On June 6th Russia blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydropower plant in Southern Ukraine. This act of geopolitical terrorism and ecocide produces a major environmental disaster for decades to come. It also puts the Zaporizzhia nuclear power plant (the biggest NPP in Europe) at a significant risk. We have recorded a Twitter space to discuss this tragedy, based on our conversations with the Ukrainian experts and journalists. Volodymyr Yermolenko, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, is joined by Maksy...
Jun 06, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia’s daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities; a drone attack on Moscow; Ukraine’s efforts to create a coalition to deliver Patriot air defense systems; China’s peace diplomacy in Europe; the US new aid package to Ukraine; another raid by the Russian Volunteer Corps in Belgorod; and the creation of a Marine Corps in Ukraine. - This is our weekly overview of key events and trends in and around Ukraine. Volodymyr Yermolenko, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, is joined by Maksym Panchenko, journal...
Jun 05, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why is Ukraine important to the Jewish world? Which figures and elements of Jewish religious history and culture are linked to Ukraine? How can we look at Ukrainian and Jewish history in a way that treats tragedies with justice but also discovers parallels and interconnections? – Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld, speaks to Rabbi Jacobson, a Jewish scholar, best-selling author, and Founding Dean of The Meaningful Life Center in New York. Thinking in Dar...
Jun 03, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast A conversation about the Ukrainian experience during the war, Russian fascism, the future of this war, and Ukrainian security. Volodymyr Yermolenko, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, was a guest on Ukraine Calling, a podcast by Hromadske Radio, a Ukrainian independent radio broadcaster. Host: Andriy Kulykov, Chairman of the Hromadske Radio NGO and a Ukrainian radio and TV journalist. Original: https://hromadske.radio/en/podcasts/ukraine-calling/i-do-think-that-ukraine-is-able-to-not-only-too-jus...
May 30, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Bakhmut, F-16 fighter jets, Russian volunteer corps attacks Russia - Explaining Ukraine Weekly, 22-29 May 7 key events in and around Ukraine over the past week: Zelensky on G7 meeting; agreement on F16 fighter jets; Russia ready to transfer nukes to Belarus; Ukraine returns its POWs; the situation in Bakhmut; Russian volunteer corps attacks Russia; Putin sends even more missiles and drones on Ukraine. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld For patrons: deeper analysis of three topics: the deport...
May 29, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast A conversation about Ukrainian identity, Europe, and Russian imperialism. Volodymyr Yermolenko, UkraineWorld’s chief editor, was a guest of the Silicon Curtain podcast (https://www.youtube.com/@SiliconCurtain) and its host Jonathan Fink. Original (video): https://youtu.be/v4y-l6jsJeA UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian media NGOs. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld
May 24, 2023•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Argentinian journalist Carolina Amoroso speaks about her experience of reporting from Ukraine during the war. She shares her understanding of the Ukrainian struggle, the strength of Ukrainian resistance, and the driving role of women in Ukrainians’ fight for their freedom. Carolina Amoroso is an Argentinian journalist and book author who has won several media awards in her country. She has reported from Ukraine during the Russian invasion. – Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian...
May 23, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why should we avoid dividing Europe into “Western,” “Central,” and “Eastern,” and instead speak of Europe as a whole? What is Ukraine’s struggle bringing to the European idea? What is it like for a British intellectual to visit Ukraine during the war? Why must Europe regain its strength and power? Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, speaks to Timothy Garton Ash, a British historian, the author of eleven books on politics and the ‘history of the prese...
May 19, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast How does Russian propaganda manipulate World War II, and how is it using the Allied victory over Nazism to justify its current invasion of Ukraine? How does Russia make the "West" into an enemy, and how has this process evolved since 2022? How does Russia use pop culture to promote its narratives and justify its cruel war against Ukraine? Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org Volodymyr Yermolenko, speaks to Søren Liborius, Chief Advisor in the EU External Action ...
