One year into Russia’s war on Ukraine, we take a look at how Ukrainians are preparing for life after war, their relentless optimism and their deep dedication to keeping the wheels of justice rolling, in this fourth and final episode of the limited series, “Defending Democracy: Ukraine”.

Last February, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems Head of Political and Legal Affairs Alisa Shushkovska fled Kyiv with her child, when rockets flew past their apartment window.  But even as she navigated life as a refugee abroad, she never stopped working towards the future of Ukraine. Alisa is the fiber on which Ukraine will prevail amid this war. She takes time from her work to discuss with Adrienne what free and fair elections look like in post-war Ukraine.  

Then, the powerhouse director of Ukraine’s first organization to win the Nobel Peace Prize for documenting more than 28,000 alleged Russian war crimes since 2014, Oleksandra Matviichuk, calls for a new international tribunal to hold Russian President Putin accountable. The 2022 Nobel Laureate gives Adrienne a haunting account of what she has seen and explains how she believes the international community can restore justice for the victims of this deadly aggression.

Plus, it’s often said that Ukraine is fighting two wars. Hear from President Zelenskyy’s pick to run the cabinet-level National Agency on Corruption Prevention, Oleksandr Novikov. He is a man on a mission who will stop at nothing to combat corruption, defend democracy, and protect the future of Ukraine. 

Key Links

• Will a special Ukraine tribunal really happen? Yahoo News
• Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Needs Estimated $349 Billion
• Ukraine adopts new and improved referendum law
• IRI Public Opinion Survey of Residents of Ukraine | June 2022
• IRI Public Opinion Survey of Residents of Ukraine

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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.   

Featured guests in this episode: 

• Oleksandra Matviichuk, Director, Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine),  2022 Nobel Laureate.
• Oleksandr Novikov, Head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention.
• Alisa Shushkovska, Head of Political and Legal Affairs & Senior Advisor, The International Foundation for Electoral Systems.

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