Explaining Ukraine

Host Volodymyr Yermolenko welcomes two experts of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future: Pavlo Klimkin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019, and Andreas Umland, General Editor of the book series "Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society" at ibidem Press in Stuttgart. They discuss the pandemic's far-reaching repercussions for the international system and Ukraine’s place in it.

In this podcast, host Volodymyr Yermolenko welcomes Yulia Fediv, the executive director of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. The conversation is focused on recent trends in the Ukrainian culture, Ukrainian creative class, current cultural renaissance, and the new ecosystem of Ukrainian cultural institutions.

Host Volodymyr Yermolenko welcomes Ukrainian philosopher Vakhtang Kebuladze to talk about the current Ukrainian approach to World War II memory. They discuss the differences between Ukrainian and Russian commemoration approaches, as well as dilemmas of Ukrainian de-communization.

Host Volodymyr Yermolenko welcomes Kostiantyn Kvurt, a well-known Ukrainian media expert and the head of board of Internews Ukraine, one of the leading Ukrainian media NGOs. They discuss whether Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is a part of Kremlin’s broader strategy in the post-Soviet space, and what are the key elements of Russian tactics in information warfare.

Host Volodymyr Yermolenko welcomes Ukrainian foreign policy expert Hanna Shelest in an online podcast. They discuss the first year of President Zelensky’s foreign policy: Kyiv's relations with the US, Russia, and the EU, as well as the attempts to find a solution to the war in eastern Ukraine.

Host Volodymyr Yermolenko welcomes well-known Ukrainian financial expert Serhiy Fursa (columnist at nv.ua). They discuss the threat posed by oligarch Kolomoyskyi for Ukraine's cooperation with the IMF, and about 16,000 (!) amendments introduced by Kolomoyskyi’s people in Parliament to the banking law, as well as Ukraine's resilience in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Host Volodymyr Yermolenko (Ukraine World, Internews Ukraine) welcomes to the studio Volodymyr Sheiko, the Ukrainian Institute's Director-General. They discuss the recent renaissance of the Ukrainian culture, the Ukrainian movie industry, visual arts, and music.

Host Volodymyr Yermolenko (Ukraine World, Internews Ukraine) welcomes to the studio Nataliya Gumenyuk, Ukrainian journalist specialized in international security and conflict reporting who has been regularly visiting occupied Crimea since the annexation. They discuss Gumenyuk’s book “The Lost Island” covering the situation in the occupied Crimea and life of the people on the annexed peninsula. Why do Crimean Tatars stay in Crimea notwithstanding the persecution? What is the life of people who supported the annexation by Russia? What can Ukraine and the international community do to help Crimeans? Nataliya Gumenyuk explains in our podcast.

Host Volodymyr Yermolenko (Ukraine World, Internews Ukraine) welcomes to the studio Christopher Miller, correspondent covering Eastern Europe for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, BuzzFeed News, etc. They discuss the outcomes of the Normandy Summit, as well as compromises and discrepancies between Russia and Ukraine.

Host Volodymyr Yermolenko (Ukraine World, Internews Ukraine) welcomes to the studio Robert van der Noordaa, leading Dutch investigative journalist working on the MH17 case. They discuss among other issues the recent developments and prospects for the investigation, Russia’s role in the downing and conspiracy theories around it.