Episode 43 of Ukraine Watch Podcast with Alexander Khara is coming soon. Stay tuned.
Looking forward to sharing my full discussion with Ukrainian journalist Yanina Sokolova about free speech, fake news, and America's role in Ukraine on this episode of the podcast in two languages - my somewhat passable Ukrainian and Yanina's sharp, witty, and spot on analysis of our increasingly splintered information space.
Can ordinary people defeat a dictator? Ukraine Watch #35 with guest Kateryna Zarembo
New: Can ordinary people defeat a dictator? Ukraine Watch #35 with guest Kateryna Zarembo - What is the glue that holds a society together? What motivates a person to stand up against an authoritarian regime, or, in the case of Ukraine, what motivates a critical mass of people to stand together for the high ideals of liberty and democracy to defeat a dictator? Dan Terleckyj sits down with Kateryna Zarembo to try and figure it out.
We encourage discussion in the comments section. Please share your questions and comments below...
On the next episode of Ukraine Watch. Is it fair to call the Russian regime fascist?
On the next episode of Ukraine Watch Podcast Dan Terleckyj sits down with Andreas Umland to discuss the Russian far right. Is fascism the guiding force behind how the Kremlin operates?
Ukraine Watch, Episode 27. Don’t call it a comeback with Ukraine defense and reform expert Glen Grant.
Ukraine Watch, Episode 27. Don’t call it a comeback with Ukraine defense and reform expert Glen Grant.
The prevailing view on Ukraine is that the country united as a cohesive nation because of the current Russian war on Ukraine. In other words, That Ukraine exists because of Russia. However, this view fails to recognize what we see right in front of us. Although it’s true that Ukrainians have united in the face of an existential threat, this fact alone points to the conclusion that solidarity around the idea of Ukrainian nationhood predates February 24, 2022, or even the fall of the Soviet Union, 30 years prior. Ukrainians didn’t suddenly find themselves realizing they wanted freedom and independence because those rights were threatened by an outside actor. Setting aside any ideas of a national founding myth, the desire of Ukrainians to organize around a unifying idea like a free nation is centuries old. And to that end, the reason Kyiv didn’t fall in three days is because Ukrainians were ready to fight before the first Russian tank crossed their border. And that Ukrainian morale is high is not only a result of recent victories in the battlefield, but because the Ukrainian people have something to fight for, something real that formed their mindset long before this war began. If you’re reading this, thank you for following Ukraine Watch Podcast. I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments.
F#$%ing Russian agents... Ukraine Watch Podcast #26 with anti-corruption activist Mark Savchuk, airing 9/12/22
F@#%ing Russian Agents. Ukraine Watch Podcast #26. Full episode airing 9/12/22 with anti-corruption activist Mark Savchuk.
Ukraine Watch 26 - Speaking truth to power. Ukrainians are fighting Russian aggression as well as to root out corruption at home in order to create a better future when they win the peace.
Ukraine Watch Podcast, Episode 26 with Mark Savchuk, Head of the Civil Oversight Council of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
Corruption exists in every country. However, the difference between a functioning democracy and and an authoritarian regime lies in whether or not a country's elites can be held responsible for violating the law. In the United States, elected officials who break the law can and should face prison time. What matters is the rule of law and whether a society can hold people with power and influence accountable for their misdeeds. In Ukraine, with the help of activists like my guest, Mark Savchuk, we’re seeing just that.
Take the case of Oleksandr Trukhin. A PM from president Zelenskyy’s party, Servant of the People. In August of 2021 he was accused of causing a drunk driving accident, for which he denied responsibility. However, the release of police body cam footage showed him allegedly trying to bribe an officer, as well as attempting to convince authorities to let him just disappear into the woods and walk away as if nothing happened. Despite the evidence against him, this politician was allowed to keep his seat in parliament and for over a year, faced no criminal charges. Until now.
An independent anti-corruption arm of the Ukrainian justice system created during the last presidential administration has under the current administration a new, independent prosecutor that recently opened a case against PM Trukhin in regards to this very case. Thanks in part to civil society anti-corruption activists such as my guest on this episode of the podcast, Ukraine can be counted among those nations that endeavor to uphold the rule of law - a principle worth fighting for, whether against enemies foreign or domestic.
Even as Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues, there are members of civil society in Ukraine working tirelessly to keep politicians and people in power honest, to ensure a better future for the
Coming soon to Ukraine Watch - a discussion with international law expert, Professor Brad Roth of Wayne State University. I also want to thank Ukrainian Independent Radio for its continued support for this project.