Our tenth episode of Talk Eastern Europe is dedicated to the results of the first round of the presidential election in Ukraine which took place on March 31st 2019 and saw comedian and showman Volodymyr Zelenskiy come in first place with over 30% of the vote; incumbent president Petro Poroshenko in second place with 15.95%; and Yulia Tymoshenko in third place with 13.4%.
In this episode we first get input from Maksym Kyiak, Deputy Director of the Central European Institute based in Kyiv on how to understand the Zelenskiy phenomenon.
Adam Reichardt then interviews Marcel Roethig – the director of the Kyiv office of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung where they discuss the wider social context in Ukraine and the events leading up to the first round, as well as what to expect in the second round.
The second round of elections which will pit Petro Poroshenko against Volodymyr Zelenskiy will take place on April 21 2019.
Resources:
Ukraine presidential elections narrowed down from 39 to 2 contenders
Who is Mr Ze?
New Eastern Europe’s ongoing coverage of the election in Ukraine: http://neweasterneurope.eu/category/ukraine-elections-2019/
Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0
Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears
“Nothing But Luck” by Lee Rosevere: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Blue_Dot_RMX/Nothing_But_Luck

This episode of Talk Eastern Europe takes a closer look at the current developments in the Western Balkans, including the North Macedonian name agreement, the Kosovo-Serbia border swap negotiations and recent protests in Serbia and Montenegro. All of these developments have the possibility of making headway against the current status quo in the Western Balkans and bring these countries closer to the European Union.
The episode features an interview with Valerie Hopkins, a journalist with the Financial Times covering the Western Balkans. You can follow her on Twitter here: @VALERIEin140
Resources:
“What could a Serbia-Kosovo border swap achieve?” By Florian Bieber, New Eastern Europe issue 2/2019: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/03/05/what-could-a-serbia-kosovo-border-swap-achieve/
“Macedonia is turning the page”. Exclusive interview with Zoran Zaev, the prime minister of the Republic of Macedonia. New Eastern Europe Issue 2/2108: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/02/26/macedonia-turning-page/
Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0
Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears
“Going In Circles” by Lee Rosevere, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_6/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_For_Podcasts_6_-_03_Going_In_Circles

This episode of Talk Eastern Europe features a conversation on fighting disinformation with Jakub Kalenský, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Kalenský worked for the European Union’s East StratCom Task Force as the team lead for countering disinformation.
In this episode, Adam Reichardt and Maciek Makulski discuss with Kalenský the differences between disinformation and misinformation, what the West is doing now to combat disinformation and the spread of fake news, and how Russian propaganda works – all ahead of the May EU parliament elections.
 
Selected resources mentioned in the podcast:
Disinfo Portal: https://disinfoportal.org/
EUvsDisinformation: https://euvsdisinfo.eu/
StopFake: https://www.stopfake.org/en/news/
Detektor Media (UA) https://detector.media/
 
Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0
Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears
Please Listen Carefully by Jahzzar: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Tumbling_Dishes_Like_Old-Mans_Wishes/Please_Listen_Carefully 

In this episode, Maciek Makulski sits down with Oktawian Milewski – a Moldovan political analyst based in Warsaw.
Moldova’s parliamentary elections were held on Sunday February 24th. The results are mixed and while it is unclear how the government will form, the elections certainly show that no major shifts in Moldovan politics will take place. However, there was one new development – the emergence of a new opposition party, ACUM, a coalition of forces that is a real opposition force and may play a role in shaping politics and geopolitics in the region.
Resources“Old Moldova in new Europe”. Piotr Oleksy, New Eastern Europe Issue 1/2019: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/11/05/old-moldova-new-europe/
Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0
Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears
 Also in the podcast:  
“Introducing the Pre-roll” by Lee Rosevere: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_5/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_For_Podcasts_5_-_01_Introducing_the_Pre-roll

In this episode, Adam Reichardt sits down with Harvard University’s George Soroka to discuss the political, geopolitical and also spiritual implications of the granting of Autocephaly to the newly created Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
George Soroka is a lecturer in the Department of Government at Harvard University, where he is also affiliated with the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, and the Institute for Quantitative Social Science.
Resources:
“A house divided. Orthodoxy in post-Maidan Ukraine” by George Soroka. Published in New Eastern Europe issue 3-4/2019
“Poroshenko has achieved a second independence from Russia” by Taras Kuzio. New Eastern Europe 15 October 2018
Ongoing coverage of Ukraine’s presidential election:  http://neweasterneurope.eu/category/ukraine-elections-2019/
Music featured in the podcast:
Opening theme: Sum of My Fears by Dazie Mae:  http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears
Liturgy of the Faithful / Ukrainian Orthodox chant

In this episode of the Talk Eastern Europe podcast, co-hosts Maciek Makulski and Adam Reichardt give a preview of the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine; discuss the tragic events in Gdańsk with the murder of the mayor Paweł Adamowicz; and go through the newest issue of New Eastern Europe magazine which focuses on public intellectuals and their role in Central and Eastern Europe today.
 
