Explaining Ukraine

• How Drones Are Dramatically Changing the War – with Nataliya Gumenyuk

  This is a new kind of war. Drones have fundamentally changed its nature—and continue to do so every day. The threats now come from above, not just ahead. If you’re wounded, medics may not reach you quickly because of the drone threat. Dugouts should be less massive—and more concealed. And the drones themselves are diverse: small and large, for observation and for attack, for bombing and for supply. Let’s try to understand this evolving battlefield. *** My name is Volodymyr Yermolenko, I am a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine. My guest today is Nataliya Gumenyuk, a leading Ukrainian journalist and co-founder of the Reckoning Project, which combines war crimes documentation with journalism. Nataliya recently embedded with three Ukrainian brigades to study drone warfare in depth. She wrote a major article for "The Atlantic". https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/05/ukraine-troops-front-lines/682910/ In this episode, I asked her to share what she saw and what she learned. *** The Explaining Ukraine podcast is produced by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet about Ukraine, run by Internews Ukraine. You can support our work on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld. Your support is vital, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our frontline volunteer efforts, where we assist both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: [email protected]. *** Contents: 00:00 Intro 02:10 How is drone warfare changing the Russia-Ukraine war? 05:22 Why and how the frontline became transparent 14:59 Different types of drones and their purposes 27:51 Scaling or diversity: is Russia leading in the drone manufacturing? 32:11 Danger of the fiber-optic drones 37:42 What are the Ukrainian production capacities? 39:42 Ukraine strikes deep: Operation Spiderweb 42:29 What challenges does Ukraine face in drone production and how can international partners best support these efforts? 52:18 Support our work: https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld

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• Look at Georgia to Better Understand Ukraine and Russia – with Tornike Gordadze

  Why is Georgia drifting toward authoritarianism? Why is its current government aligning more closely with Russia and blaming its predecessors for Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia? How are the histories of Ukraine and Georgia deeply intertwined—and why are these two countries key to understanding Eastern Europe? My name is Volodymyr Yermolenko. I am a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine. My guest today is Tornike Gordadze, former Georgian State Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration. He currently teaches at Sciences Po and the Jacques Delors Institute in Paris. We recorded this conversation in Tbilisi during the vibrant Zeg Festival, where both Tornike and I were participants. The Explaining Ukraine podcast is produced by 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, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also help fund our volunteer trips to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we support both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: [email protected]. *** Contents: 00:00 – Tornike Gordadze, a former Georgian minister 01:35 – Does the Russian imperialism connect Georgia and Ukraine? 02:53 – Georgians fight for Ukraine. Why? 06:00 – The Russian war methodology in Georgia and Ukraine 08:00 – The NATO Missed Chance: Bucharest Summit 2008 and its consequences 10:10 – How did the West's fear empower Russia? 15:00 – Georgia, Syria, Ukraine: Russia didn't pay any price for the interventions 17:00 – The West was not strong 19:00 – Georgia’s Transformation: From Rose Revolution to political decay 20:22 – Why is Russia afraid of the successful democracies next door? 24:04 – Who was Saakashvili? 26:30 – The rise of Georgian Dream - did Russia win? 28:59 – Russian or Belarusian playbook in Georgia 30:57 – Why would Georgia destroy all connections with the West? 33:40 – Why does Orban support the Georgia authorities? 36:15 – Bratislava speech of Macron: Russia is not only a threat to Ukraine but also to Europe 38:30 – Two shocks for Europe 40:16 – The future of the European continent is in danger – Gordadze

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• Hannah Arendt on evil: what can we learn from her today? - with Marci Shore

