<description>In recent months, Ukrainian deep strikes into Russia have outnumbered Russian strikes on Ukraine. Ukraine has managed to build its military capacities practically from scratch, while Russia has made very little technological progress since 2022. Furthermore, Russia is losing more and more people on the frontline, even as the pace of its advance slows down. Does this mean Ukraine can win the war?

***
This is the “Explaining Ukraine” podcast. 

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

Guest: Lesia Ogryzko, a Ukrainian expert in international relations and security, the co-founder and director of the Sahaidachnyi Security Centre, a Ukrainian think tank. She is also the head of the reforms support office of Ukraine’s defence ministry.

Sahaidachnyi Security Centre: https://sahasec.org

***
Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld and brought to you by Internews Ukraine.

This episode is also produced in cooperation with Politeia, a Ukrainian NGO. 

***
Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine 
UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en 

***
SUPPORT: 
You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld  
Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.

You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians.
Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

***
CONTENTS:

0:03 - Introduction: Ukraine's recent military successes, including deep strikes and self-built capacities, raise the question: can Ukraine win the war?
2:05 - Why Ukrainians believe Russia can be defeated: a historical perspective of Russia’s previous collapses
5:01 - How warfare innovation on the front line is rapidly accelerating, with a 6-8 week feedback loop for technology deployment. 
9:09 - Why Ukraine has to adopt an asymmetric strategy for Russia's "terminal defeat," dismantling its war-waging capacity, rather than fighting a symmetrical "small Soviet army against a big Soviet army" war.
10:36 - Asymmetric pillars include next-generation deep strikes over 3,000 km into Russia and scaled special operations/cognitive warfare within Russian territory.
13:02 -  How Western partners show surprising hesitancy despite NATO's 2022 concept identifying Russia as the primary threat, and Russia's systemic sub-threshold warfare across Europe is often met with non-responsive actions.
16:34 - Why ignoring Russian hybrid attacks won't deter them; Russia, acting on "Gopnik logic," only retreats when forcefully confronted.
21:01 - Risks of a broader conflict and Euroscepticism in Ukraine
24:10 - Ukraine's deep strikes outnumbered Russia's in March 2026, significantly decreasing Russia's oil refining and export capabilities.
31:26 - A "golden opportunity" exists for Ukraine and Europe to partner, when Ukraine would provide battlefield innovation, and Europe would scale production.</description>

In recent months, Ukrainian deep strikes into Rus…

In recent months, Ukrainian deep strikes into Russia have outnumbered Russian strikes on Ukraine. Ukraine has managed to build its military capacities practically from scratch, while Russia has made very little technological progress since 2022. Furthermore, Russia is losing more and more people on the frontline, even as the pace of its advance slows down. Does this mean Ukraine can win the war?

***
This is the “Explaining Ukraine” podcast. 

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

Guest: Lesia Ogryzko, a Ukrainian expert in international relations and security, the co-founder and director of the Sahaidachnyi Security Centre, a Ukrainian think tank. She is also the head of the reforms support office of Ukraine’s defence ministry.

Sahaidachnyi Security Centre: https://sahasec.org

***
Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld and brought to you by Internews Ukraine.

This episode is also produced in cooperation with Politeia, a Ukrainian NGO. 

***
Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine 
UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en 

***
SUPPORT: 
You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld  
Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.

You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians.
Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

***
CONTENTS:

0:03 - Introduction: Ukraine's recent military successes, including deep strikes and self-built capacities, raise the question: can Ukraine win the war?
2:05 - Why Ukrainians believe Russia can be defeated: a historical perspective of Russia’s previous collapses
5:01 - How warfare innovation on the front line is rapidly accelerating, with a 6-8 week feedback loop for technology deployment. 
9:09 - Why Ukraine has to adopt an asymmetric strategy for Russia's "terminal defeat," dismantling its war-waging capacity, rather than fighting a symmetrical "small Soviet army against a big Soviet army" war.
10:36 - Asymmetric pillars include next-generation deep strikes over 3,000 km into Russia and scaled special operations/cognitive warfare within Russian territory.
13:02 -  How Western partners show surprising hesitancy despite NATO's 2022 concept identifying Russia as the primary threat, and Russia's systemic sub-threshold warfare across Europe is often met with non-responsive actions.
16:34 - Why ignoring Russian hybrid attacks won't deter them; Russia, acting on "Gopnik logic," only retreats when forcefully confronted.
21:01 - Risks of a broader conflict and Euroscepticism in Ukraine
24:10 - Ukraine's deep strikes outnumbered Russia's in March 2026, significantly decreasing Russia's oil refining and export capabilities.
31:26 - A "golden opportunity" exists for Ukraine and Europe to partner, when Ukraine would provide battlefield innovation, and Europe would scale production.

