The Think Tank

Dr. Joe and not Dr. Matt talk to Shaun Pinner. One of the British soldiers in the Ukrainian armed forces captured in the defence of Mariupol. They discuss his background, what the media gets wrong about Ukraine and its overlooked successes, what the future of the conflict looks like, why online activism is important, and what's great about life in Ukraine. 

Read his book: https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/300663/shaun-pinner 

Listen to Letters from Ukraine via Twitter: @UkrainianWriter

Support: https://www.braveu.fund/

https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/300663/shaun-pinner

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe and Matt chat with Olga of Uzhhorod, a Ukrainian from Zakarpattia, an oblast which borders Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. They discuss Olga’s experience of language in the country, myths about the country, how things are changing, growing up in a multilingual environment, absurdity of russian propaganda, why language is not equivalent to nationality, and how to fight back. 

Ongoing Fundraiser for Olga’s friend: https://choko.link/slashsquad 

Joe’s Blog Post about Zakarpattia: https://jjplace.co.uk/?p=109

Joe’s article about language policies: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11212-023-09612-3 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• Why is the russian law so bad? 
• Who are the Georgian Dream party? 
• What is the opposition and protest movement doing? 
• How can we help Georgia defend democracy?
• Elbridge Colby vs NAFO, Kharkiv under attack, and Fico and the disinfo mill.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe and Matt return (again) to catch up after some time. Matt shares his impressions of the "Victory" parade. Joe has upgraded. They also discuss the events recently and past, and how the modern social media cycle continues to warp our understanding of war. And Brezhnev lives.

Episode Links:

https://x.com/MattPPea/status/1788486814723887163

https://twitter.com/soldier_fella

https://u24.gov.ua/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WE’RE BACK! Joe and Matt are joined by Dr. Judas Everett, a specialist in transitions from communism who lived in Moscow, Ukraine, and Poland. 

Did Ukraine’s counteroffensive fail?

Why is doom so popular now?

How is the war in the Middle East affecting Ukraine?

What do people misunderstand about Russia?

What are the differences with Ukraine’s and Russia’s transitions from communism?

What are the causes of the border protests in Central Eastern Europe? 

Why is Seymour Hersh still a thing? 

(Recorded on 6th of December, 2023) 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe and Pingu are joined by Cormac Smith, outspoken supporter of Ukraine, formerly deputy director of communications for the UK, and with professional experience within Ukraine and working against disinformation. Also, Joe and Pingu discus useful idiots, poor journalism, and go off topic sometimes.

SUPPORT LIFE-LINE UKRAINE: https://www.lifeline-ukraine.org/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this very first live episode (well, the first part) Pingu seizes power in a glorious revolution. Replacing Joe then Matt.

Matt and Pingu learn the Konchar bridge was bombed while discussing sharkgate, agenda setting, and the quality of western journalism.

Later Joe and Pingu continue asking why is western journalism so bad. They also talk about what does waif in his underwear mean and Seymour Hersh' fall from grace. Prighozhin looms large and no one knows what's going on there.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-07-27/how-to-defeat-russia-s-black-sea-grain-blockade

https://www.wsj.com/articles/social-media-account-overseen-by-former-navy-noncommissioned-officer-helped-spread-secrets-a4b5643b

DONATE: https://u24.gov.ua/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pekka Kallioniemi, researcher and creator of Soup Central and Vatnik Soup, gets in the guest gunner seat in this episode. They discuss everything from RFK, the reasons to fight disinformation with the truth, the issues of social media platforms as marketplaces of ideas, and the importance of taking a break. Also, Joe and Matt inadvertently predict the coup attempt that happened a day after recording, reflect on a year of being in NAFO, and the importance of showing visible support to Ukraine, even in the Post Office.

The Importance of Truth

Can Twitter Be a Marketplace of Ideas?

Lessons from Vatnik Soup

Why You Should Touch Grass

Prighozin Preamble

Fellaversary

Matt goes to the Post Office

LINKS:

https://twitter.com/P_Kallioniemi

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220805-what-is-longtermism-and-why-does-it-matter

https://twitter.com/freeonis_

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 9: Matt and Joe catch up on the news, reflect on previous podcasts, and Joe debunks some myths about Ukraine

0-8:00 Catching up on the news

8:10-12:45 Recap of Ben and Paul

12:45-25:00 Cope, Boris Johnson, and Donald Trump

25:00-37:45 Debunking the "shelling of the Donbass"

37:50-49:30 Work and life in West Ukraine

LINKS:

https://u24.gov.ua/

Pingu's donation thread: https://twitter.com/TheSadPingu/status/1667515013928714240?s=20

https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/proginfo/2023/25/marianna-in-conspiracyland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.