  Some might argue that the concept of evil is outdated in our relativistic age. And yet—how can we speak of war crimes, cruelty, or the neglect of human dignity without invoking the word evil? Perhaps it’s time to take it seriously again, to revisit the thinkers who have grappled with its meaning. One of them, of course, is Hannah Arendt. This is a conversation about Hannah Arendt and the concept of evil, which took place in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on June 1st, at the Kyiv Book Arsenal—one of the country’s major literary events. Despite the ongoing war, the fair was full of people. My guest was Marci Shore, an American intellectual, historian, and university professor. She specializes in 20th-century European intellectual history, with a particular focus on Hannah Arendt. This year, Marci co-curated the Kyiv Book Arsenal’s focus topic, alongside Oksana Forostyna. My name is Volodymyr Yermolenko. I’m a Ukrainian philosopher, the editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and the president of PEN Ukraine. UkraineWorld is an English language media outlet about Ukraine run by Internews Ukraine, one of the country’s leading media NGOs. *** You can support our work at https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your support is vital, as we increasingly rely on crowdfunding. Even a small monthly donation can make a big difference. You can also help fund our regular volunteer trips to Ukraine’s front-line areas, where we provide aid to both soldiers and civilians—mainly by delivering vehicles for the military and books for local communities. To support these efforts, you can donate via PayPal at [email protected]. *** Contents: 00:00 Intro 01:18 Support our work 04:44 Why is Hannah Arendt essential to understanding the 20th and 21st centuries? 06:16 What is Hannah Arendt's concept of 'radical evil'? 07:48 How are people made superfluous? 10:12 How has World War II shaped Arendt’s thought? 17:17 From “radical evil” to the “banality of evil”: connecting Arendt’s key concepts. 26:34 Marci Shore on the current situation in America 30:46 Thoughts on human dignity 32:14 Is the idea that 'everyone is replaceable' starting to repeat itself? 34:49 Why Sartre’s idea of “nothingness” might be dangerous? 42:14 Hannah Arendt: vita activa versus vita contemplativa 50:15 Outro

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• How to win an information war? - with Peter Pomerantsev

  We need a fresh perspective on propaganda. The old strategies for combating misinformation are no longer effective. Simply offering fact-checks isn’t enough—those ensnared by propaganda aren’t searching for facts. They’re searching for something deeper: identity, belonging, and meaning. This is the central argument of a new book by Peter Pomerantsev, a renowned scholar of propaganda and information warfare. "How to Win an Information War" tells the story of British journalist Sefton Delmer, who developed innovative techniques to counter Nazi propaganda during World War II. Peter explores Delmer’s legacy in hopes of uncovering lessons for today. Perhaps we, too, can learn something from both of them. Book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/peter-pomerantsev/how-to-win-an-information-war/9781541774728/ Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. *** UkraineWorld is run by Internews Ukraine, one of the country’s leading media NGOs. You can support our work at https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld. Your support is crucial, as we increasingly rely on crowdfunding. Even a small monthly contribution of $5 or $10 can make a meaningful difference. You can also help fund our regular volunteer missions to Ukraine’s front-line areas, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians—primarily by providing vehicles for the military and books for local communities. To support these efforts, donations can be made via PayPal at [email protected]. *** The podcast episode is created by Internews Ukraine as part of the project “Strengthening Truth, Transparency and Democracy to Counter Disinformation”, supported by the Government of Canada. *** CONTENTS: 00:00:00 — What if fact-checks don’t work anymore? 0:01:52 — He, who fooled Hitler. Meet Sefton Delmer 00:05:28 — Why did we forget those who understand what propaganda is? 00:07:05 — Why propaganda keeps coming back 00:09:59 — Why did the Nazis win those who lost their identity? 00:11:42 — Are you wearing the mask or is it glued to your face? 00:13:57 — Think you're immune? That’s when propaganda hits 00:16:29 — To beat propaganda, you have to be vulnerable to it 00:18:55 — The real battle isn’t between freedom and unfreedom, but about what kind of “us” we build? 00:22:50 — Delmer’s radio war 00:25:53 — Weaponizing corruption: Delmer’s strategy to weaken Nazi loyalty 00:30:41 — “We know you better than they do” 00:33:28 — Tuning in = waking up: breaking the Nazi spell with masquerade 00:35:38 — What makes Kremlin elites panic? Not war - but losing control 00:39:39 — How to break Russian support for war? 00:44:24 — Forget regime change - exploit fear of losing grip 00:47:44 — Angry? Frustrated? That’s where good media begins 00:50:02 — Do I want to die for this? The question Delmer planted in Nazi minds 00:51:00 — Propaganda, trauma, and the fight for independent thought

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• Black Americans and Ukrainians: Unexpected Parallels – with Terrell Jermaine Starr

  Terrell Jermaine Starr is a Black American journalist who spends much of his time in Ukraine. He knows the country intimately. He also recognizes the striking parallels between the experiences of Ukrainians and Black Americans in the United States. For centuries, both groups have endured systemic violence and humiliation—sometimes overt, sometimes hidden—that have pushed them into subordinate roles within societies dominated by others. In this episode, we explore these shared struggles and work toward fostering a deeper understanding between the two communities. Explaining Ukraine is a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language media outlet about Ukraine run by Internews Ukraine. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, the chief editor of UkraineWorld and the president of PEN Ukraine. We are recording this conversation during the Lviv Media Forum, in May 2025 in Lviv, the Western part of Ukraine. You can support our work at: https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld. Your support is vital, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also support our volunteer trips to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we provide aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: [email protected].

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