How Russia can be defeated - with Lesia Ogryzko

<description>Let’s travel for a moment. Imagine you are on the shore of the Black Sea, in Odesa—one of the most beautiful cities in Eastern Europe.

Odesa possesses multiple identities and refuses to be trapped by a single definition. It is Jewish, French, Italian, Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar, Romanian, Moldovan, Greek, Bulgarian, and more. Both the Russian and Soviet empires sought to flatten this multiplicity into a single imperial identity. They failed. 
Today, in an act of resentment, Russia is attempting to destroy Odesa. Missiles and drones fall upon its historic center, a site of UNESCO World Heritage.

Meanwhile, Odesa is seeking a new identity. It is a work in progress—not yet fully formed—which makes the city incredibly vibrant and, in many ways, still misunderstood.


***
This is the “Explaining Ukraine” podcast. 

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

Guest: Julian Evans, a British-Australian journalist, writer, traveler, and filmmaker. His latest book, Undefeatable: Odesa in Love and War, published by Scotland Street Press, shares his personal story of Odesa through his friendships and family connections.

Book: https://www.scotlandstreetpress.com/product/undefeatable-odesa-in-love-and-war 

Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld and brought to you by Internews Ukraine.

***
Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine 
UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en 

***
SUPPORT: 
You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld  
Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.
You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians.
Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

***
CONTENTS: 
0:00. Intro. Odesa's Multifaceted Identity and Current War
5:13 Julian Evans' Personal Connection and Wartime Challenges
10:20 Odesa's European Roots Versus Russian Imperial Claims
15:25 The Changing Ukrainian Identity of Odesa
20:45 Dismantling the "Russian World" Imperial Fantasies about Odesa
25:50 Cultural De-Russification and Personal Impact
31:00 Human Stories and the Spirit of Odesan Survival
36:10 Odesa's Enduring Beauty and Resilience Under Attack
39:27 "Undefeatable Odesa": A Spirit of Freedom 
</description>

Let’s travel for a moment. Imagine you are on the…

Let’s travel for a moment. Imagine you are on the shore of the Black Sea, in Odesa—one of the most beautiful cities in Eastern Europe.

Odesa possesses multiple identities and refuses to be trapped by a single definition. It is Jewish, French, Italian, Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar, Romanian, Moldovan, Greek, Bulgarian, and more. Both the Russian and Soviet empires sought to flatten this multiplicity into a single imperial identity. They failed. 
Today, in an act of resentment, Russia is attempting to destroy Odesa. Missiles and drones fall upon its historic center, a site of UNESCO World Heritage.

Meanwhile, Odesa is seeking a new identity. It is a work in progress—not yet fully formed—which makes the city incredibly vibrant and, in many ways, still misunderstood.


***
This is the “Explaining Ukraine” podcast. 

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

Guest: Julian Evans, a British-Australian journalist, writer, traveler, and filmmaker. His latest book, Undefeatable: Odesa in Love and War, published by Scotland Street Press, shares his personal story of Odesa through his friendships and family connections.

Book: https://www.scotlandstreetpress.com/product/undefeatable-odesa-in-love-and-war 

Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld and brought to you by Internews Ukraine.

