War in Ukraine: Update from Kyiv

Ivan Shmatko, doctoral student in Criminology at  the University of Alberta, and Dafna Rachok, doctoral candidate in Anthropology at the University of Indiana, both from Ukraine and currently in Kyiv, share their experiences of war, invasion, volunteering, civil society and Ukraine's resolve. Follow Ivan on twitter: @shmatkoivan Follow Dafna on twitter: @dafnarachok Link to come back alive   Link...

Toby Newstead, Lecturer in Management at the University of Tasmania, and Suze Wilson, Senior Lecturer at the School of Management at Massey University in New Zealand, discuss the importance of character and virtues to good leadership - and how this applies to what we have seen of President Zelensky's leadership during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Suze and Toby on virtues and Zelens...

Jamie Shea, with 30 years experience as a NATO official including as NATO spokesperson during the war in Kosovo and as NATO's Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, discusses NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, NATO's response, and what Sweden and Finland's membership means for the alliance.  Jamie Shea - Strategy and Security Institute  Jamie...

Volodymy Dubovyk, Associate Professor of International Relations at Mechnikov University in Odessa, Ukraine discusses US-Ukraine relations with a view from Ukraine. We discuss the evolution of US-Ukraine relations since the breakdown of the USSR, relations during President Zelensky's terms, and since the full-scale Russian invasion on 24 February this year.  Volodymyr Dubovyk, Davis Center for Rus...

This was an extensive, in-depth and informative discussion with Matthew Light, Associate Professor of Criminology and Sociolegal Studies at the University of Toronto, expert on post-Soviet states. Matthew outlines the different trajectories of post-Soviet states, Kazhakstan's refusal to support recognition of Russian-backed regions in Ukraine as sovereign territories, the approach and position of...

Oleksandr Kraiev, Director of the North America Program at the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council in Kyiv , discusses the full-cale Russian invasion, life in Kyiv, and developments in coming months.    Oleksandr Kraiev - Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council  For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Matthew Ford, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sussex, and Andrew Hoskins, Professor of Global Security at the University of Glasgow discuss Radical War - the way in which data and digitization are transforming warfare in the twenty-first century - smartphones in war, the new war ecology and the nature of attention. FYI - for non-Brits - 'a bit marmite' translates as...

Maksym Yali, Head of the Center for New World Order and Professor of International Relations at the National Aviation University in Kyiv, provides a response from Kyiv to EU leaders visits to Kyiv and reflects on mounting losses for Russian forces.  For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer  

Mark Galeotti, director of Mayak Intelligence, honorary Professor at University College London, and senior associate fellow with the Royal United Services Institute, discusses new ways of warfare, responses, Putin's invasion of Ukraine ... and a fascinating story on the origin of The Gerasimov Doctrine (spoiler alert: Mark coined the term!).  Mark's blog and info on recent books: In Moscow's Shado...

British Maj, Gen. Chip Chapman (ret.), who fought in the Falklands War, worked as the Head of Counterterrorism for the British Ministry of Defence served as the Senior British Military Advisor to the US Central Command, engages in a wide-ranging and thoughtful analysis of the current conflict in Ukraine - the early weeks, key misperceptions, and evaluation of the current situation and possible out...

US Army Maj. John Spencer (ret.), expert on urban warfare, breaks down the story of how a twitter thread on urban warfighting turned into The Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender - translated into Ukrainian - (and 8 other languages!) - and distributed to Ukrainian armed forces as a how-to guide for urban combat.    Read the  Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender  Learn more about John Spencer and his w...

Rory Cormac, Professor of International Relations at University of Nottingham, discusses his recent book ' How to Stage a Coup: And Ten Other Lessons from the World of Secret Statecraft '. We engage in a lively discussion about covert action, disinformation and conditions for a successful coup. Fascinating deep-dive into a timely issue-area.  Rory Cormac - How to Stage a Coup  Follow Rory on twitt...

