On the morning of February 24, 2022, Russian troops blasted Kyiv with heavy artillery and missile strikes focusing their assault on several main targets including Boryspil International Airport.  While apparently intending to overtake the capital city quickly, Russian troops, instead, retreated after weeks of difficult fighting.  Today, home to 3.6 million people, Kyiv remains a hotly unwon part of Russia’s wide-scale military campaign. In “Defending Democracy: The Battle for Kyiv '', we take a closer look at all that lies there, the damage that has been done, and the danger that still exists.  

Plus, the country’s most famous mayor, the former world heavyweight boxing champ, Vitali Klitschko returns to the podcast with a candid account of what it takes to lead his hometown in war.  The son of a Soviet Air Force Officer and survivor of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Klitschko is a true defender of democracy who knows first-hand what’s in jeopardy.    

Plus, the war has turned more than 9 million Ukrainians into refugees.  One proud Kyvian who made her way to the United States sits down with Adrienne at the Florida International University's Washington, DC studio to tell her story and share just what it means to leave your family, flee your homeland, and all that you know in the midst of war.  

Key Links

• The Women’s Democracy Network of Ukraine
• Reuters: Ukrainian village leader and family found buried in shallow grave 
• Florida International University’s Ukraine Resource Guide
• FIU and USAID sign historic agreement to increase jobs, internships and research opportunities for students

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Democracy! The Podcast is hosted by CEPPS and Adrienne Ross, with production assistance from Amy Radlinski and voiceover from Alix Lawson. Special thanks to Florida International University in Washington, DC for the generous access to their recording studio.

Featured guests in this episode: 

• The Honorable Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko 
• Natalia Yakymchuk, Program and Evaluation Officer, The International Republican Institute 

This podcast has been produced by the Consortium for Elections, and Political Process Strengthening through the Democratic Elections and Political Processes Cooperative Agreement and is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development.

Opinions expressed here are those of the host and the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the US Government.  

Democracy! The Podcast is produced by Evo Terra and Sam Walker of  Simpler Media Productions.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy