Welcome to this edition of What about Ukraine?, a newsletter that helps you keep updated about what has been said recently about Ukraine in Ukraine, and in the international media.

As August winds down, we’re taking a one-week pause from the intensity of news on Ukraine’s incursion in Kursk and the evacuations in Donbas to curate a different type of content. Whether you're heading to the beach or the mountains, or back to the office, we've prepared a newsletter on the best podcasts to explore and learn about Ukraine.

The full-scale invasion has sparked a surge in Ukrainian podcast production, and we’re excited to share three standout recommendations, including episodes in English. These podcasts offer deep dives into the country’s history, culture, politics and identity. We also share podcasts presenting political and human stories, and on international relations concerning Ukraine, featuring perspectives from Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Spain.

Oh! And I can't miss the chance to recommend 'Between Two Walls', a podcast by Olena Removska, journalist, presenter on the Ukrainian public broadcaster, and an EUD fellow in 2023. Removska conceived this 12-episode personal insight into the war while hiding from a Russian attack. Life in Ukraine is complex — sometimes the war feels distant, far from the frontline, but then there are moments when alarms blare and missiles strike, and you find yourself huddled in a corridor. 

Enjoy listening!

Fermín Torrano
Editor of this week's edition

THE BEST PODCASTS ON UKRAINE TO FOLLOW

Explaining Ukraine 

The year 2022 boosted Ukrainian podcast production, with hosts focusing on informing listeners about key developments in the war and explaining Ukraine’s history, identity and culture. Both goals were relevant for Ukrainian and foreign audiences, leading some podcasts to be produced in English.

One of the shows was introduced by Svidomi, an independent Ukrainian online media targeting the younger generation inside and outside the country. In just a few months in 2023, they released several episodes of a podcast 'FAQ-U:Ukraine Explained', highlighting some of the most controversial topics that have raised a lot of questions and caused misunderstandings, such as the history of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions, while also debunking some of the most popular myths produced by Russia about itself and Ukraine.

Unlike 'FAQ-U:Ukraine Explained', the podcast 'Explaining Ukraine', launched by the English-language online media UkraineWorld, has been regularly updated since 2017. Hosted by the UkraineWorld’s editor-in-chief, the philosopher Volodymyr Yermolenko, along with journalist and a literary scholar Tetyana Ogarkova, the show provides an impressive collection of conversations explaining Ukraine’s current affairs and its past. Discussions with invited speakers, such as American historian Timothy Snyder, British journalist Timothy Garton Ash and many others add multiple expertise and perspectives on the topic.

The Ukrainians Media created another series of episodes under the title 'Healed Lands'. Each episode invites listeners to hear a story from a city or a village badly influenced by either Russian occupation or the siege. Reporters come to the places after the Russian troops withdraw, and collect stories of people rebuilding their lives and homes disrupted and damaged by the enemy.

Bulgaria

Bulgarian community in Ukraine offers "a living link" between both countries

'February 24', the date marking the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, is also the title of a podcast by Edvin Sugarev, a Bulgarian poet, activist and politician. In its episodes, Sugarev invites Bulgarian writers from different generations to share with listeners their positions and moral judgments on the invasion. A journey between geopolitics, political and personal responsibilities, but also the story of the horrors and crimes committed during the conflict and the factors that made it possible. The host and his guests also look at the future to imagine what might await not only Ukraine, but also Bulgaria and Europe, when the guns finally fall silent. (Svobodata)

With 'Stories from the Front Line', Bulgarian National Radio journalist Dorothea Spasova takes listeners on a long journey to Ukraine, on the eve of the second anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion. Starting from the beaches of Odesa, leading to the streets of Kyiv, to finally reach the homes and wounded destinies of Chernihiv. The podcast has a particular focus on the large Bulgarian community in Ukraine, a living link between both countries. Stories here capture the Ukraine of the past, the Ukraine of today — caught between the pain of war and the hope of a dignified victory — and the Ukraine that aspires to be European, free and safe. (BNR)

Germany 

"No doubt" Ukraine is behind Nord Stream attack

In an August episode of war correspondent Paul Ronzheimer’s eponymous podcast, he interviews journalist Bojan Pancevski, who first published a detailed report on the Nord Stream Pipeline sabotage. A European correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Pancevski explains that Ukrainians are proud of the attack, and view it as a significant success. When asked about potential damage to relations with Germany, Pancevski notes that Ukraine was unconcerned, as Germany had not yet proven itself as a reliable partner, at that time. Since Nord Stream was largely a Russian-owned gas line, Kyiv regarded it as a legitimate military target. Pancevski affirms he has "no doubt" that Ukraine was responsible from the outset. (Ronzheimer)

'What to Do, Mr. General?' ('Was tun, Herr General?') by MDR has been a regular and ongoing podcast since the start of the full-scale invasion. It delves into various war-related topics with former NATO General Erhard Bühler providing expert briefings, analyses of current war developments, and insights into global security matters. With Bühler’s military experience, the podcast offers clear and informed perspectives on the complexities of warfare, including tactical decisions and strategic implications. In a recent episode, Bühler explains why the Ukrainians risked their advance into Kursk, suggesting it was because the West was too slow to act. (Was tun, Herr General?)

