In February 2022, Russian military forces launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine, escalating the conflict in the Eastern part of the country which began in 2014, and sparking the largest refugee crisis on the European continent since the end of World War II.

In the first episode of this in-depth capsule series, “Defending Democracy: Ukraine Under Fire,” Dr. Hanna Hopko, head of the National Interest Advocacy Network and former member of the Verkhovna Rada, walks you through the war’s broad impact on Ukraine and the world.

Then CEPPS International Republican Institute Political Parties Program Officer Vyacheslav “Slava” Lipetskiy shares a crucial decision he made in the first moments of the war that would change his life and the way he thinks about democracy forever. His powerful story is not to be missed.

Finally, as the ground war kicked into high gear, Russia’s assault in cyberspace also created havoc for Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ Senior Global Advisor for Cyber and Information Integrity, Matt Bailey, explains the critical role cyber warfare plays in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Key Links

• USAID Humanitarian Assistance in Ukraine
• USG Response to the Complex Emergency in Ukraine
• IFES in Ukraine
• IRI in Ukraine
• NDI in Ukraine
• ANTS – National Interests Advocacy Network
• She helped fight for Ukraine's democracy. She hopes it survives
• Former Ukrainian Parliament member tells Insider the US and allied countries must do more: 'Does morality end at the NATO border?'
• Former Ukrainian MP releases 2015 Biden letter, pleads for no-fly zone, fighter jets, air defense systems
• Press Conference: International Center for Ukrainian Victory established in Warsaw
• International Center for Ukraine Victory

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Democracy! The Podcast is hosted by CEPPS and Adrienne Ross with production assistance from Amy Radlinski.

Featured guests in this episode: 

• Dr. Hanna Hopko, PhD;  Chair, National Interest Advocacy Network; Fmr. People’s Deputy of Ukraine (2014 -2019) & Chair, Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Verkhovna Rada.  
• Vyacheslav (Slava) Lipetskiy, Political Parties Program Officer, The International Republican Institute for Ukraine. 
• Matt Bailey, Senior Global Advisor for Cyber and Information Integrity, 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 United States 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