Ukraine 242 Podcast

Can North Korea's military involvement significantly alter the course of the Ukraine war? Join us on Ukraine 242 as Sarah Ashton Cirillo, an American journalist turned combat medic and sergeant in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, provides an unfiltered look into the complex alliances shaping this conflict. Our candid conversation uncovers the unsettling collaboration between Russia and North Korea, including the surge of North Korean troops and outdated yet deadly weaponry on the front lines. Sarah provides a firsthand perspective on the grim reality of "slave labor" involving North Korean workers in Russia and the formidable obstacles faced by North Korean soldiers contemplating defection. This episode offers a comprehensive examination of the broader international stakes and the resilience required to confront such formidable adversities. Beyond the battlefield, we navigate the intricate geopolitical landscape impacting Ukraine, from President Zelensky's views on former President Trump to the implications of the Israel-Hamas conflict. With Sarah's insights, we explore the waning American attention on Ukraine amid other global crises and the vital importance of sustained U.S. support. As Sarah shares her personal journey, you’ll gain a unique understanding of the identity challenges faced by a trans soldier living under the shadow of an international wanted list. Discover how she finds solace in music and the companionship of her dog, Rexa, while reflecting on the courage and resolve of the Ukrainian people amidst prolonged conflict.

Journalists Alya Shandra and Bohdan Ben describe what happened on the ground during the Euromaidan Revolution of Dignity. Both participated in this historic grassroots peoples rebellion in 2014 that solidified Ukraine's pivot away from Russia towards Western Europe. Euromaidan with its preceding Orange Revolution is one of the most successful grassroots popular revolts in modern times. As a result. the then-president of Ukraine fled the country, leading to the formation of the government we know, today. Last week, in the first half of our conversation, Alya Shandra and Bohdan Ben described the political situation and events leading up to Euromaidan. This week, they describe what happened once the mass movement became unstoppable. According to them, the revolution was sparked when violence was used against the Euromaidan protestors. Alya and Bohdan frame the meaning of the Euromaidan revolution of dignity as the pivotal moment for Ukrainian society in two irreversible ways: the country completely turned away from Russia towards what they perceived as western democracy, and participatory citizenship became cemented in their culture, enabling Ukrainians to fight the current war.

The second part of an interview with Sarah Ashton Cirillo an American journalist who enlisted as a combat medic in the armed forces of Ukraine. She is an American trans woman and the only American female soldier at zero line, the front-most trenches. This interview comes one year after Sarah first spoke with Ukraine 2 4 2. After being hospitalized from serious injury incurred on the frontline, she describes in deeply personal terms, her difficult transition away from combat areas on the front to serving the military in Kyiv as a soldier and an analyst. Sarah also describes, with remarkable candor, her spiritual experience during war and how it has affects her identity, offering an unusual window into the soldiers experience.

One year after an interview with Ukraine 2 4 2, the first of a two-part interview with Sarah Ashton Cirillo an American journalist who enlisted as a combat medic in the armed forces of Ukraine. She is an American trans woman. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, she was the only transgender journalist and then the only American female soldier fighting at zero line, the front-most trenches. Sarah was hit by a missile on the front. After surgery and extended hospitalization to heal, she was presented with the Armed Forces of Ukraine's commander in Chiefs Golden Cross badge of honor. She was assigned as media director of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and is currently in Kyiv, working as a soldier and an analyst. Sarah talks about her new moniker of terrorist given to her by the Russian media, and her job as soldier and analyst, as well as her projections of developments in Ukraines fight, including weapons and Ukraines new military leadership.

Mark Lindquist is a United States Air Force and Afghan war veteran. Since March of 2022, Mark has lived in Ukraine, which he calls his second home. He is on a self-directed humanitarian mission to voluntarily deliver non-lethal aid directly to Ukrainian civilians. After two years of his aid work, he gives an update. He discusses the nature of how this on-going war has developed, what is needed by Ukrainians to fight effectively, food-aid, and reasons why the US and other Western countries may prefer to delay the resolution of this war.