Hungary

"Ukrainians cannot distinguish between Orban and the Hungarian people" 

'Fülke', the foreign policy podcast of the weekly newspaper Hvg, often covers Ukraine. In an English language-episode, two Ukrainian journalists and EUD-fellows, Olena Removska and Serhii Stukanov, were invited to discuss how journalism in Ukraine has changed since the full-scale invasion and how Hungary is seen in Ukraine. Both agreed that Ukrainians cannot distinguish between the Hungarian government and the Hungarian people: "If you look at Orbán's and [foreign minister Péter] Szijjártó's statements, in many cases they are indeed repeating Russian propaganda narratives," says Stukanov. "It is somewhat natural that in times of war people see things in black and white and treat countries as either partners or enemies, and the people in them as well." (Hvg)

'Life and Everything' ('Az Élet meg minden') began as an independent startup project and has grown up into one of Hungary's most popular quality podcasts with in-depth discussions with experts across various fields. An earlier episode featured Diána Vonnák, an anthropologist at the University of Stirling, UK, and a researcher on Ukraine, who has been researching how Ukrainian museum artefacts are saved from war. In her experience, Ukrainian civil society has become "action-based, problem-solving, and has learned to work together on a broad scale". She stressed that Ukrainian civilians are successful and capable of putting pressure on the state. "There is much to learn from this," she remarks. The difficult question, according to her, is what happens when the hundreds of thousands of civilians, who are carrying a heavy burden, burn out or burn through their reserves (Az élet meg minden)

Italy

Stories of Ukrainian women fighting to get their children back

The podcast 'Stolen Children' ('Bambini rubati'), by Radio Rai correspondent Azzurra Meringolo, focuses on the journey Ukrainian women have to make to get their sons and daughters back. Thousands of Ukrainian children have been taken away and deported to 43 camps run by Russians. Hundreds of them have already been adopted by Russian families who, according to witnesses, try to indoctrinate them, erasing their Ukrainian identity, while their real mothers and fathers feel helpless. A Ukrainian organisation helps families find their children and get them back: it’s a tough 4,500-kilometre journey to enter Russia, identify them and return them home. (Radio1)

In episode 495 of the ChoraMedia podcast 'Stories', journalist Cecilia Sala explores how the narrative around Ukraine often infantilises its people, who feel like children struggling to capture the attention of indifferent allies. Ukrainian researcher Sasha Dovzhyk embodies this struggle: for twenty months, she wrote articles from air-raid shelters and the back of army pick-up trucks to keep the world aware of Ukraine’s fight for survival. However, after the Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli aggression on Gaza partially shifted global media focus, Dovzhyk found herself unable to write, reflecting on the futility of competing for attention in a world that treats tragedies as fleeting news. (Stories)

Spain

Following the Spanish who fight and die for Ukraine

In 'Our War' ('Nuestra Guerra'), the seventh episode of Hechos Reales, journalist Eva Lamarca explores the military training of a group of Spaniards who wish to join the fight in Ukraine. During a five-day course, waiters, bricklayers and students prepare for combat—or at least they think they do. The episode progresses through the personal stories and journey of two group members to Ukraine. One of them leaves Donbas frightened and disappointed, just days after arriving, while Miguel, a veteran ex-military man nicknamed 'grandpa', continued his mission until death. However, his name does not appear in the statistics, as his body has not been recovered. (Nuestra Guerra)

For two and a half years, the podcast 'Diary of Ukraine' ('Diario de Ucrania') from the Spanish public broadcaster (RTVE) has been telling stories about Ukraine and the key issues in the conflict. It started as a daily programme, in which the final part was dedicated to giving voice to people in Ukraine, but since a few months ago it has evolved into a weekly podcast launched every Wednesday. The latest topics have been the arrival of the F-16s in Ukraine, the situation of children in the invasion, the blackouts that the country has suffered since spring and stories of ordinary citizens. (Diario de Ucrania)

The Europe-Ukraine Desk curated this newsletter. This week's edition has been composed by our team all over Europe: Marika Ikonomu, Kornelia Kiss, Oksana Mamchenkova, Francesco Martino, Antonina Rybka and Fermin Torrano.
Michael Bird was our proofreader. 

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