***
Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine 
UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en 

***
SUPPORT: 
You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld  
Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.
You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians.
Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

***
CONTENTS: 
0:00. Intro. Odesa's Multifaceted Identity and Current War
5:13 Julian Evans' Personal Connection and Wartime Challenges
10:20 Odesa's European Roots Versus Russian Imperial Claims
15:25 The Changing Ukrainian Identity of Odesa
20:45 Dismantling the "Russian World" Imperial Fantasies about Odesa
25:50 Cultural De-Russification and Personal Impact
31:00 Human Stories and the Spirit of Odesan Survival
36:10 Odesa's Enduring Beauty and Resilience Under Attack
39:27 "Undefeatable Odesa": A Spirit of Freedom 


Odesa in love and war - with Julian Evans

<description>Can Europe become a genuine security union? Is it truly aware of the 21st-century geopolitical dangers that threaten its very existence? How central is Ukraine to Europe’s self-defense, and does the continent understand—and adapt to—the changing nature of modern warfare?

***
This is the “Explaining Ukraine” podcast. 

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

Guest: Borja Lasheras, a Spanish book author and expert on Ukrainian and European security. Borja is an Associate Policy Fellow at the European Policy Institute in Kyiv (EPIK).

Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld and brought to you by Internews Ukraine.

***
Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine 
UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en 

***
SUPPORT: 

You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld  
Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.

You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians.

Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

***
CONTENTS:

00:27 - Borja Lasheras: a Spanish author and expert on Ukrainian and European security. The conversation is taking place in Kharkiv, 40 km from the Russian border, after overnight Russian shelling.
01:47 - Why it is important for experts to travel to Ukraine, as it "defies many expectations" and is a "beating heart," not just a victim of aggression.
06:03 - Lasheras discusses writing his book "Station Ukraine," which reflects his personal and professional evolution alongside Ukraine.
09:52 - Why Europe is in a hybrid war with Russia and can no longer rely on the US as before.
13:24 - Why it is necessary to define a new European security concept that includes Ukraine, as Ukraine is a "growing middle power" with an advanced defense industry.
15:40 - Can the European Union can become a military union? Why EU can be a key element but not necessarily replace NATO.
19:01 - Why Changing EU rules, such as moving to qualified majority voting, is challenging.
23:06 - A scenario of a "Europe of different speeds" or minilateral coalitions: is it possible?
26:25 - "Ukraine Facility": the European support has been significant and stable, unlike that from the US.
30:44 - Why technological cooperation is important, including instances of joint ventures and new programs aimed at integrating Ukraine's defense industrial base.
35:20 - Why it is important for Europe to use the technological impulse of the war to catch up with leaders in AI, electronics, and drones.
37:31 - Why awareness of Russia’s possible attack is growing across Europe.
40:03 - Why supporting Ukraine is a fundamental interest for European security
</description>

Can Europe become a genuine security union? Is it…

Can Europe become a genuine security union? Is it truly aware of the 21st-century geopolitical dangers that threaten its very existence? How central is Ukraine to Europe’s self-defense, and does the continent understand—and adapt to—the changing nature of modern warfare?

***
This is the “Explaining Ukraine” podcast. 

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

Guest: Borja Lasheras, a Spanish book author and expert on Ukrainian and European security. Borja is an Associate Policy Fellow at the European Policy Institute in Kyiv (EPIK).

Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld and brought to you by Internews Ukraine.

***
Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine 
UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en 

***
SUPPORT: 

You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld  
Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.

You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians.

Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

***
CONTENTS:

00:27 - Borja Lasheras: a Spanish author and expert on Ukrainian and European security. The conversation is taking place in Kharkiv, 40 km from the Russian border, after overnight Russian shelling.
01:47 - Why it is important for experts to travel to Ukraine, as it "defies many expectations" and is a "beating heart," not just a victim of aggression.
06:03 - Lasheras discusses writing his book "Station Ukraine," which reflects his personal and professional evolution alongside Ukraine.
09:52 - Why Europe is in a hybrid war with Russia and can no longer rely on the US as before.
13:24 - Why it is necessary to define a new European security concept that includes Ukraine, as Ukraine is a "growing middle power" with an advanced defense industry.
15:40 - Can the European Union can become a military union? Why EU can be a key element but not necessarily replace NATO.
19:01 - Why Changing EU rules, such as moving to qualified majority voting, is challenging.
23:06 - A scenario of a "Europe of different speeds" or minilateral coalitions: is it possible?
26:25 - "Ukraine Facility": the European support has been significant and stable, unlike that from the US.
30:44 - Why technological cooperation is important, including instances of joint ventures and new programs aimed at integrating Ukraine's defense industrial base.
35:20 - Why it is important for Europe to use the technological impulse of the war to catch up with leaders in AI, electronics, and drones.
37:31 - Why awareness of Russia’s possible attack is growing across Europe.
40:03 - Why supporting Ukraine is a fundamental interest for European security


