The humiliation of civilians is one of the widespread tactics of the Russian army. It uses starvation and deprivation as a war technique, and shells civilian targets when there are no military facilities around.

We are discussing this issue with Catriona Murdoch, Vice-President of Global Rights Compliance. Catriona is an international criminal and human rights expert with over 13 years of experience. She leads the Starvation Portfolio at Global Rights Compliance, a foundation comprised of international lawyers and development experts with a mission to achieve justice through the innovative application of international law.

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

Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, a multilingual media outlet about Ukraine.
UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of Ukraine's largest media NGOs.

You can support our work at www.patreon.com/ukraineworld. We really need your support now because our media is increasingly relying on crowdfunding.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the frontline areas, where we help both soldiers and civilians - bringing mostly cars for soldiers and books for civilians. You can support our trips at PayPal: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

This episode is made with support from the International Renaissance Foundation

Russians make ordinary people suffer - with Catriona Murdoch

War photography is not just about capturing destruction—it is about witnessing history, shaping narratives, and conveying human resilience. What motivates a photographer to enter a war zone, and how does this experience transform their perception of the reality? 

The guest of the Explaining Ukraine podcast is Jérôme Barbosa, an independent photographer who has ventured into Ukraine during wartime. 

Host: Daria Synhaievska, an analyst and journalist at UkraineWorld.

UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of the largest Ukrainian media NGOs.

Listen on various platforms: li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine.

Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the frontlines at PayPal: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

This episode is made with support from the International Renaissance Foundation

Looking at war through photography - with Jérôme Barbosa

Let's explore the Ukrainian intellectual tradition. What recurring ideas can be found in Ukrainian philosophy, literature, and historiography? What are the key topics of ongoing debates in these fields? 

Hosts: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher and the chief editor of UkraineWorld, the president of PEN Ukraine, and Tetyana Ogarkova, a Ukrainian literary scholar, and author of the French-language podcast "L’Ukraine face a la guerre" by the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre. Both are lecturers at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the oldest Ukrainian university. 

This episode is made in partnership with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and project Heritage Ukraine supported by the European Union’s Erasmus programme 

--

UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of Ukraine's largest media NGOs.

We greatly appreciate your support for our work at https://www.patreon.com/ukraineworld 

Your contribution is crucial as our media increasingly depends on crowdfunding.

Additionally, you can also support our volunteer trips to the front line areas where we provide aid to both soldiers and civilians. We bring essential supplies such as cars for soldiers and books for civilians. You can support our trips by donating through PayPal at ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

This episode is made in partnership with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and under the framework of the project HER-UKR: Challenges and opportunities for EU heritage diplomacy in Ukraine, co-funded by the EU within the ERASMUS+ Jean Monnet Policy Debate action.

Ukrainian intellectual tradition: key traits

How can Ukraine adapt to the new world that has emerged? Has America ceased to be its key partner? Is Europe ready to step in, and what does it need to do? Where else can Ukraine find its partners?

Our guest is Dmytro Kuleba, a prominent Ukrainian diplomat and intellectual who served as Ukraine’s foreign minister from 2020 to 2024.

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

Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, a multilingual media outlet focused on Ukraine.

UkraineWorld is run by Internews Ukraine, one of Ukraine's largest media NGOs.

You can support our work at https://www.patreon.com/ukraineworld. Your support is crucial as our media increasingly relies on crowdfunding.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the front-line areas, where we provide assistance to both soldiers and civilians - mainly by bringing cars for soldiers and books for civilians. You can support our trips via PayPal at ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

This is podcast is made with support from the International Renaissance Foundation. 

How Ukraine can survive in the world today - with Dmytro Kuleba

You probably all know the Black Square, a famous avant-garde painting that has radically changed the way we think about art.

You’ve probably heard that this painting was created by Kazymyr Malevych, a “Russian painter”. But he was not Russian. He comes from Polish and Ukrainian descent, and the Ukrainian sources of his creativity and thinking are huge.

In this episode, we will try to explain why it is important to look at Malevych as a Ukrainian artist.

Our guest is Tetyana Filevska, a Ukrainian art historian, the creative director of the Ukrainian Institute, the country’s major cultural diplomacy institution.

She is interviewed by Tetyana Ogarkova, a Ukrainian literary scholar and journalist, an expert at the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre, and a lecturer at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

"Explaining Ukraine" is a podcast by UkraineWorld, a multilingual media outlet focused on Ukraine.

UkraineWorld is run by Internews Ukraine, one of Ukraine's largest media NGOs.

You can support our work at patreon.com/ukraineworld. Your support is crucial as our media increasingly relies on crowdfunding.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the front-line areas, where we provide assistance to both soldiers and civilians - mainly by bringing cars for soldiers and books for civilians. You can support our trips via PayPal at ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

This episode is made in partnership with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and under the framework of the project HER-UKR: Challenges and opportunities for EU heritage diplomacy in Ukraine, co-funded by the EU within the ERASMUS+ Jean Monnet Policy Debate action.

Malevych: the Ukrainian avant-garde genius

They have already become our friends: Jaap Scholten and a group of courageous Dutch writers, photographers, artists, and rugby players who come regularly to Ukraine to bring vehicles to the Ukrainian soldiers.

We have already had conversations with some of them: 

https://soundcloud.com/user-579586558/ep-287 

https://soundcloud.com/user-579586558/ep-270

This time, we held a big event at PEN Ukraine and UkraineWorld to talk about inspiration, courage, fatigue, freedom, and the need to act.

Guests:

Tommy Wieringa, an acclaimed Dutch writer and ambassador of ProtectUkraine.nl, joined five of the most recent convoys of Protect Ukraine to Izyum and beyond. 

Maurits Chabot, a writer and historian, co-author of the book for the National Book Week of the Netherlands 2025, joined Protect Ukraine on two convoys. 

Jaap Scholten, an author and anthropologist, founder of ProtectUkraine.nl. 

Eddy van Wessel, a prize-winning and internationally respected photographer, has independently traveled to Ukraine since the 2022 full-scale invasion, documenting the ongoing war.

Moderator: Anastasiia Herasymchuk, Deputy Editor-in-Chief at UkraineWorld.

ProtectUkraine.nl is a Dutch NGO focused on supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the frontlines with defensive materials.

"Explaining Ukraine" is a podcast by UkraineWorld, a multilingual media outlet about Ukraine.

UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of Ukraine's largest media NGOs.

You can support our work at https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld.

We really need your support now because our media is increasingly relying on crowdfunding.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the front-line areas, where we help both soldiers and civilians, bringing mostly cars for soldiers and books for civilians. You can support our trips at PayPal: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

This episode is a recording of an event held by UkraineWorld and PEN Ukraine on January 30th, 2025

"Inspired by Ukrainians": these Dutch writers bring vehicles to the frontline

We have a lot to share with each other. We won’t agree on everything. Often, what is “good” for one may be “bad” for the other.

And yet, this conversation is necessary — and it’s interesting. A perspective from Africa on Ukraine can offer a fresh viewpoint. Likewise, a Ukrainian perspective on Africa can do the same. At the very least, let’s try.

Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher and the chief editor of UkraineWorld.

Our guest today is Simon Allison, co-founder of The Continent (https://www.thecontinent.org/), Africa’s most widely distributed newspaper. 

UkraineWorld is run by Internews Ukraine, one of the country’s largest media NGOs.

You can support our work at https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld. Your support is crucial, as our media increasingly relies on crowdfunding.

You can also help fund our volunteer trips to front-line areas, where we assist both soldiers and civilians — mainly by delivering vehicles for soldiers and books for civilians. Donations can be made via PayPal at ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

This episode was produced in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute, Ukraine's major cultural and public diplomacy institution, and NGO Cultural Diplomacy Foundation.

Looking at Ukraine from Africa and back - with Simon Allison

In this episode, we will explore the life and works of Oleksandra Ekster, a prominent Ukrainian avant-garde artist of the early 20th century. We will discuss cubofuturism, the cultural identity of Kyiv, the role of women in Ukrainian art, and the connections between Ukrainian and European avant-garde art.

Our guest for this episode is Anna Lodygina, a Ukrainian art historian and journalist. She recently published a book in Ukrainian titled "Stories of Ukrainian Artists: Oleksandra Ekster." This conversation is moderated by Tetyana Ogarkova, a Ukrainian literary scholar and journalist, author of the podcast "L’Ukraine face a la guerre" (Ukraine facing the war) in French, and head of international outreach at Ukraine Crisis Media Centre.

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

You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld. 
Your support is crucial for us as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.

You can also support our volunteer trips to the frontline areas in Ukraine, where we provide support for both soldiers and civilians. You can donate via PayPal, ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

This episode is made in partnership with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and under the framework of the project HER-UKR: Challenges and opportunities for EU heritage diplomacy in Ukraine, co-funded by the EU within the ERASMUS+ Jean Monnet Policy Debate action.


Exploring Ukrainian avant-garde: Oleksandra Ekster

Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion has once again brought to light an old topic: the cruelty of Russian imperialism—both past and present.

In this episode, we explore the major historical periods and defining features of Russian imperialism since the 16th century. This conversation will help you understand that Ukraine’s experience is one of the most visible examples, but by no means the only one.

Our guest today is Donnacha Ó Beacháin, an Irish political scientist, professor at Dublin City University, and author of the recent book "Unfinished Empire: Russian Imperialism in Ukraine and the Near Abroad" (https://cup.columbia.edu/book/unfinished-empire/9781788218016/)

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

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


You can support our work at: https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld.
Your support is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.

You can also support our volunteer trips to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we provide assistance to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

Related episodes: 

Time to rethink Russian cultural imperialism - with Vitaly Chernetsky
https://ukraineworld.org/en/podcasts//ep-305

5 things to know about Russian imperialism 
https://ukraineworld.org/en/podcasts//ep-201

Rethinking Imperialism 
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7EDqaafPqm5DnEtsw8sswu


A Brief History of Russian Imperialism – with Donnacha Ó Beacháin

Does Ukraine have freedom of speech during the war? How are the media surviving under such harsh conditions? How do media perspectives within Ukraine compare to those from outside the country?

Guest: Ola Myrovych, CEO of the Lviv Media Forum—one of the largest media events in Ukraine. We’re recording this conversation during the forum itself, in May 2025, in Lviv.

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

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

You can support our work at: https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld.

Your support is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.

You can also support our volunteer trips to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we provide assistance to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

Ukrainian Media During the War – with Ola Myrovych

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

New tracks tagged #Explaining Ukraine