the second part of the episode, Nina speaks with Owen Hatherley, a British writer, journalist and cultural critic known for his work on architecture, urbanism and politics, particularly modernism and communism. Together, they explore the profound influence of Central European émigrés on British architecture, culture and literature in the mid-20th century, tracing how these figures reshaped Britain’s intellectual and cultural landscape during and after the Second World War.

These themes are explored in depth in Owen’s book The Alienation Effect: How Central European Émigrés Transformed the British Twentieth Century: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/311898/the-alienation-effect-by-hatherley-owen/9780241378205

Some figures and references mentioned in the interview:

• Otti Berger – Croatian designer
• Eugene (Evžen) Rosenberg
• Josef Herman – Polish-British painter
• Jankel Adler – Polish painter
• Jan Tschichold – German calligrapher and typographer
• Hans Schmoller – German and British graphic designer
• Romek Marber – Polish-born graphic designer behind Penguin’s ‘Marber Grid’
• Walter Neurath and Eva Neurath – founders of Thames & Hudson
• Berthold Lubetkin – architect associated with Soviet Bauhaus and Vkhutemas
• Ernő Goldfinger – Hungarian architect, designer of London’s Balfron Tower and Trellick Tower
• Karel Čapek – Czech author and his book Letters from England
• Bertolt Brecht – German theatre practitioner, and the author of the Alienation theory (Verfremdungseffekt)
• Otto Neurath – Austrian polymath
• Dua Lipa – British-Albanian pop singer, born to Kosovar Albanian parents

For Talk Eastern Europe Patrons, Owen Hatherley stayed on for an extended discussion on Polish milk bars and their cultural significance which can be heard here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/249-bonus-polish-146141039

Help us reach our goal of 75 podcast patrons! Join us at www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope.

Adam and Alexandra open this episode with the latest news from the region. They look at the importance of the mass protests in Bulgaria and later discuss Czechia’s new/old prime minister and balloons over Lithuania. They also briefly discuss the latest developments surrounding the peace process aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

For the main interview, Adam is joined by Georgian activist Mariam Japaridze to discuss a turbulent year of mass protests and growing authoritarianism after the Georgian Dream government halted the country’s EU integration in 2024. She describes the dramatic escalation of repression, from rigged elections to the use of violence and even chemical agents against demonstrators as uncovered recently by the BBC. Despite the challenges, she shares why activists remain determined and what international support Georgia urgently needs.  

Read more on the Bulgarian protests in this week’s Brief Eastern Europe: https://briefeasterneurope.eu/p/december-8-2025

Read "One year of Georgia’s unbreakable resistance, as told by its prisoners of conscience" https://neweasterneurope.eu/2025/12/05/one-year-of-georgias-unbreakable-resistance-as-told-by-its-prisoners-of-conscience/To learn more about the political prisoners in Georgia you can visit a site set up by the IliaUni Student Movement: https://politpatimrebi.ge/?lang=en