This special episode marking the second anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine features four short-form interviews with Ukrainians in the country and outside it. First, Nina and Alexandra discuss the news of the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who was murdered while imprisoned in one of Russia's northernmost prisons.
Later, Nina and Alexandra share four stories from Ukraine with the following guests. Each guest shared their personal stories, reflections from the last two years, what they have been doing to support Ukraine, and the hopes they have for Ukraine's future.

Mariya Chukhnova is a trilingual (Ukrainian, Russian, English) expert in international security and regional knowledge, specializing in Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine and Russia. With a diverse background in the rule of law, anti-corruption, and international security, she is originally from Ukraine and is now based in the US.
Maksym Kyiak is the chief scientist at the Kuras Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and a chief expert at the Ukrainian NGO ANTS – National Interests Advocacy Network. He is based in Kyiv.
Nazar Boykov is a political scientist and expert on elections based in Lviv. He is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at West Virginia University and a founder and chief executive at the Ukrainian NGO CIFRA Group.
Oleksandr Shchur is the writer and producer of the new film Bucha, which tells the story of a refugee from Kazakhstan who saved hundreds of Ukrainians in occupied territories in the spring of 2022.

Check out the latest issue of New Eastern Europe: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2024/02/07/issue-1-2-2024-elections-without-choice/

Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEurope

Follow Mariya on Linkedin to support her advocacy work and fundraising: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariya-chukhnova-903554130?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BIJPL9ERXTcmi16Ov7g4s5A%3D%3D.

Check out Mariya's other work: The Quiet of the Russian Diaspora in the US (VoxUkraine) Deliberate Destruction of Ukrainian Scientific Infrastructure by Russia: The Urgency of Its Protection and Restoration (The Critical Mass)

Learn more about Oleksandar's film Bucha: https://bucha.film/.

Ep. 49 - Playoff Hockey is Awesome