Can Europe become a security union? - with Borja Lasheras

<description>What do Ukrainians and Black Americans share in their historical and cultural experiences? Can we draw comparisons between serfdom and slavery, or find parallels in the colonial traumas and the struggle for human dignity? Furthermore, what role do culture, identity, and language play in overcoming these legacies?

In this episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast, we share a recording of a vital discussion held at PEN Ukraine in Kyiv in October 2025. This conversation explores collective memory, the universal aspiration for freedom, and the growing solidarity between communities that have endured systemic oppression.

***
Our Speakers are:

- Terrell Jermaine Starr – Independent American journalist and host of Black Diplomats, a documentary news show covering civilian life in Ukraine. Over his 16-year career, he has reported extensively on the U.S. military, nuclear policy, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

- Christopher Atwood – Human rights and communications expert, Head of the Ukraïner International, which an international branch of Ukrainer, a popular Ukrainian media.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, president of PEN Ukraine and the editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld.

***
Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine 
UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en 

***
SUPPORT: 
You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld  
Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.

You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians.
Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

***
CONTENTS:

00:00:00 Guests: American journalist Terrell Jermaine Starr and American civic activist Christopher Atwood. Discussion at PEN Ukraine, October, 2025. 
00:04:03 What can Black Americans and Ukrainians tell each other to make their shared struggles better understood by the world?
00:07:34 What are the three profound commonalities between the 2014 Maidan Revolution and the Black Lives Matter movement?
00:18:54 How do the legacies of Frederick Douglass and Taras Shevchenko reveal the universal trauma of being "born into unfreedom"?
00:22:56 How did the exploitative "sharecropping" system in the American South mirror the traps faced by Ukrainian peasants?
00:28:41 What is the historical link between the "slave catchers" of the 19th century and the architecture of modern American policing?
00:30:30 In what ways is the current political divide in America a shadow of the Civil War?
00:32:38 Why does the American democracy only have a "30-year jump" on Ukraine’s independence?
00:33:48 In what ways is "whiteness" weaponized as a tool of convenience by Western powers?
00:35:07 What is the difference between the "colonialism of racism" and the "colonialism of assimilation"?
00:36:18 How does Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks explain language as a primary tool of domination?
00:37:15 Why does the Western intellectuals struggle to reject colonialism in practice?
00:42:48 Why is it a dangerous intellectual shortcut to blame systemic issues on "one bad man" like Trump or Putin?
00:53:32 What does the history of the Brooklyn Bridge reveal about the racial hierarchies?
00:57:17 How can Black Americans and Ukrainians build solidarity when they face the same systems of oppression but have "colonizers who look different"?
01:05:40 What are the "multiple layers of whiteness"?
01:12:50 How does Edward Said’s Orientalism help explain why Western scholars often treat Ukrainians as "objects" of study rather than "subjects"?
01:24:10 How did Western academics miss the "seething rage" that signaled Ukrainians would never welcome invaders as liberators?
01:26:56 Why does the American "dominant class" believe democracy is a finished project?
01:33:33 Can a government truly understand the cultural dynamics of another country if it refuses to reflect on the racial dynamics of its own?
</description>

What do Ukrainians and Black Americans share in t…

What do Ukrainians and Black Americans share in their historical and cultural experiences? Can we draw comparisons between serfdom and slavery, or find parallels in the colonial traumas and the struggle for human dignity? Furthermore, what role do culture, identity, and language play in overcoming these legacies?

In this episode of the Explaining Ukraine podcast, we share a recording of a vital discussion held at PEN Ukraine in Kyiv in October 2025. This conversation explores collective memory, the universal aspiration for freedom, and the growing solidarity between communities that have endured systemic oppression.

