After a far too long August hiatus, Ukraine Without Hype is Back. Anthony Bartaway runs down some of the top news stories that we missed while we were away. These include the current Russian military buildup, Belarus spurring on a migrant crisis, an update on the Nordstream 2 pipeline, the end of the war in Afghanistan and Ukraine's role in evacuating refugees, Zelensky's bizarre presser and how it relates to press freedoms, the Crimea Platform, the Pandora Papers, checking in on the far-right post-Avakov, a covid update, public Hannukah observance as a mark of progress, and the death and rebirth of the Kyiv Post. A lot has happened.

For the August 3rd edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway go over the large-scale personnel changes at the top of the Ministries of Defense and Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian military. Most of the attention goes to the newly-minted Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrsky. Then, on to a recent law that protects the rights of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine.

For the July 21st edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway go over a bombshell story from the week: the irreplaceable Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has finally been replaced. Then, we cover how Ukraine is implementing one of the reforms most demanded from international partners: the opening up of agricultural land for purchase, something that was previously banned. Finally, a small section on the arrest of a left-wing activist on manufactured charges and his possible deportation to Belarus.

For the July 5th edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway go over Ukraine's most recent attempts to spur NATO leadership into moving forward with its ascension into the alliance. Then, we cover the next oligarch to have come into the sights of the current, though flawed, push for de-oligarchization: Dmytro Firtash. We close with some brief thoughts on William Shatner's new business relationship with Russia Today, which even he seemed confused about, and the unfolding story of the assault on Tbilisi Pride.

For the June 8th edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway cover delve into the story of pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, his treason investigation, and what that means in terms of a larger "de-oligarchization" effort. Then, updates on the situation in Belarus, where the Lukashenko regime is making such flagrant use of torture that they invited Russian militants from Donbas to help them do it.

For the May 25th edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway cover the still-breaking news about Belarus forcing down a Ryanair flight en route to Vilnius in order to kidnap an opposition journalist. Then, the ridiculous case of a pro-Russian member of the Verkhovna Rada who bumbled and bribed his way into a doctorate.

For the May 10th edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway delve into revelations about Russia's covert operations in Europe following a round of antagonistic diplomatic actions between Czechia and its allies, and Russia. Then, we discuss the career of possibly the most corrupt judge in Ukraine, Pavlo Vovk, and whether it might be coming to an end.

For the return of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway look at the Russian military buildup that had positioned itself for war and set Ukraine on edge before the Kremlin announced it was only a military exercise. Then, we narrow our scope to look into the Ukrainian protest movement that has been built around supporting jailed right-wing leader turned anti-corruption activist Serhiy Sternenko.

On this week's episode of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Maria Romanenko discuss the aftermath and early results for local elections in Ukraine, a controversial Constitutional Court decision that could spell the end of anti-corruption efforts in the country, and protests in Poland following the Polish government's total ban on legal abortions.

On this newly returned episode of Ukraine Without Hype, hosts and journalists Romeo Kokriatski and Maria Romanenko discuss the biggest stories of Ukraine, and the region. This week - the upcoming Ukrainian local elections, the players, the numbers, the parties, and much, much more!