Explaining Ukraine

In this episode of “Explaining Ukraine”, we will take a look at the major trends and events in and around Ukraine in 2021, including: Russia’s military escalations on Ukraine’s borders; President Zelensky’s confrontations with opponents and oligarchs; positive and negative trends in reforms; how Ukrainian citizens see these developments, and more. Support us: patreon.com/ukraineworld

Russia is amassing its troops on the Ukrainian border, and the risks of a new large-scale military escalation are high. Is it all a bluff, or is the threat real? Is there a consensus in the United States about it? What are the possible solutions on the table? Is the Zelensky Administration prepared for a military invasion? UkraineWorld’s chief editor Volodymyr Yermolenko discusses these issues with Peter Dickinson, chief editor of the UkraineAlert blog at the Atlantic Council. Support us: patreon.com/ukraineworld

This episode is about Crimea. Not only about Crimea’s seizure and occupation by Russia in 2014, but about its longer history: the history of Stalin’s brutal deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944, the history of Russian colonialism, of erasing memory and the displacement of people, the history of Ukrainian-Crimean Tatar relations, and the history of cultural solidarity and intercultural memory. UkraineWorld’s chief editor Volodymyr Yermolenko talks with Rory Finnin, Director of the Ukrainian Studies Programme at the University of Cambridge. Support us: patreon.com/ukraineworld

We continue discussing the Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border, as well as the possible threat of a full–scale Russian military attack. UkraineWorld’s chief editor Volodymyr Yermolenko talks with well-known Ukrainian foreign policy expert Oleksandr Sushko, the executive director of the International Renaissance Foundation. In this episode, we also try to reflect what Russia's motivations are, and if it is going to press for a new European security order, or a “new Yalta”. Support us: patreon.com/ukraineworld

How can we look at Ukrainian history in new ways? How can we view it from a multi-national, international or global perspective? Is the “borderland” metaphor productive? How can we go beyond “imperial” or “national” approaches to history? What can Ukrainian history teach us about the present? What new approaches it can suggest to global history? UkraineWorld’s chief editor Volodymyr Yermolenko talks with Katherine Younger, historian of Central and Eastern Europe, research director of the “Ukraine in the European Dialogue” programme at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna. Support us: patreon.com/ukraineworld

Russia has been increasing its military buildup all along the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian and international leaders and experts openly talk about a possibility of a full-scale invasion. Is Russia likely to attack, and are Ukraine and its Western partners prepared for it? UkraineWorld’s chief editor Volodymyr Yermolenko will analyze the situation with James Sherr, a well-known expert on Russia, Ukraine and international security. Mr Sherr is a senior fellow at the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the International Centre for Defence & Security in Tallinn, and an associate fellow at Russia and Eurasian Programme at Chatham House in London. Support us: patreon.com/ukraineworld

In our new episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast, we look at developments in and around Ukraine in November 2021. Last month, Ukraine witnessed an ever-increasing build-up of Russian troops along its border; President Zelensky found himself in the midst of a scandal following an allegedly failed special operation; Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s wealthiest oligarch, has become an enemy of the President following allegations over a failed special operation; the migration crisis at the EU-Belarus border has created imminent security threats for Ukraine.

This month’s episode of our Explaining Ukraine podcast focuses on major events and trends in October 2021. Ukraine accelerates vaccination amid stronger corona threats; the EU and Ukraine sign a deal on open skies and update their association agreement, opening up new possibilities for businesses and citizens; Russia weaponizes gas against both the EU and Ukraine, cuts coal supplies to Ukraine and threatens to leave it with an energy deficit in winter; Russian troops are reportedly massing on Ukraine’s border. Hosts of the podcast: UkraineWorld’s chief editor Volodymyr Yermolenko and analyst Maksym Panchenko.

In our new episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast, we look at developments in and around Ukraine in September 2021. Last month, the Verkhovna Rada passed an anti-oligarch bill; its chairman Dmytro Razumkov was ostracized by his own party; President Zelensky delivered an impassioned address to the UN; Ukraine was embroiled in a yet another diplomatic row with Hungary over its new gas contract with Moscow; and President Zelensky faced backlash and public scrutiny following revelations from the Pandora Papers.

In our new episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast, we look at developments in and around Ukraine in August 2021. Last month, the country celebrated the 30th anniversary of the restoration of its independence; the launch of the Crimean Platform gathered representatives from 46 countries and institutions for its inaugural summit in Kyiv; President Zelensky traveled to Washington for his long-awaited meeting with Joe Biden, and Angela Merkel traveled to Kyiv weeks before her retirement as Germany’s Chancellor.