Poetry by: Marianna Kiyanovska Karen Khiel Nancy Eaton Vidma Read by Kate Wallace Rogers Music: Anthem by Leonard Cohen Editing by Michael Hill-Levine Editing by Ursula Rudenberg

Ukrainian/ English political scientist Dr. Taras Kuzio discusses ways that Russia is seeking to destroy Ukrainian national identity and replace it with militarization and glorification of the Soviet ethos. He discusses new textbooks being used to influence children, kidnapping of children, persecution and murder of Ukrainian citizens who facilitate Ukrainian civil society, and the contrived hunt for Nazis in Ukraine. Kuzio also discusses Russias historical antisemitism and the resurgence of Jewish culture in Ukraine. Dr. Taras Kuzio is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy. He is Associate Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society in London. He was the Winner of the 2022 Peterson Literary Prize for his book Russian Nationalism and the Russian-Ukrainian War: Autocracy-Orthodoxy-Nationality (Published by Routledge, 2022)

Ukrainian political scientist Dr. Taras Kuzio discusses the global ramifications of Russias President Putins meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un in far Eastern Russia, early in September. He describes the coalition that is solidifying to support Russias invasion of Ukraine, including China, Iran and Korea, united against the West and their perception of a US-dominated uni-polar world. Kuzio also discusses how the war is transforming NATOs orientation, how it has affected Russia on the world stage, post-soviet oligarchic society, and what Russias defeat would mean for its allies and other regimes in the area. He draws a contrast between Russian hierarchical vertical society and Ukraines horizontal society where the military is integrated with citizens acting as volunteers and partisans. Dr. Taras Kuzio is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy. He is Associate Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. He was the Winner of the 2022 Peterson Literary Prize for his book Russian Nationalism and the Russian-Ukrainian War: Autocracy-Orthodoxy-Nationality (Published by Routledge, 2022)

At the beginning of September, Ukrainian Defense Minister was removed in response to allegations of corruption. Former American Ambassador Daniel Fried discusses this removal along with other internal leadership shake-ups, including the death of leaders of the Wagner military group in Russia as well as how Putin's future is tied to the outcome of his invasion of Ukraine and Russia's patterns of leadership succession. Fried also discusses Ukrainian and Russian actions and positioning on the world stage, including Africa and Syria, and briefly describes American Presidents Bush and Trump's responses to Putin. In his forty-year Foreign Service career, Ambassador Fried played a key role in designing and implementing American policy in Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union. He was a National Security advisor to Presidents Clinton and Bush, Ambassador to Poland, and Assistant Secretary of State for Europe. He helped craft the policy of NATO enlargement to Central European nations and, in parallel, NATO-Russia relations. Ambassador Fried is one of the U.S. governments foremost experts on Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. He is currently a Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council. He is also on the Board of Directors of the National Endowment for Democracy and a Visiting Professor at Warsaw University.

Athletes are collateral damage in Russia's war with Ukraine, according to Taylor McKee, a researcher committed to analyzing the socio-cultural intersections of sport and society. He discusses how, since 2014, the story of the Russian invasion plays out in theatres of sport as well. In this interview, the discussion focuses on the upcoming Olympic games in Paris, what could play out there, considering the Russian invasion, as well as the general practice of political expression at the Olympics by athletes and the public. The Era of Boycotts in the 70s and 80s is also reviewed, and the failure to boycott in 1936. Dr. Taylor McKee is professor and researcher at St. Catharines. Ontario, Canada. He has published on topics including Olympic History, Sport and Residential Schools, Hockey History, Monuments and Historical Memory, and Masculinity in Hockey.