***
Our Speakers are:

- Terrell Jermaine Starr – Independent American journalist and host of Black Diplomats, a documentary news show covering civilian life in Ukraine. Over his 16-year career, he has reported extensively on the U.S. military, nuclear policy, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

- Christopher Atwood – Human rights and communications expert, Head of the Ukraïner International, which an international branch of Ukrainer, a popular Ukrainian media.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, president of PEN Ukraine and the editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld.

***
Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine 
UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en 

***
SUPPORT: 
You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld  
Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.

You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians.
Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

***
CONTENTS:

00:00:00 Guests: American journalist Terrell Jermaine Starr and American civic activist Christopher Atwood. Discussion at PEN Ukraine, October, 2025. 
00:04:03 What can Black Americans and Ukrainians tell each other to make their shared struggles better understood by the world?
00:07:34 What are the three profound commonalities between the 2014 Maidan Revolution and the Black Lives Matter movement?
00:18:54 How do the legacies of Frederick Douglass and Taras Shevchenko reveal the universal trauma of being "born into unfreedom"?
00:22:56 How did the exploitative "sharecropping" system in the American South mirror the traps faced by Ukrainian peasants?
00:28:41 What is the historical link between the "slave catchers" of the 19th century and the architecture of modern American policing?
00:30:30 In what ways is the current political divide in America a shadow of the Civil War?
00:32:38 Why does the American democracy only have a "30-year jump" on Ukraine’s independence?
00:33:48 In what ways is "whiteness" weaponized as a tool of convenience by Western powers?
00:35:07 What is the difference between the "colonialism of racism" and the "colonialism of assimilation"?
00:36:18 How does Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks explain language as a primary tool of domination?
00:37:15 Why does the Western intellectuals struggle to reject colonialism in practice?
00:42:48 Why is it a dangerous intellectual shortcut to blame systemic issues on "one bad man" like Trump or Putin?
00:53:32 What does the history of the Brooklyn Bridge reveal about the racial hierarchies?
00:57:17 How can Black Americans and Ukrainians build solidarity when they face the same systems of oppression but have "colonizers who look different"?
01:05:40 What are the "multiple layers of whiteness"?
01:12:50 How does Edward Said’s Orientalism help explain why Western scholars often treat Ukrainians as "objects" of study rather than "subjects"?
01:24:10 How did Western academics miss the "seething rage" that signaled Ukrainians would never welcome invaders as liberators?
01:26:56 Why does the American "dominant class" believe democracy is a finished project?
01:33:33 Can a government truly understand the cultural dynamics of another country if it refuses to reflect on the racial dynamics of its own?


What Black Americans and Ukrainians can tell each other

<description>How did two friends save hundreds of civilians? How did one restaurant feed tens of thousands in a besieged city? What does a former entrepreneur feel while recovering the bodies of fallen soldiers every day? What is life truly like under Russian occupation? And most importantly—why is the Ukrainian resistance impossible to grasp without understanding the role of ordinary people, like you and me?

***
Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet covering Ukraine. 

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko—Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

This episode features a conversation held at PEN Ukraine in late February with the authors of the book Dark Days, Determined People: Stories from Ukraine under Siege, written by journalists Bohdan Ben and Orysia Hrudka. Part of the "Ukrainian Voices" series, the book was published in English by Ibidem-Verlag and is available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-Determined-People-Ukrainian/dp/3838219589

The book brings together 20 reportage stories documented between 2022 and 2024 across Ukraine. Originally published mostly by Euromaidan Press, these stories capture the lived experiences of Ukrainian soldiers, volunteers, artists, students, and children.


