Ukraine Without Hype: Recent Episodes
Ukraine Without Hype
Ukraine-based journalists Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway discuss the biggest stories from Ukraine, and the region - all in English.
Radio Free America is the sister podcast to Ukraine Without Hype. Here is the latest episode, and we invite you to subscribe to its own feed.
Radio Free America breaks down and critiques some of the top headlines from America's most reputable outlets. This week, we look at:
- ‘FBI director Kash Patel clashes with House Democrats over Epstein files’ - Washington Post
- Trump Crime Strategy May Work for Now, but Not for Long, Experts Say
- ‘Trump details third US strike on suspected drug traffickers’ - Politico
Please support us at patreon.com/ukrainewithouthype
James's Links
https://www.youtube.com/@SKozakMedia
https://www.patreon.com/spaghettikozak
Bluesky
@vagrantjourno.bsky.social
@bartaway.bsky.social
@ukrainewithouthype.bsky.social
In our new mini-series, The Polycrisis, we will delve into the interconnected crises engulfing the world, from the collapse of the "international community" to disinformation to environmental issues.
In episode 1, we examine the rise in the number of wars worldwide.Note: I accidentally refer to the Rapid Support Force in Sudan as the Rapid Response Force.
Credits
All maps are from liveuamap.com except for Myanmar, which is from Thomas van Linge
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
In this episode...
02:08 - Counterattacks tighten around Russians assaulting Dobropilia
07:25 - Russia sends attack drones after Poland
10:52 - Russia's Zapad 2025 exercises do not amount to much, but remind us how their predecessor in 2021 set up the invasion of Ukraine
16:10 - Dmitriy Kozak, the sole pragmatist in Putin's inner circle, resigns
22:33 - Recent diplomatic wins by Ukraine
26:43 - The Shanghai Cooperation Organization builds ties between Russia, China, and India, but still does not produce new global governance
35:31 - A Ukrainian refugee in America was murdered and had her death appropriated
Links
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6aAfaxyKBlC5GcHIdgCPIk?si=4hAc2HDzRneNlLDZGBJ9OQ
https://youtu.be/JiOtGB5WAdw
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
3:21 - Former Parliament Chairman Andriy Parubiy assassinated
7:48 - Russian missile strike on Kyiv kills relative of UWH co-host
10:21 - Battlefield Update: Pokrovsk stabilizes while Kupiansk is under critical threat
13:29 - Former mayor of Kherson released from Russian captivity
17:32 - The aftermath of the Alaska meeting and other American shenanigans
27:46 - New long-range missiles added to the Ukrainian toolkit
29:59 - Water Crisis in occupied Donbas
35:45 - Hungary launches new grievance campaign after Ukraine targets Russia's Druzhba pipeline
43:20 - There seems to be a gradual crackdown on some illegal constructions in Kyiv
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
01:28 - Donald Trump hosts Vladimir Putin in Alaska
15:17 - Azerbaijan and Armenia reach a yet-to-be-adopted peace agreement
34:54 - The Ukrainian government backs down from the law that stripped anti-corruption agencies of autonomy following protests
45:05 - Battlefield updates: Russian breakthrough in Pokrovsk sector defeated
55:55 - The death of anarchist soldier David Chichkan and the final burial of journalist Victoria Roshchyna
Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrWzxAXb0QA
https://www.instagram.com/radicalaidforce
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
02:25 - Battlefield Updates - Battle of Pokrovsk entering critical phase
11:12 - Assassination in Ukraine tied to American neo-Nazis
18:42 - New report on the Olenivka massacre
20:56 - Crimean Tatar arrested in France on behalf of Russia
24:50 - The US might be returning to aid for Ukraine, though with a lot of caveats
36:38 - Beginning of recognition of same-sex marriage in Ukraine
40:32 - Most of the Ukrainian cabinet has been changed or shuffled around, including the Prime Minister
51:14 - Protests against a law that would remove the independence of anti-corruption agencies
Link
https://english.nv.ua/podcasts-video/first-night-of-protest-against-anti-corruption-bill-50531794.html
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Hungary has become both a thorn in the side of Ukraine and a key part of an international conservative project. In this episode, we delve into the history of this arrangement and the political theory behind Orbanism and its enmity with the Open Society.
