Explaining Ukraine

What lessons does Ukraine have for the world today? How does its history resemble the histories and cultures of other post-colonial nations? Can Ukraine develop a new 21st-century ecoculture based on its folkloric traditions? This is a new episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast from UkraineWorld. Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, speak...

Can we call the current conflict a genocidal war? Why is Russia willing to eliminate Ukraine and Ukrainian identity? Why does it consider Ukraine an “artificial nation?” What are the deeper roots of Russia’s genocidal intentions? This is a new episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast from UkraineWorld. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld...

Oleksandra Matviychuk is a Ukrainian human rights defender, and the head of the Centre for Civil Liberties, a Ukrainian NGO which was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Volodymyr Yermolenko, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, speaks to Oleksandra Matviychuk about her Nobel lecture, the need to bring back focus on human rights worldwide, and the need to ensure justice for the victims of war. The go...

Local apocalypse in Eastern Ukraine. We went there again, and this is what we can tell you. In some villages, every single house has been destroyed, without exception, and some tiny towns have been practically wiped off the face of the earth. It will be a long time before normal life can return to these places. This is the result of the Russian crime of aggression, cruel and senseless. This is our...

Anne Applebaum is an American journalist and historian, Pulitzer Prize winner (2004), author of numerous books about Eastern Europe and global politics, and Washington Post columnist. Volodymyr Yermolenko, chief editor of UkraineWorld, speaks to Anne Applebaum about the deep roots of the Ukrainian resistance, the history of Russian totalitarianism, KGB politics, and the cult of impunity. The goal...

In this episode, we’re giving an overview of Ukraine in 2022: suffering and heroism of the full-scale war; Russian war crimes and genocidal violence; and the strength and resistance of Ukrainian society. 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...

Kherson, a regional capital in Southern Ukraine, was liberated from Russian occupation in November. Since then, Russians have been trying to make life in the city unbearable. They shell it with artillery every day. We went to Kherson on a volunteer mission with PEN Ukraine and will tell you the city's story in this episode. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief e...

The city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine has been under constant Russian bombardment for 9 months. The city has lived without water and electricity for a long time. The situation improved after Ukrainians liberated Kherson, another regional capital 80 km from Mykolaiv. We went to Mykolaiv with PEN Ukraine to learn how the city is living today. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and...

Why do women play such an important role in Ukrainian culture? How is Ukrainian feminist emancipation connected with national emancipation? Who are the Ukrainian female authors you need to know about? 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...

How can we explain Russian war crimes? Do they derive from a specific cult of violence present in Russian history? Why is the value of life so low in Russian politics and society? 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...

Russia shelled the center of Kherson on Dec 24th, on Chrismas eve, killing at least 10 and wounding over 50 people. Putin and Lukashenka are preparing a new attempt to attack Kyiv. Zelensky visited the frontline in Bakhmut, and made the first (since Feb 24) trip abroad to Washington and Warsaw. This is an overview of key events and trends in and around Ukraine on December 18-24th, 2022. Hosts: Vol...

Ukrainian social and political life is profoundly decentralized. It is based upon the idea of the hromada, an autonomous grassroots community, able to defend itself when it is facing aggression. This is what is happening now with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. One of the intellectual roots of this decentralized political culture can be found in the prominent Ukrainian 19th century intellectual M...

Kazymyr Malevych was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His Black Square and other paintings revolutionized the avant garde art of the early 20th century. He was born in Kyiv to a Polish family, and his style and thinking were inspired by Ukrainian folk art, but he is still presented worldwide as a Russian artist. In this episode, we will try to show you why Malevych should b...

What does it look like to spend 36 hours without electricity, water, mobile connection, and heating? We, along with so many other Ukrainians, are experiencing longer electricity cuts because of Russian missile and drone strikes, and are preparing for a challenging winter. - Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Uk...

What can philosophy and literature contribute during wartime? How do we shape our relationship with the past? How do we assess our identities? Moreover, how do we deal with reality? In the podcast of the International School for Philosophy (ISVW) in Netherlands, its host Bart Geeraedts talks to Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org and host of the "Explain...

A feminist, environmentalist, and one of the greatest dramatists in European literature, Lesya Ukrainka’s works are now getting new attention from Ukraine and beyond. Her texts are not widely translated into foreign languages - a gap that certainly needs to be filled. Our conversation about Lesya Ukrainka is part of our new series Discovering Ukrainian culture. – Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrai...

Russian hostile propaganda against the “West” and the democratic world has been getting ever more insane over the past years. But the “anti-Western” topics in Russian propaganda have deep cultural roots. The opposition to the “West” has been a recurrent topic in the thinking of key Russian intellectual figures, regardless of their ideology. In this episode, we try to analyze and understand these r...

We visited villages between Izyum and Slovyansk which were wiped off the face of the Earth in the spring. We talked to people still living there. Their living conditions are horrible. Listen to our dispatches from these places. – Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org, and Tetyana Ogarkova, Ukrainian scholar and journalist, in charge of...

Discovering Ukrainian Culture is a new series of episodes of the Explaining Ukraine podcast. In our first episode, we discuss Hryhoriy Skovoroda, the founding father of Ukrainian philosophy. Skovoroda lived in the 18th century, but his lifestyle and teachings are just as vital now as they were in his day; his idea of personalized nature helps us find meaning in today’s world. – Hosts: Volodymyr Ye...

One week after Ukraine liberated Kherson, it renewed the train connection with the city. Ukraine’s president Zelensky visited Kherson only a few days after the Russians fled the biggest city they had occupied since February 24th. Ukrainians are renewing electricity supply across the country, though its infrastructure was heavily damaged by the Russian strikes. Russian propaganda says the West is a...

Odesa, a city on the Black Sea. One of the most beautiful Ukrainian cities. Always in danger of Russian strikes from the sea. And a key place for global food security, as Odesa ports export majority of Ukrainian food when other ports are occupied by Russia. We visited Odesa some time ago to understand how this city is living. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief...

The war has made Ukrainian universities much more international than they used to be. Many students and professors are on the frontline, but many have also gone abroad. Universities are seeking international partnerships, while demand for expertise from and in Ukraine has also increased. Are we facing a brain drain, or is this the start of a true internationalization of Ukrainian universities? Lea...

Bruno Maçães is a Portuguese politician and author. He is the former Secretary of State for European Affairs in Portugal, and the author of numerous books, including The Dawn of Eurasia; History Has Begun: The Birth of a New America; and Geopolitics for the End Time: From the Pandemic to the Climate Crisis. Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and chief editor of UkraineWorld, spoke to Brun...

Ukraine has liberated Kherson. The biggest city occupied by the Russians since Feb 24, and the only regional capital the Russians had captured. This is the 3rd major defeat of the Russian army since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Learn more from the weekly digest of our Explaining Ukraine podcast. Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld....

Ukrainian higher education is facing enormous challenges during this war. Universities have been relocated from temporarily occupied territories and territories with active fighting to more safe regions of Ukraine. Many faculty members and students have moved abroad, and are now continuing their instruction and studying online. What can and should be next? Learn more from the new episode of the “E...