***
Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine 
UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en 

***
SUPPORT: 
You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld  
Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.
You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians.
Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

***
CONTENTS:

00:00 — Why Ukrainian resistance is impossible to grasp without the effort of the ordinary people
01:51 — Writing a book together: natural or unthinkable?
04:40 — The first days of invasion: urgency to inform the world
06:20 — The “human spirit radar”: stories of unexpected courage
08:15 — Small decisions that changed the war’s outcome
09:30 — Beyond the headlines: the secret to Ukraine's first victories
10:45 — The political nature of freedom: why a state is a necessity
12:56 — Navigating hell: the raw motivation behind civilian evacuations
14:39 — When heroism isn't planned, but becomes survival
17:29 — Vulnerability revealed: when nothing is guaranteed anymore
21:00 — Farming in minefields: the sheer determination to feed a nation
23:15 — Stealing warmth: Russia’s war on basic human needs
25:19 — The psychological toll of recovering the fallen 
27:45 — The physical limit: the truth about endurance
30:17 — A nation turned factory: drones, innovation and resistance
31:57 — Ukraine as Europe's military asset, not a victim
34:10 — Second Life: rediscovering the will to live
36:30 — Sniper theologian: when ethics collide with survival
41:24 — Orcs and adventures: how parents explain the war
45:23 — Why Ukraine needs its own films
51:30 — Rewriting in real time: the grind of wartime reporting
54:30 — Dark stories, real hope: what keeps them going
56:30 — Where Ukrainians find hope for the future
59:45 — Stories left untold: what didn’t make the book
01:02:45 — How the war shapes the Ukrainian society
01:05:30 — The intensity of life when facing death
</description>

How did two friends save hundreds of civilians? H…

How did two friends save hundreds of civilians? How did one restaurant feed tens of thousands in a besieged city? What does a former entrepreneur feel while recovering the bodies of fallen soldiers every day? What is life truly like under Russian occupation? And most importantly—why is the Ukrainian resistance impossible to grasp without understanding the role of ordinary people, like you and me?

***
Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet covering Ukraine. 

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko—Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

This episode features a conversation held at PEN Ukraine in late February with the authors of the book Dark Days, Determined People: Stories from Ukraine under Siege, written by journalists Bohdan Ben and Orysia Hrudka. Part of the "Ukrainian Voices" series, the book was published in English by Ibidem-Verlag and is available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Days-Determined-People-Ukrainian/dp/3838219589

The book brings together 20 reportage stories documented between 2022 and 2024 across Ukraine. Originally published mostly by Euromaidan Press, these stories capture the lived experiences of Ukrainian soldiers, volunteers, artists, students, and children.


***
Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine 
UkraineWorld: https://ukraineworld.org/en 

***
SUPPORT: 
You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld  
Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.
You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians.
Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

***
CONTENTS:

00:00 — Why Ukrainian resistance is impossible to grasp without the effort of the ordinary people
01:51 — Writing a book together: natural or unthinkable?
04:40 — The first days of invasion: urgency to inform the world
06:20 — The “human spirit radar”: stories of unexpected courage
08:15 — Small decisions that changed the war’s outcome
09:30 — Beyond the headlines: the secret to Ukraine's first victories
10:45 — The political nature of freedom: why a state is a necessity
12:56 — Navigating hell: the raw motivation behind civilian evacuations
14:39 — When heroism isn't planned, but becomes survival
17:29 — Vulnerability revealed: when nothing is guaranteed anymore
21:00 — Farming in minefields: the sheer determination to feed a nation
23:15 — Stealing warmth: Russia’s war on basic human needs
25:19 — The psychological toll of recovering the fallen 
27:45 — The physical limit: the truth about endurance
30:17 — A nation turned factory: drones, innovation and resistance
31:57 — Ukraine as Europe's military asset, not a victim
34:10 — Second Life: rediscovering the will to live
36:30 — Sniper theologian: when ethics collide with survival
41:24 — Orcs and adventures: how parents explain the war
45:23 — Why Ukraine needs its own films
51:30 — Rewriting in real time: the grind of wartime reporting
54:30 — Dark stories, real hope: what keeps them going
56:30 — Where Ukrainians find hope for the future
59:45 — Stories left untold: what didn’t make the book
01:02:45 — How the war shapes the Ukrainian society
01:05:30 — The intensity of life when facing death


Why Ukraine's resistance starts with ordinary people

A podcast by UkraineWorld.org, a multimedia project about Ukraine run by Internews Ukraine. Explaining Ukraine, its politics, society and its culture. Support us: patreon.com/ukraineworld

Explaining Ukraine

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