In this episode Adam and Alexandra open with some discussion on the latest news, including the release of 14 political prisoners in Belarus, repressions taking place in Azerbaijan, Romania and Georgia. For the main deep dive, Alexandra and Nina continue on the Georgian theme by speaking with Teona Macharashvili, co-founder and board member of Caucasus Open Space, and a committed pro-democracy activist, to unpack the latest developments in Georgia. Teona shares powerful first-hand insights from t...
Jun 27, 2025•59 min
In this episode, Alexandra and Nina discuss recent developments across Central and Eastern Europe, including the latest charges in North Macedonia following the tragic nightclub fire in Kočani, ongoing protests in Serbia, and a vote of no confidence in the Czech Republic. The main interview features Daryna Pidhorna, Senior Lawyer at the Regional Centre for Human Rights. Daryna explores how Russia's aggression is targeting Ukrainian culture, impacting museums, festivals and outlines what can be d...
Jun 20, 2025•1 hr
In this special episode, Nina, Alexandra and Adam host a special episode recorded live with the Patrons of Talk Eastern Europe. They start with a discussion on recent news developments, including Ukraine’s Operation Spider Web, Bulgaria joining the Eurozone, and the latest on repressions in Georgia. During the main episode, Adam is put in the hot-seat with Alexandra and Nina asking about the recent elections in Poland. They discuss the overall results of both rounds as well as key context headin...
Jun 12, 2025•50 min
In this special edition of Talk Eastern Europe, Alexandra reports in-person from Romania for a deep dive into the recent presidential elections. She speaks with experts Laura Stefan, Diana Filimon, and Vlad Barleanu about what happened in these dramatic elections, the allegations of digital interference from Russia, how the public responded, and what it all means for Romanian democracy. Commentary by: Laura Stefan, Founder and the Rule of Law and Anticorruption Coordinator for ExpertForum Diana ...
Jun 06, 2025•45 min
In this episode Adam and Alexandra catch up on the latest news, with a discussion on the upcoming presidential election in Poland, current developments in Hungary and what is the status of the peace process in Russia’s war against Ukraine. During the deep dive, Adam sits down with journalist Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska to discuss issues in Central Asia in particular the situation surrounding the Caspian Sea. They look at the geopolitical significance of the sea region and the environment situ...
May 30, 2025•51 min
Nina and Alexandra celebrate some positive news from the Romanian and Polish elections over the weekend before updating listeners on US-brokered negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. They also discuss revelations of forgery in a shady business dealing involving Trump's son-in-law in Serbia and new efforts by the ruling party to undermine the opposition in Georgia. Alexandra then interviews Dilmurad Yusupov, an independent researcher and disability rights activist from Uzbekistan. They talk about...
May 23, 2025•47 min
In this episode, Alexandra and Adam start with updates from Ukraine and efforts to bring about a ceasefire. Meanwhile, a Polish investigation has found that a fire last year which burned down a huge shopping center in Warsaw was ordered by Russian intelligence while the country gets ready to vote in the presidential election on May 18th. Finally, Alexandra discusses the results of the recent Albania parliamentary election. Later in the episode, Nina speaks with Assem Zhapisheva, a journalist and...
May 15, 2025•57 min
Nina and Alexandra open this episode with a discussion of the first round of the much-awaited presidential election in Romania, in which the far-right candidate George Simion blew away the competition. They then talk about Russia's commemoration of Victory in Europe Day taking place on May 9th, including the various guests from our region who plan to attend. Finally, Alexandra provides updates on the student protests in Serbia and Nina closes with some positive news for press freedom in Estonia....
May 09, 2025•52 min
In this episode, Adam and Alexandra open with a discussion of the latest news, including Ukraine and the status of the Trump negotiations; the deteriorating situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina; developments in Kosovo; and the preparations for presidential elections in Romania. Later, Adam is joined by David Criekemans, an Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Antwerp (Belgium). They discuss the changing geopolitics, how the Trump administration is changing Transatla...
May 03, 2025•57 min
Adam, Alexandra, and Nina return after a short break to discuss the latest developments in the region. Topics include the situation in Ukraine, the introduction of a controversial "Russian-style" law targeting NGOs in Slovakia, the formation of a new government and prime minister in Serbia, and recent developments surrounding the presidential elections in Romania. In the main interview, Alexandra and Nina speak with Olga Skrypnyk, Chairwoman of the Crimean Human Rights Group, and Viktoria Nester...
Apr 25, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Adam, Nina, and Alexandra are finally back together to discuss some news from the region. They cover the latest military draft in Russia, ongoing strikes in Ukraine, Hungary's decision to pull out of the International Criminal Court, and Adam gives his perspective on developments on the Polish-Belarusian border. For the deep dive, Alexandra speaks with Ognen Vangelov, Assistant Professor at University American College-Skopje in North Macedonia and a research fellow at Queen's University's Centre...
Apr 11, 2025•54 min
To start of the episode, Adam and Alexandra talk about the prospect of foreign troop deployment in Ukraine, a historic border agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, a further crackdown against opposition in Georgia, and the fleeing of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik to Moscow. Alexandra is then joined by policy analyst Alejandro Esteso Pérez, who specializes in the Western Balkans, EU enlargement, corruption, and authoritarianism. Alejandro shares findings from his latest research on how...
Apr 03, 2025•39 min
Nina and Alexandra open the episode by discussing the ongoing negotiations in Riyadh between the US, Russia and Ukraine and providing an overdue update on the deteriorating situation for civil society and media in Georgia. They then talk about a potential final agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the assault of a journalist in Serbia. For the main interview, Nina and Alexandra spoke with Leanid Marozau, the Head of the Legal Department and the Advisor on Legal Affairs to Sviatlana Tsikh...
Mar 27, 2025•52 min
In this episode, Adam and Alexandra start by discussing the latest news from the region – including the fallout from the tragic fire which killed 59 people in North Macedonia as well as the massive protests which took place in Belgrade over the weekend. They also look at developments in Hungary as the opposition leader appears to be gaining momentum, while the government outlaws Budapest Pride. Later, Adam is joined by Konstantin von Eggert, an independent journalist and political analyst and we...
Mar 20, 2025•50 min
In this episode, Adam and Nina kick off with the latest headlines, including Ukraine’s ceasefire deal in exchange for renewed US military and intelligence aid, plus a NATO military chiefs’ meeting in Paris. They also break down what’s happening in Romania, the online clash between Poland’s Foreign Minister and Elon Musk, and wrap up with updates from Azerbaijan. Later, Alexandra and Nina chat with Zuzana Pavlíčková, a human rights lawyer and Fulbright Scholar under the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows...
Mar 13, 2025•54 min
Nina and Alexandra open this episode with a discussion on the latest news, including the fallout from last week’s oval office meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They also briefly touch on the political situation in Romania, Serbia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the conviction of Milorad Dodik which is being challenged by Republika Srbska. Later, Adam is joined by Isaac Stanley-Becker, an investigative reporter who has reported from across Europe and the United States. He earned his ...
Mar 06, 2025•46 min
This special episode marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The three co-hosts are joined by a group of Talk Eastern Europe patrons and Iryna Krasnoshtan, an analyst and foreign policy expert from the International Center for Ukrainian Victory. Together, they reflect on how three years of war have reshaped life in Ukraine, discussing the tensions between the US and Ukraine, the support from European allies, and the impact of the USAID funding freeze on Ukrainian ...
Feb 28, 2025•51 min
In this episode, the three co-hosts discuss key takeaways from the Munich Security Conference and a historic meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They also touch on the anniversary of Alexei Navalny’s death, Serbia’s Statehood Day, developments in Georgia, and promising news from North Macedonia. Later, Nina speaks with Konstanty Kuzma and Moritz Pfeifer, the founders and editors of the East European Film Bulletin...
Feb 21, 2025•52 min
At the start of this episode, Adam, Nina, and Alexandra discuss developments in the Georgian opposition, the shifting US stance on Ukraine, cultural anecdotes from Russia, the resignation of the Romanian president and the Baltics' energy decoupling. For the main interview, Alexandra is joined by James Kerr-Lindsay, a leading author and expert in international relations, conflict and security to discuss the case of Kosovo, which declared its independence on February 17th 2008. They talk about wha...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 11 min
In this episode, Adam and Alexandra start out by taking a look at the latest developments in the region, including the protests in Serbia, the impact of USAID funding cuts in the region, including in Ukraine, as well as a new energy deal between the European Commission and Moldova. Later, Adam is joined by Nurlan Aliyev, an expert on security issues, a lecturer in the University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw and author of the recently released book: Reassessing Russia's Security Poli...