This Week on Ukraine 2 4 2: Urban Warfare and other Battle Knowledge – US Major John Spencer TRT: 29 minutes US Major John Spencer is considered the world's leading expert on urban warfare. In February 2022, he wrote The Mini-Manuel for The Urban Defender, a guidebook for everyday people to defend their territory against military aggressors. The manual was posted online by the Ukrainian military and went viral, enabling Ukrainians to help their military to defeat the February 24 attack by Russia on Kyiv and other major cities. Spencer discusses the concepts in his booklet and answers many questions about the war in Ukraine from the point of view of a military expert. He discusses why Russians bomb civilian targets, the purpose of F-16 planes that have just been granted to Ukraine, NATO, threats to Poland, nuclear weapons, the current character of this war and how warfare has changed, and more. He speculates about possible outcomes for Ukraine and Russia. Above all, he reminds us that war is ultimately a matter of politics, not weaponry. Major John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare and other military related topics to four-star generals and other senior leaders in the U.S. He currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum. He recently served as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast. He served as a Colonel in the California State Guard with an assignment to the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard as the Director of Urban Warfare Training. Music: Hey Hey Rise Up by Pink Floyd featuring Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Boombox Ukraine 2 4 2 features interviews with experts, key people on the ground in Ukraine and many others affected, who can give direct and personal accounts of the unfolding of the war in Ukraine, how people of diverse backgrounds and professional skills rally in the fight for freedom and the historical context of Russia's invasion.

Historian Ekaterina Malygina describes SUCHO - Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online " an international initiative by more than 1,500 volunteer historians, archivists, librarians, and humanities researchers whose mission is to provide digital support, server space, equipment, and training resources to their colleagues in Ukrainian cultural institutions. The goal is to support the preservation of Ukrainian culture as hundreds of historic buildings, museums, libraries, archives, and websites are being damaged or destroyed by the Russian invasion. An additional goal is to document destruction of these institutions, themselves in the war. SUCHO was created at the onset of the invasion as a collaboration between Anna Kijas (Tufts University, US), Quinn Dombrowski (Stanford University, US) and Sebastian Majstorovic (European University Institute, Italy). It is a global grassroots initiative of over 1500 volunteers around the world. Ekaterina works in SUCHO as an archiving and digitization expert, helping cultural institutions to digitize their data and record objects in their care of cultural importance, as well as to provide necessary equipment.

Susan Mathison tells the story of herself and her three friends in Plymouth, New Hampshire who were aghast at the invasion of Ukraine. Feeling called to do something, they used their collective experience and resources as humanitarians, activists, and businesspeople, as well as their connections with Rotary Clubs here and in Poland and Ukraine, to create Common Man For Ukraine. This multi-million-dollar grassroots network for basic humanitarian aid provides food, warmth, and psychological support for orphans, refugee, and displaced children due to the war in Ukraine. The organization runs on donations and volunteer work. At least 2 million children are displaced in Ukraine, due to the death of family members and attempts of parents to hide their children from Russian abduction in Eastern Ukraine. Common Man for Ukraine delivers food, toys, sleeping bags, solar-powered lights, and generators to the secret safe houses where the children are being kept. They also provide psychological counseling and run a recovery retreat in Poland for Ukrainian children who need a break and counseling due to the war.

The Museum Territory of Terror in Lviv Ukraine was built on the site of a former Jewish Ghetto under the Nazis and a former Soviet prison. While its original mission was to document tragic pages of the 20th century, the museum has changed its focus, since the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, to preserving Ukrainian art, museum collections, archives, monuments, and museum buildings which are the targets of Russian destruction. Liana Blicharska, research fellow at the Museum Territory of Terror, discusses efforts to save Ukrainian museum collections and to re-produce ones that have been destroyed. They Liliana create audio-visual history installations which are experienced with virtual reality headsets, enabling the visitor to see lost works, buildings, and even towns while simultaneously listening to an audio guide. She also describes her personal online documentary project about the persecution of the Crimean Tartars. The Russian abduction of Potemkin's bones from his tomb in Kherson is also discussed.

This Week on Ukraine 2 4 2: Realities of War: Ukraine Cntr for military & legal Studies Now available in Audioport.org under WEEKLY PROGRAMS TRT: 29 minutes Produced by Anne Levine, WOMR, Provincetown MA Military analyst Oleksander Musiienko speaks about various current realities of the war in Ukraine from a Ukrainian analyst's perspective. He talks about various current events, including the second bombing of the Kerch bridge, Russian mercenary groups, the counteroffensive, Belarus, and the protection of Ukrainian art that has not yet been stolen or destroyed. Musiienko is head of the NGO Center for military and legal studies and he is co-founder of the National Political Academy of Ukraine. He disassembles and communicates news of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Territorial Defense Forces. Ukraine 2 4 2 features interviews with experts, key people on the ground in Ukraine and many others affected, who can give direct and personal accounts of the unfolding of the war in Ukraine, how people of diverse backgrounds and professional skills rally in the fight for freedom and the historical context of Russia's invasion.