Greg Carleton, Professor of Literature and Cultural Studies at Tufts University, joins me to discuss Russia's national identity of engaging in a perpetual war, the stories that underpin this identity, and the way in which fractures in these stories might shape the trajectory of conflict in Ukraine.  Greg's book on the intersection between war and Russian national identity: Russia - The Story of Wa...

Maksym Yali, Professor of International Relations at the National Aviation University in Kyiv, provides an update - discussing Putin's recent 'rebranding' of the war and Ukrainians' on-going readiness to continue fighting in Donbas.    For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer 

Ulrike Franke, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and leader of the ECFR's Technology and European Power initiative, with a focus on German and European security and defence, discusses Germany's position vis-a-vis Ukraine including Germany's approach to defense, military capability and war in Ukraine.    Follow Ulrike on twitter: @rikefranke Ulrike Franke on G...

Frank Ledwidge, Senior Lecturer in Law and Strategy at the University of Portsmouth and a former military intelligence officer who served in the Blalkans, Iraq and Afghanistan, discusses functions of air power, how this has played out in the war in Ukraine, and implications for the future of aerial warfare. Frank on air power: Aerial Warfare: The Battle for the Skies Frank on military strategy: Lo...

Miroslav Mares, Professor of Political Science at the Masaryk University in the Czech Repulbic, discusses disinformation and the Russia-Ukraine conflict - in the Czech context, including insight into drivers, mechanisms and responses.  Miroslav Mares on Russian disinformation  Miroslav Mares on responses to new security threats   For episode updates - follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Maksym Yali, Head of the Center for New World Order and Professor of International Relations at the National Aviation University in Kyiv, discusses significance of missiles in Kyiv and evolving situation in Donbas (6 June)    For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer 

In this episode, Julie Diamond, founder of Diamond Leadership, whose work focuses on the intersection of power and conflict, discusses types of power, how our awareness of power relates to conflict situations, and considers some ways in which this applies at the level of political interactions.  Julie's book Power: A User's Guide Follow Julie on Twitter: @julie_diamond Find out more about Julie Di...

Joshua Rovner, Assoc. Professor of International Service at the American University in Washington DC and expert on the intelligence domain, discusses the role of intelligence in the lead-up to and during the war in Ukraine, (lack of?) cyber attacks and importance of the information domain.  Joshua on intelligence and the Ukraine conflict for War on the Rocks Joshua Rovner: Fixing the Facts - Natio...

Darren Lim, Senior Lecturer in politics and international relations at the Australian National University, with a focus on geoeconomics, global governance and Sino-US competition, discusses China's response and position vis-a-vis the Urkaine conflict, as well as implications for China's economic relations, intentions towards Taiwan, and place in the international order.   Check out Darren's foreig...

Mick Ryan, Major General , AM (ret.) of the Australian Army, who served in the Australian Defence Forces for over 35 years as well as commander of the Australian Defence College, discusses his recently-released book War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First Century Great Power Competition and Conflict  . Mick coments on how the fourth industrial revolution will shape warfighting, key challenges...

Sascha Dov Bachmann, Lieutenant Colonel of the German army reserves, Professor of Law at the University of Canberra and co-convener of the National Security Hub at the Institute for Governance and Policy, discusses global security threats, NATO's preparedness to face these threats, and military recalibration - in the context of the current conflict in Ukraine.  National Security Hub, Institute for...

Maksym Yali, Prof. of International Relations at the National Aviation University in Kyiv and regular guest of the podcast, updates on the situation in Donbas and current mood in Ukraine.  For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer 

Mikael Wigell, Research Director at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, discusses geoeconomic dimensions of the Ukraine conflict including EU's use of economic statecraft, Russia's isolation and Finland's strategy of economic hedging.  Mikael on the EU and geoeconomic power Mikael on hybrid interference  Follow Mikael on twitter @MWigell For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicag...