Explaining Ukraine

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?

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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.

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

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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?

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?

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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?

What values define Ukrainian society? How accurate is it to say that Ukrainians have high levels of horizontal trust—trust in one another—but low trust in public institutions? How should we understand power distance in Ukraine? Is corruption really as great a threat as it is often portrayed, or is its impact sometimes overstated? And how have these dynamics changed during the war?

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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: Maryna Starodubska, Kyiv-Mohyla Business School Adjunct Professor, cross-cultural interaction consultant, and author of the book "Understanding Ukrainians: Cross-Cultural Perspective" published in Ukrainian.
Link: https://vivat.com.ua/product/yak-zrozumity-ukraintsiv-kroskulturnyi-pohliad/

Maryna is now preparing her new book, in English, called Ukraine Layer by Layer: Freedom and Friction in a Frontier Society. The book will be published by Ibidem Verlag in the series Ukrainian Voices in October 2026.
Link: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/ukraine-layer-by-layer/9783838221175/

***
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:

00:03 What fundamental questions about Ukrainian society will this episode explore?
02:33 How can we describe Ukrainian society's values, particularly regarding horizontal trust versus institutional mistrust?
03:02 How has "double institutionalization" shaped Ukrainians' values and their approach to formal requirements versus "warm connections"?
04:19 In what ways has Ukraine's history as a "highly threatened culture" led to survival through close-knit communities and interpersonal trust?
04:58 How does "institutional dysfunction" explain the horizontal orientation of Ukrainians?
06:20 What are the three most pronounced values in Ukrainian national culture?
08:59 Has the war led to an explosion of "generalized trust" in Ukraine, moving beyond the traditional limited circles of trust?
11:59 How do Ukrainians differentiate their trust levels across protective, infrastructural, and local institutions?
15:29 Is Ukraine moving in the right direction to reduce its "power distance" by bringing leaders closer to citizens, as seen with figures like President Zelensky?
16:59 How does Ukraine's high power distance manifest through the importance of status and the desire for strong leaders who deliver justice?
21:21 Do external metrics and surveys, often influenced by Western "premonitions," accurately capture the complexities of Ukrainian society and its institutions?
25:16 How do collectivism and situational individualism coexist in Ukrainian society, affecting interactions with in-group versus out-group members?
28:12 How do effective institutions in Ukraine, such as administrative service centers, gain trust by focusing on fairness, justice, and tangible outcomes?
31:27 Is the perception of corruption in Ukraine often overestimated, and how might it be influenced by inherited mistrust rather than actual encounters?
39:01 What key insights and framework does Marina Starodubska's new book, "Ukraine Layer by Layer," offer to help professional readers understand the country better?

When people look at this war from the outside, they often ask one question: When will it end? Many assume that if a ceasefire is reached, the war will be over and life will return to normal.

But we should not confuse a ceasefire with a lasting peace—or, more importantly, with a just peace that restores Ukraine’s rights. Thinking about a possible ceasefire, therefore, also means thinking about its risks, not only its opportunities.

This is the “Explaining Ukraine” podcast.

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“Explaining Ukraine” is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet run by Internews Ukraine.

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

Guests: experts at Chatham House, the renowned London-based think tank:
- Orysia Lutsevych, Head of the Ukraine Forum and Deputy Director of the Russia and Eurasia Programme, and
- John Lough, an Associate Fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Programme.

Together with their colleagues, Simon Smith and Keir Giles, they wrote a report, “How a Russia–Ukraine ceasefire could imperil Ukrainian and European security”. In this episode, we will talk about its major arguments.

Read the Chatham House Report: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/05/how-russia-ukraine-ceasefire-could-imperil-ukrainian-and-european-security

***
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:

01:57: Why is discussing a ceasefire, rather than victory or justice, a risk for Ukraine and its partners?
02:48: How does Chatham House view the possibility of a ceasefire, despite having previously argued for Ukrainian victory?
04:27: Do current events in Russia and potential political shifts in the US make a ceasefire a more plausible scenario?
07:13: What are the critical risks for Ukraine, including its sovereignty, economy, and social fabric, in the event of a ceasefire?
11:31: Will European nations maintain their resolve against Russia, or will a ceasefire lead to a desire to return to "business as usual"?
15:07: How will Ukraine manage the challenges of internal resilience, veteran reintegration, and democratic elections during a potential ceasefire?
22:15: How can the international community prevent a temporary ceasefire from morphing into a permanent, unrecognized occupation, akin to historical examples?
26:50: Has the mood within Ukraine shifted, with increased confidence in its ability to reclaim territory and resist pressure for an unfavorable ceasefire?
31:21: What are Chatham House's key recommendations for Europe to enforce a ceasefire, deter Russia, and support Ukraine's security?
37:45: What strategic priorities and reforms should Ukraine undertake to build its future military force and integrate with Europe after a ceasefire?
42:16: What are the significant risks for Ukraine and Europe if a ceasefire is not achieved and the war continues indefinitely?
45:39: Can Ukraine leverage its technological advancements to achieve a decisive military defeat of Russia, or does continued conflict pose greater dangers?

Many things have changed this year. Ukraine is now striking targets deep inside Russian territory on a regular basis. Russia’s traditional strengths—its vast territory and abundant resources—are increasingly becoming liabilities. The war may be approaching a turning point. It is time to seriously consider that a Ukrainian victory is not only possible but also the only viable path to a lasting peace.

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Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet run by Internews Ukraine.

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

Guest: Tetyana Ogarkova, a Ukrainian intellectual and journalist, head of the international service of Ukraine Crisis Media Centre, lecturer at Kyiv Mohyla Academy and author of the podcast “L’Ukraine face a la guerre”, Ukraine facing the war, in French.

***
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: Is the war approaching a turning point, and is Ukrainian victory the only viable path to lasting peace?
03:09: How have drones transformed the front line into an extended "kill zone," and what were the recent observations from Kherson?
07:52: Is Ukraine now scaling up its technological innovations to match or surpass Russia's quantity in warfare?
10:07: How are Ukrainian deep strikes impacting Russian territory, specifically oil refineries and fuel supply?
14:04: Why do Russian citizens react with confusion and blame towards their government, unlike Ukrainians who direct anger at the aggressor?
19:00: How does the Russian population describe the war's impact as an impersonal "natural disaster," avoiding direct political connections?
22:00: How is Ukraine strategically turning Russia's traditional strengths, such as vast territory and resources, into liabilities?
26:08: Can Ukraine's decentralized society and innovative use of cost-effective technology overcome Russia's military advantages?
30:08: What are the major challenges Ukraine faces, from Russian advances in Donbas to shifts in international political support?
33:19: Why should the discourse shift from "war and peace" to "war and victory" as Ukraine seeks to secure its future?