Two stories of encounters between Ukrainians and Russians in the Diaspora. In Abu Dhabi Ukrainians and Russians encounter each other, leading to tensions. In Uzbekistan, refugees who are both Russian and Ukrainian, find each other for solace and mutual help and rebuilding. Julia Tymoshenko is a Ukrainian reporter, communications expert, and marketing executive. She studied at the Abu Dhabi and New York City campuses of New York University, where she studied social and public policy. Her research led her to do ethnographic fieldwork in Abu Dhabi, which allowed her to observe Ukrainians there, and their relations with Russians. YouTube vlogger Konstantin Samoiyov was a successful professional in Russia where he lived with his family until he left, last fall. He fled when mobilization was announced to recruit Russians as soldiers for the invasion of Ukraine. He tells the story of how refugees face losing everything. Samoilov started and leads the Tashkent International Breakfast Club, which regularly brings together hundreds of people at a cafe in the capital of Uzbekistan to help each other rebuild their lives.

Britta Ellwanger volunteers for the non-profit organization For Peace and discusses her work currently in Ukraine. She describes how For Peace provides humanitarian aid to civilians and soldiers through local connections and organizing. She has developed an expansive network informing her about what is needed, and her methods for fulfilling these exemplify the power and effectiveness of local and international grassroots organizing. Britta discusses projects such as locating needed vehicles and responding to the flood resulting from the explosion of the Kakhovka Dam. Britta was a graduate student at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy in their flagship Anticorruption Studies program. She is specializing in humanitarian aid until the war is over. She has been living, working, and investing in Ukraine for ten years. She has a B.A. from Stanford University in Political Science. For Peace states its purpose is integrated war relief, responding to the multifaceted needs of frontline communities during war time.

37-year-old Victoria Amelina, one of Ukraine's best-known young writers, died from injuries from a Russian missile strike in the city of Kramatorsk on June 27. In memoriam we rebroadcast her Ukraine 2 4 2 interview with Anne Levine from last May. Victoria Amelina stopped writing novels when Russia invaded Ukraine, saying: in 2022, it became impossible to write fiction (because) reality is so much more intense; it is impossible to invent stories anymore. Prior to her death she worked as a war crimes researcher with the organization TRUTH HOUNDS. In the Izium region, Victoria Amelina uncovered the war diary of fellow Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakulenko, who buried the dairy before he was killed by the occupying forces. She found it with the aid of his father in the back yard of the family home. Amelina kept a journal of the work being done by war-crimes researchers and became a successful poet published by papers such as the New York Times, and various anthologies. Victoria Amelina was a celebrated Ukrainian author of novels and children's books since 2015, when she won several literary awards for her first book, The Fall Syndrome, about the events at Maidan in 2014. In 2017 her novel Doms Dream Kingdom was released and was shortlisted for the prestigious LitAkcent literary award and the European Union Prize for Literature in 2019.

"There was great optimism about Russia in the 90s as it emerged from decades of authoritarian control. This has gone into reverse since 2014, and its messy geopolitical divorce from the Western world is accelerating." As a teenager, Jonathan Fink was a Russophile. While in college, he lived in Russia to deepen his knowledge. He found that in the 90's, the Russian people were humbled but not scornful of foreigners. Today, he says the Russian climate is much different, and it's part of what has brought the country to a possible near coup during the invasion of Ukraine, with Putin finding himself unexpectedly sparring off with the head of the state-funded paramilitary organization, The Wagner Group. On his YouTube channel, The Silicon Curtain, Fink interviews academics and thought leaders on the topic of Russia, with a focus on "propaganda, digital disinformation, politics, corruption, hybrid warfare, weaponized conspiracy theories, social echo chambers and digital dystopias." Today on Ukraine 2 4 2, Fink explains how these tactics have created chaos and self harm, leaving Russians with no centralized opinion on the war, if any at all.