May 09, 2023•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia has tried to assert a monopoly for itself in the victory over Nazism in WWII. But what role did Ukrainians and other nations of the former USSR play in this victory? What is the role of 1945 in Russia's current ideology? How has it influenced the Russian invasion of Ukraine? What are the major elements of the Ukrainian political identity that explain the country's resistance today? Has Russia been defeated in wars in the past? Will Russian defeat today be good for Russia itself? – Ukraini...
May 09, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast A Ukrainian man lost 7 members of his family, including 3 children, in a matter of seconds. They were killed by a Russian bomb in Izyum in March 2022. We met him one year after this tragedy and will tell you his story. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, head of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld . Support our volu...
May 05, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nicolas Tenzer is a French philosopher, analyst, and author of numerous texts about the issues of security and strategy. He founded and runs the blog “Tenzer Strategics” (in English). Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld, speaks to Nicolas Tenzer about the similarities between Nazism and Stalinism/Putinism, about morality in politics, and the need for more Western involvement in the fight against Putinist Russia. UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews...
Apr 25, 2023•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Andrii Portnov is a Ukrainian historian and essayist, the Chair Professor of Entangled History of Ukraine at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany, and one of the EU's rare professors of Ukrainian history. Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld, speaks to Andrii Portnov about stereotypes we need to overcome when looking at Ukrainian history, about the blind spots of the Ukrainian past, and the ideological diversity of Ukrainian inte...
Apr 21, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast What is happening on the frontline? Are Russian claims of taking over Bakhmut true? What does the situation on the Eastern front look like? Are there still people living in destroyed frontline villages? Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. Support our humanitarian tri...
Apr 06, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Finland has officially joined NATO, which is further proof that the results of Russia’s foreign policy are contrary to its strategic goals. Russia has drafted a new “foreign policy doctrine” in which it claims to be a “state-civilization,” in line with the worst far-right Eurasianist ideas. - In a new episode of the series Around Ukraine, Volodymyr Yermolenko, UkraineWorld’s chief editor, speaks to UkraineWorld analyst Maksym Panchenko. Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld.org, a webs...
Apr 05, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast PEN International, a worldwide association of writers, presented its 2022 CASE LIST, which documents 115 cases of writers facing harassment, arrest, violence and even death. This episode is a recording of an online panel of writers and activists discussing the situation surrounding freedom of expression globally, on the occasion of the publication of the 2022 Case list. The discussion focuses on cases in Ukraine under Russian attack, Egypt, Myanmar, and Nicaragua. Participants include Ma Thida (...
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Putin is threatening to deploy Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus. This could amount to a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. China and Japan have opposing attitudes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which shows a clear divide between the two major Asian powers. In a new episode of the series Around Ukraine, Volodymyr Yermolenko, UkraineWorld’s chief editor, speaks to UkraineWorld analyst Maksym Panchenko. Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld.org, a website in English...
Mar 28, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fighting corruption is an essential element of Ukraine’s EU integration. To understand the EU perspective on this process, we spoke to Allan Pagh Kristensen, a Danish diplomat who heads the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld. UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the oldest Ukrainian media NGOs. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. Support our humanitarian trips to the frontline are...
Mar 27, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its occupation of large parts of Ukraine’s Black Sea littoral zone caused serious problems for the exports of Ukrainian food worldwide. Although a “grain deal” was signed, it remains fragile, with Russia threatening to end it and blaming Ukraine for causing a food security crisis. In this episode of our “Propaganda Diary,” we analyze how Russia talks about the grain deal in its discourse to manipulate the global public and blame the victim. Volodymyr Yermolenko, ...
Mar 24, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast China’s leader Xi Jinping paid a visit to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin and stress the strength of the China-Russia axis. The visit took place days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin and Russia’s children rights ombudswoman Mariya Lvova-Belova for ordering and overseeing the kidnapping of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. Russia downed an American drone over the Black Sea, well beyond Russian territorial waters. In a ...