Highlights
1.30: Ukraine presidential elections preview
7.00: Discussion of the murder of the Gdańsk Mayor Paweł Adamowicz
14.00: Public intellectuals and the new issue of New Eastern Europe
 
Show notes and links
Ukraine elections coverage: http://neweasterneurope.eu/category/ukraine-elections-2019/
“Local governments are the foundation of democracy” A conversation from 2016 with Paweł Adamowicz (the late mayor of Gdańsk): http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/01/15/local-governments-are-the-foundation-of-democracy/
“Pawel Adamowicz: Gdansk mayor and standard-bearer for civil rights and liberal values in Poland” Adam Reichardt’s obituary in The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/pawel-adamowicz-death-gdansk-poland-mayor-civil-rights-liberal-values-a8740886.html
Issue 1/2019: Public intellectuals. What is their place, role and responsibility today? http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/01/02/issue-1-2019-public-intellectuals-place-role-responsibility-today/
“Where there is word, there is responsibility for mankind” .A conversation with Basil Kerski, director of the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk. http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/01/02/word-responsibility-mankind/
“The dramatic turn of political discourse in Romania” By Paul Gabriel Sandu: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/01/02/dramatic-turn-political-discourse-romania/
 
Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0
Opening theme: Sum of My Fears by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears
Railroad's Whiskey Co by Jahzzar: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Home/Railroads_Whiskey_Co

This episode looks at Estonian politics as well as gives an idea about the situation related to the Russian minority in the Baltic States with a particular focus on Estonia where parliamentary elections will be held in March 2019. The background for our discussion will be a conversation between Filip Rudnik, a Polish journalist, and Kristina Kallas, leader of a new political party called Eesti 200.
 
Highlights:
04.25: Eesti 200 – what does it stand for?
12.02: Discussion about EKRE and populism in Estonia
20:57: Eesti 200 education proposals and how to deal with Russian minority issue
 
Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0
Opening theme: “Sum of My Fears” by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears
Also in the podcast: “Thatched Villagers” by Kevin MacLeod
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Thatched_Villagers/Thatched_Villagers

In this episode hosts Maciek Makulski and Adam Reichardt look at some current developments in the region. Maksym Khylko, chairman of the board at the East European Security Research Initiative Foundation and Senior Research Fellow at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, provides his commentary on the situation with the Russian capture of three Ukrainian vessels and the imposition of Martial Law in Ukraine.  Maciek Makulski looks at the newest book on Transnistrian identity by Piotr Oleksty – a Polish expert. Adam Reichardt then interviews Oleksy, about the current political developments in Moldova and they discuss his new book.
Read the article “Old Moldova in New Europe” online: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/11/05/old-moldova-new-europe/
 
Highlights:
04.23 Commentary by Maksym Khylko on Russian attack on Ukrainian naval vessels in Kerch strait
12.10 – interview with Piotr Oleksy author of “Old Moldova in New Europe” and the recent book Naddniestrze. Terror tożsamości
 
Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0
Opening theme: Sum of My Fears by Dazie Mae: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dazie_Mae/Last_Jazz_in_Paris/03-1518107-Dazie_Mae-Sum_of_My_Fears
Also in this podcast:
Dark Water by Podington Bear: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Fathomless_-_Ambient/Dark_Water
Swing Gitane by The Underscore Orkestra: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Underscore_Orkestra/The_ExtraOrdinary_Adventures_of/06_Swing_Gitane
 
Subscribe to the New Eastern Europe magazine 

In this episode, co-hosts Maciek Makulski and Adam Reichardt discuss the newest issue of New Eastern Europe which has the theme of 1918 and memory of the end of the First World War from the Eastern European perspective. The hosts also discuss other threads in the issue including some interesting pieces on social and economic developments in Russia as well as a discussion on Belarus in the eyes of its neighbours.
 
Resources:
New Eastern Europe issue 6/2018: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/11/05/issue-6-2018-1918-year-independence/
“The decline of the West and the joy in the East” - Interview with Andrzej Chwalba, Polish historian: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/11/05/decline-west-joy-east/
“1918 – A geopolitical catastrophe for Ukraine”. By Yaroslav Hrytsak: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/11/05/1918-geopolitical-catastrophe-ukraine/
“Is the blockchain revolution starting in Russia?” By Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska: http://neweasterneurope.eu/2018/11/05/blockchain-revolution-starting-russia/

In the first episode of Talk Eastern Europe, co-hosts Adam Reichardt and Maciek Makulski open the podcast with a discussion on current issues in the Baltic states and how literature can give a view into a nation's identity. Adam Reichardt interviews Inga Žolude - a Latvian writer and winner of the European Union Prize for Literature in 2011.
Resources:
Inga Žolude at Latvia Literature: http://www.latvianliterature.lv/en/writers/20
European Union Prize for Literature 2011: http://www.euprizeliterature.eu/author/2011/inga-zolude
New Eastern Europe: www.neweasterneurope.eu