Explaining Ukraine

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 is a news podcast hosted by UkraineWorld, with 426 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

UkraineWorld hosts Explaining Ukraine, a news show with 426 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Explaining Ukraine

  Timothy Snyder on the Deep Layers of Ukrainian History

  Sep 23, 202645 min

  Studying Ukrainian history can be far more fascinating than you might think. It can reveal deeper layers of our past than we ever imagined and help us better understand the history of humanity as a whole. It can help us grasp why the interaction between settled and nomadic cultures has been so important throughout human history. Why some of the world's earliest proto-cities emerged in what is now central Ukraine. Why the origins of the Indo-European languages might lie here, too. And why Ukraine, situated between the vast forests and the vast steppe, on the shores of the Black Sea, has been a crossroads through which so many peoples have passed, shaping both our past and our present. This is the Explaining Ukraine podcast. *** Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language multimedia project about Ukraine. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, the editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: Timothy Snyder, the renowned American historian and thinker, the author of “Bloodlands”, “On Freedom”, “Black Earth” and many other books. We recorded this conversation in Kyiv, on the sidelines of the Yalta European Strategy forum and ahead of the annual conference of the Ukrainian History Global Initiative. *** 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: 00:05 - Introduction: What makes Ukrainian history so uniquely fascinating and revealing about humanity's past? 02:54 - Beyond Modern Anxiety: How does a deep historical perspective alleviate present-day anxieties about Ukraine's identity? 05:03 - Starting Points: Where should one truly begin to tell the extensive narrative of Ukrainian history? 06:12 - The Right to Exist: Does Ukraine's right to exist depend on proving its historical longevity? 09:51 - Ancient Echoes: How do ancient figures like Achilles and Amazons connect to modern Ukrainian identity and military units? 12:23 - Geography's Enduring Influence: How has Ukraine's unique geography shaped the historical tension between settled and nomadic cultures? 13:36 - Early Civilizations: What were the origins and significance of Ukraine's first proto-cities after the Ice Age? 15:24 - Clash and Creation: How did the encounter between Cucuteni-Trypillia culture and Yamna culture contribute to linguistic revolutions like the emergence of the Proto-Indo-European languages? 17:20 - Goddesses and Old Europe: What do ancient Ukrainian mother goddess cults reveal about "Old Europe" and its feminine spiritual traditions? 22:06 - Gender and Mergers: Was the interaction between ancient cultures more of a creative merger than a simple patriarchal conquest? 24:45 - Concepts of Time: How did Trypillia's circular understanding of time differ from Yamna's linear marking of time through kurgans? 29:40 - The Puzzle of Continuity: How can we write a coherent history for Ukraine despite apparent gaps and discontinuities in its cultural and linguistic past? 32:31 - A Cradle of Languages: Why Ukraine can be seen as a cradle of languages that repeatedly saw returns of Indo-European cultures 38:06 - Borderland or Center?: Can Ukraine be re-envisioned not merely as a borderland, but as a central "attraction zone" for diverse cultures and ideas?

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  Explaining Ukraine

  The Magic of Ukrainian Traditional Music - with Mariana Sadovska and André Erlen

  Sep 17, 202646 min

  Ukrainian traditional music has preserved one of the richest traditions of polyphonic singing in the world. It has survived centuries of oppression, oblivion, marginalisation, and even physical extermination. Despite all this, there have always been people in Ukraine who travelled to villages, talked to local singers, listened to their songs, and recorded them. Thanks to their work, this tradition remains alive — not only in the villages themselves, but also in archival recordings, on stage, and increasingly in modern interpretations. Today, we are going to talk about this extraordinary tradition. You are listening to the Explaining Ukraine podcast. *** Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet about Ukraine brought to you by Internews Ukraine Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, the editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld and president of PEN Ukraine. Guests: Mariana Sadovska, one of Ukraine’s best-known singers, musicians, and cultural activists, Andre Erlen, a German theatre director. They are currently travelling through the villages of southern Ukraine, collecting and recording more songs. We met in Odesa at the PORT cultural festival, where Mariana and Andre created an extraordinary performance featuring musicians from villages across Ukrainian Bessarabia — people of Bulgarian, Romanian, Moldovan, Gagauz, and other backgrounds. This episode is recorded and produced with the support from the Mnozhyna foundation. *** 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.