Mar 22, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Askold Melnyczuk is a prominent American writer of Ukrainian descent, and author of books What Is Told; Ambassador of the Dead; House of Widows; The Man Who Would Not Bow, and others. His novels have earned honors as a New York Times Notable, an LA Times Best Books of the Year, and an Editor’s Choice by the American Library Association’s Booklist. Melnyczuk has also translated numerous Ukrainian authors into English. Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld, s...
Mar 21, 2023•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gillian Tett is a British journalist and author. She is chair of the editorial board and US editor-at-large of the Financial Times. She is the author of "Fool's Gold"; "The Silo Effect" and "Anthro-Vision: A New Way to See in Business and Life". Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld, speaks to Gillian Tett about how anthropology can help us understand the world, what the West has gotten wrong about Ukraine in the past, and how Russian imperialism is differe...
Mar 19, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of our "Propaganda Diary", we discuss joint Ukrainian-Slovak research studying the key narratives of Russian propaganda in both countries. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld. Guests: Peter Dubóczi, Research fellow of Adapt Institute and Director of Infosecurity.sk, and Alona Hryshko, journalist and analyst at UkraineWorld. UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the oldest Ukrainian media NGOs. Support us at patr...
Mar 17, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is there a risk of the West changing course with its Ukraine policy? Are democratic values moving eastwards with the protests in Georgia? Why should we be worried about Russian-Iranian military trade? In a new episode of our Around Ukraine series, Volodymyr Yermolenko, UkraineWorld’s chief editor, speaks to UkraineWorld analyst Maksym Panchenko. Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld.org, a website in English about Ukraine, brought to you by Internews Ukraine. Support us at patreon.com/...
Mar 15, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Svyatoslav Vakarchuk is a Ukrainian rock star, the leader of the rock band Okean Elzy, and one of Ukraine’s most popular modern musicians. He is also a civic activist, and formerly a politician, who founded the political party Holos (“Voice”). Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher and UkraineWorld’s chief editor, speaks to Vakarchuk about Ukrainian culture, the country’s fight for freedom, music on the frontline, Ukraine’s difference from Russia, and the deep roots of the Ukrainian resis...
Mar 14, 2023•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Despite the war, many Ukrainian academics and students remain in the country and continue doing academic and research work. In this episode, we explain why Ukrainian universities and academics need support, and why the war is a time for thinking, but also for action. Volodymyr Yermolenko, the chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, speaks to Aaron James Wendland, Vision Fellow in Public Philosophy at King’s College, London, and a Senior Research Fellow at Massey College, Toronto. We also talk about th...
Mar 13, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast A few days ago we made a trip to Nikopol, an industrial town in southern Ukraine located 6 kilometers from the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, now occupied by Russian troops. Russians shell the town every day with artillery, but despite this regular bombardment and the risk of a major nuclear disaster, we met active and optimistic people. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist i...
Mar 09, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kryvyi Rih is a big industrial Ukrainian city, and the hometown of president Zelenskyy. We went there to see what the city looks like during the war, and how (and if) it is changing. In this episode, we try to describe both the civic and political life of the city. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist in charge of international outreach at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Suppor...
Mar 09, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of our Propaganda Diary, we analyze the vocabulary of Russian propaganda about Ukraine. An “anti-Russia,” “puppet of the West,” “former country”, “nezalezhnaya,” and “terrorist state” - why and how do Russian propagandists use these words, and what purpose do they serve? Volodymyr Yermolenko, UkraineWorld’s chief editor, speaks to UkraineWorld analysts Alona Hryshko and Anastasia Herasymchuk. Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld.org, a website in English about Ukraine,...
Mar 08, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ukraine may be preparing a counter-offensive in the spring, and therefore needs military support, both in equipment and ammunition. Ukrainian pilots are in the US, which might mean that fighter jets may be on the way in the future. The G20 summit in New Delhi features Russia, but not Ukraine. In a new episode of the series Around Ukraine, Volodymyr Yermolenko, UkraineWorld’s chief editor, speaks to UkraineWorld analyst Maksym Panchenko. Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld.org, a webs...
Mar 08, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