Feb 07, 2025•50 min
In this episode, the three co-hosts Adam Reichardt, Nina Panikova and Alexandra Karppi start with some discussion about the ongoing protests in Serbia and Slovakia. They also discuss the results of last weekend’s president “election” in Belarus. Later, Adam and Alexandra are joined by Oktawian Milewski - a political scientist specialising in Central and East European studies and author of the recently published article “Countering FIMI. A review of seven countries under the Beacon Project” avail...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Happy New Year from Talk Eastern Europe! In their first episode back from the winter break, Adam, Nina and Alexandra bring listeners up to speed on Donald Trump's inauguration in the United States, presidential elections in Belarus and Croatia, and the ongoing protests in Georgia and Serbia. For the main interview, Alexandra and freelance journalist Mark Temnycky recap the war in Ukraine in 2024 and discuss what to expect in 2025. Mark shares insights on Ukraine’s heroic gains, cracks in Russia'...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Co-hosted by: Adam Reichardt, Nina Panikova In this final episode of 2024, Adam and Nina discuss the key developments from the region in 2024, what to expect in 2025, and point out their favorite episodes from the year (see below). Later, Adam is joined by Tomasz Zając, an analyst at the European Union Programme at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM). Tomasz discusses the upcoming Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union. He highlights the Polish priorities and wha...
Dec 29, 2024•52 min
Co-hosted by: Adam Reichardt, Nina Panikova and Alexandra Karppi In this episode, our co-hosts start with the latest news developments from Serbia, Ukraine and Georgia. Later in the episode, Nina chats with Julia Ivanochko, Editor-in-Chief of Ukraїner po polsku , the Polish-language edition of Ukraїner . They dive into Ukraine’s experience with Russian colonialism, how it compares to Western ideas of colonialism, and the main narratives about Ukraine that still linger today. Julia also shares he...
Dec 19, 2024•56 min
In this episode, all three hosts discuss a turbulent week in the region, starting with the Romanian Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the presidential election, followed by developments in Ukraine and Georgia. They also celebrate Bulgaria and Romania’s entry into the EU Schengen Area. Later, Alexandra and Nina talk with Aleksandra Wojtaszek, a Polish translator and journalist, about her book Fjaka: A Season for Croatia . They delve into topics like tourism, the recent war, and the Dalmati...
Dec 14, 2024•1 hr 6 min
In this episode, Alexandra and Nina start off with updates about the massive pro-EU protests across Georgia, speak about the recent explosion in the northern part of Kosovo, and touch upon election-related developments in Romania and Bulgaria. They close with news from Croatia, where the Health Minister was arrested on corruption charges brought by the European Public Prosecutor's Office. Later, Adam is joined by Fatos Lubonja, a writer and critic based in Albania. Fatos is a significant voice i...
Dec 06, 2024•46 min
In this episode, Alexandra and Nina delve into the surprising results of the first round of Romania's presidential elections and examine the latest developments in Serbia following the collapse of the Novi Sad train station. They also discuss news from Ukraine and Russia and conclude with some uplifting developments from Northern Macedonia. Later in the episode, Adam is joined by Hleb Liapeika, a former journalist who now coordinates communication efforts for the Belarusian diaspora in Krakow, P...
Nov 29, 2024•53 min
In this episode, Alexandra, Adam, and Nina discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, protests in Abkhazia, and the recent parliamentary elections in Georgia. They also reflect on the 35th anniversary of the Czechoslovak Velvet Revolution and other key events of 1989. Adam and Nina are later joined by Leyla Mustafayeva, acting editor-in-chief of Abzas Media, who shares insights into Azerbaijan’s crackdown on civil society and media, including the use of the 29th UN Climate Summit to silence critics. ...
Nov 22, 2024•42 min
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUqj40e3GDQ In this special episode which was live streamed on November 14th 2024, Adam, Alexandra and Nina start off with a roundup of the news, discussing Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan Georgia, Serbia and Albania. Later, they are joined by our guests Zsuzsanna Végh and Pavel Havlíček. They discuss the consequences of the election of Donald Trump in the United States for Central and Eastern Europe. They also share their insights on th...
Nov 15, 2024•1 hr 2 min
*Disclaimer – this podcast was recorded before the results of the US election were announced* In this episode, Alexandra is back and joins Adam with a brief discussion on the latest news in the region. First they discuss the US elections – recorded on election day – and what might the vote mean for Central and Eastern Europe, especially Russia’s war in Ukraine. They briefly examine European Commission’s latest report on enlargement and its assessment of the progress in the Western Balkans. Later...
Nov 07, 2024•48 min