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  Explaining Ukraine

  The Steppe Origins of Russian Imperialism - with Michael Khodarkovsky

  Aug 28, 202656 min

  How did the vastness of the Eurasian steppe shape the political model of Russian imperialism? What does the Russian Empire have in common with other Eurasian empires — the Ottoman, Persian, Mughal, Chinese, and others? What are the roots of Russia’s assimilationist imperialism and its claims to global domination? And why is the Russian political model so deeply rooted in the logic of war and military conquest? *** “Thinking in dark times” is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet about Ukraine brought to you by Internews Ukraine Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, the editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld and president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: Michael Khodarkovsky, an American historian of Ukrainian origin and one of the leading scholars of Russian and Eurasian history. We talk about his new book, The Steppe and Its Empires: The Russian Empire and Its Eurasian Counterparts, published by Yale University Press in 2026. In this book, Khodarkovsky looks at Russia not so much through its relationship with Europe, but by comparing it with the empires of Eurasia — the Ottoman, Persian, Mughal, and Chinese empires. Book: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300284386/the-steppe-and-its-empires/?utm_source=chatgpt.com *** 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: 00:04 Intro 00:00:45 Who is Michael Khodarkovsky and what is his new book, "The Steppe and Its Empires," about? 01:52 Why should Russia be studied in the context of Eurasian empires, not European ones? 05:38 How do Eurasian empires like Russia, Persia, or China broaden our understanding of imperialism and colonialism beyond the Western maritime empires? 10:26 How did the Eurasian steppe influence the Russian Empire's identity and its expansionist drive? 15:38 What is the "include and rule" principle of Eurasian empires, and how did it differ from Western "divide and rule" strategies? 18:07 Did Russia have feudalism, and how did its lack of feudalism differentiate it from Western European states and even Ukraine? 25:51 What is the concept of "universal monarchy" in Eurasian empires, and how did it separate them from Western monarchies? 33:23 Why were Eurasian empires, particularly Russia, "organized for war" rather than "organized for law"? 39:13 What factors allowed Russia to build such a highly centralized state, even more so than other Eurasian empires? 45:51 What is Ukraine's unique place in the historical narrative of steppe and Eurasian empires, especially concerning its dual nomadic and sedentary influences?

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  Explaining Ukraine

  The War, Without Illusions - with Andriy Zagorodnyuk

  Aug 20, 202648 min

  How can Ukraine protect itself against Russia’s ballistic missile threat? What role can Europe play, particularly through joint production? Can Ukraine develop its own anti-ballistic missile? And who is winning this war now? *** Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet about Ukraine brought to you by Internews Ukraine Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, the editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld and president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a renowned Ukrainian security expert and former deputy Minister of Defence of 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: 00:00 | Intro 01:18 | How should we interpret the current war situation to avoid extreme optimism or pessimism? 03:13 | Why does Putin consistently escalate, and what does this mean for Ukraine's path to victory? 05:28 | What immediate solutions can counter Russia's ballistic missile threat, including targeting mobile launchers and developing Ukraine's own systems? 06:39 | How can Europe effectively respond to ballistic missile threats by treating them as a shared European concern? 08:30 | Why do different European countries perceive the Russian threat so differently, despite the reach of Russia's missiles? 11:09 | Who is gaining the upper hand in the economic dimension of the war, and can economic pressure compel Putin to de-escalate? 19:30 | Are old technologies like ballistic missiles overshadowing new drone warfare, or is it a complex mix of capabilities? 21:18 | Should Ukraine intensify attacks on Russia's military production facilities rather than its general economy? 23:54 | Can Ukraine realistically close Russia's export capacities in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea, and what historical parallels exist? 32:05 | What are the best options for Ukraine to develop anti-ballistic missile capabilities, considering international licensing and domestic production? 36:03 | How is the United States' evolving role impacting European security, and why must Europe take greater responsibility for its own defense? 43:05 | What immediate and long-term priorities should guide joint Ukrainian-European efforts to bolster defense against current and future threats?

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  Explaining Ukraine

  Unmasking Russian Propaganda - with Thomas Kent

  Aug 13, 202647 min

  Why should we take Russian propaganda seriously? Why is it so deeply rooted in Russia’s authoritarian vision of society and politics? What lessons can we learn from Russia’s war against Ukraine about information warfare? And how should the West change its strategies — and do so quickly? *** Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet about Ukraine. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: Thomas Kent, a leading expert on Russian propaganda, disinformation, and journalistic ethics. He is a former president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and spent many years at the Associated Press. His latest book, published in August 2026, is called The Propaganda Manual of the Ukraine War: Information Warfare by Russia, Ukraine, and Western Nations — Lessons Learned for Future Conflicts. In this episode we will talk about this book. Link to the book: https://www.afpc.org/publications/books/the-propaganda-manual-of-the-ukraine-war-information-warfare-by-russia-ukraine-and-western-nations-lessons-learned-for-future-conflicts *** 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 1:59 What is Thomas Kent's new book about and why did he decide to write it? 3:51 Does Russia have a long and deeply rooted tradition of propaganda essential to its state survival? 5:39 How does Russia view information, not as a tool for peace, but as a weapon of war? 6:32 How have Ukraine's information operations been more successful compared to Western efforts? 7:38 Why has the West's communication been "muddled" due to a lack of clear strategy for the war? 9:53 What factors led to the West's loss of confidence in conveying its message to an international audience? 12:07 How does propaganda make messages credible by leveraging existing beliefs and using "unified theories"? 15:13 What are the tactics of "laundering information" and "hijacking credible sources" to spread propaganda? 17:22 How effectively has Russia used the fear of nuclear attack to deter Western aid to Ukraine? 20:23 How has Ukraine successfully leveraged humor and wit as an "important currency" in information warfare? 23:00 What is "strategic imagination" and other key strengths of Russia's information operations? 29:02 What were Russia's key failures in information warfare, particularly in defending its reputation and influencing Ukrainians? 33:59 What are Ukraine's strengths in information warfare, including its virtuous cause, courage, and creative fundraising tactics? 36:53 What are Thomas Kent's recommendations for the West to improve its information strategies, including the need for a clear strategy, volume, cleverness, and physical world activity?

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