00:01:05 - Hungarian History 101
00:09:07 - George Soros and the Open Society
00:25:17 - The political rise of Viktor Orban
00:39:28 - What is an "Illiberal Democracy"
00:56:07 - Hungary as an internationalist conservative project
01:17:36 - Hungary's hostile relationship with Ukraine
01:21:00 - The future of Hungarian democracy
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
03:22 - Updates from summer in Kyiv
08:06 - Developments in Russia's summer offensive
16:40 - Latest attacks on Kyiv show increased use of drones
24:05 - Prisoner exchanges show new Russian crimes
28:40 - Reforms to allow multiple citizenships in Ukraine
34:25 - Mixed signals before next NATO summit
37:10 - Operation Spiderweb destroys much of Russia's bomber fleet and rehabilitates the Security Services of Ukraine
47:47 - War with Iran creates new instabilities that may affect Ukraine
Videos
New Voice of Ukraine: https://youtu.be/fRT1yGdgtlkNo God But Theirs: https://youtu.be/zb7Tc58zLjU
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Eighty years after the end of World War II, we can reflect on how we continue to make the same mistakes. And how the ways we choose to remember it are always reflections of how we see ourselves in the present, for good or bad.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
02:29 - The Russian Spring Offensive is showing its new priorities
10:05 - Zelensky goes to Turkey for Russia to put on a production of diplomatic theater
24:16 - Pope Leo XIV showing himself to be a friend of Ukraine
30:06 - US Ambassador to Ukraine resigns in protest over Trump policy
34:03 - Orban government in Hungary grows increasingly hostile as their designs on the Zakarapatia region become public
45:25 - Romanian presidential elections come in with a victory for the pro-Ukraine candidate over the pro-Russia one
54:30 - Eurovision song contest 2025
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
02:55 - Getting ready for the Spring offensives
10:00 - A string of devastating Russian missile strikes, especially in Sumy and Kyiv
15:46 - Along with a prisoner exchange, Russia also returns the tortured remains of the Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna
18:51 - Chinese volunteers fighting for Russia, but so was the son of a high-ranking CIA official
28:14 - America, Europe, and Russia present their peace plan proposals
41:23 - We don't need to get so excited every time an American conservative says something nice about Ukraine
56:43 - Remembering the mixed legacy of Pope Francis
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:03:35 - Combat Update: Ukrainian withdrawal in Kusk, current Russian offensive over
00:14:05 - Weeks-long Russian missile and drone barrage hits close to home
00:21:15 - Every ceasefire talk you have been hearing about has been complete bunk
00:37:58 - Russia plans expulsion of Ukrainians from occupied territory
00:43:07 - Trump ends RFE/RL, we talk about its background and impact
00:56:17 - Trump cancels programs investigating Russian war crimes, including finding kidnapped children
01:04:00 - Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute loses grant to fund translations of Ukrainian literature
01:06:00 - Protests against autocracy and corruption in Serbia, Georgia, Turkey, and Hungary.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
01:10 - The infamous meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vance
12:37 - Europe forced to set its own path without America
21:54 - Officials try to patch the US-Ukraine relationship, but Trump will not have it
25:25 - The US ends military aid to Ukraine
32:02 - And also intelligence sharing
41:37 - The US is dropping every defense it has against Russia: military, intelligence, and law enforcement
44:43 - Trump deporting Ukrainian refugees
47:20 - Trump planning to replace the Ukrainian government
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Within only a month, the second Trump administration has embarked on an aggressive campaign to remake the shape of both the American political system, and the global one. Both for the worse. This episode is a soft launch of a new project on American news: Radio Free America.
00:02:12 - Ending foreign aid
00:09:43 - Dismantling the federal government
00:38:10 - Turning allies into enemies
00:52:18 - Extorting Ukraine
01:13:08 - The Global Realignment
01:15:26 - What to do now
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode, we avoid the elephant in the room to discuss everything else...
00:00:20 - Announcements
00:03:02 - Combat Updates for the last month+
00:13:48 - Russia missile strikes, including on downtown Odesa and an old workplace of mine
00:19:05 - Assassinations and attempts
00:21:39 - Mobilization scandals, how to fix them, and how Russia is taking advantage
00:30:09 - Russia shoots down Azerbaijani airliner
00:34:42 - The political shockwaves of Ukraine ending Russian pipeline transit
00:43:47 - Other Updates on Georgia, Serbia, and Syria
00:50:39 - Ukraine recognizes the Circassian Genocide
01:03:30 - Oleksandr Usyk defends his titles and Ukraine chooses is Eurovision candidate
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Media
http://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHype
http://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthype
http://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Our 100th Episode. A big milestone for us. We are grateful to all of our listeners who followed us on our journey here. Our anniversary episode is doubling up as the New Year Episode, welcoming 2025 as we look back on 2024.
00:01:11 - Checking in on the hosts
00:04:11 - The State of the Podcast
00:15:14 - 2024 Year in Review
00:45:45 - The big themes of 2024
01:02:16 - Predictions for 2025
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @VagrantJournoUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
History has been used and misused in many ways as part of the Russo-Ukraine War. Russia has justified its aggression through bizarre appeals to medieval Princes. Ukrainian units name themselves for Scythians and Cossacks. We run through an overview of Ukrainian history and pre-history.
00:02:40 - The Proto-Indo-Europeans through the Greeks
00:17:24 - Turks and Slavs
00:23:58 - Kyivan Rus
00:38:57 - Ukraine after the Mongols
00:44:22 - The rise of the Cossacks
00:56:49 - From Khmelnytsky to Mazepa
01:08:39 - Poland and Ukraine fall together
01:15:08 - The Long 19th Century
01:25:53 - Between World Wars
01:38:16 - The post-Stalin Soviet Union
01:44:19 - Ukrainian Independence
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @VagrantJournoUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttps://bsky.app/profile/ukrainewithouthype.bsky.socialhttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicShchedryk - Carol of the Bells (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:01:24 - Combat Update
00:08:27 - Ukraine does two high-profile assassinations of Russian officers. The Jailor of Olenivka and the General of Conspiracy Theorists
00:21:19 - Russian shipwrecks show the dangers of their off-the-books "shadow fleet"
00:27:39 - US pressures Ukraine to lower mobilization age, which Ukraine rejects
00:43:52 - Ukraine is moving forward with legislation that would allow multiple citizenships
00:54:39 - Updates on Romanian elections controversy
01:04:17 - Update on Georgian protests
01:10:58 - The Syrian Civil War comes to a close as Assad flees for Moscow
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @VagrantJournoUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicShchedryk - Carol of the Bells (Traditional)
In this episode...
01:41 - I guess we have to talk about Joe Rogan
12:51 - Combat updates
18:21 - Russia does yet another nuclear bluff
26:08 - Trying to work around the Trump "peace plan"
31:27 - Romania coming close to electing a Russia-backed conspiracy theorist blowhard for President.
38:44 - Georgian government cracks down on ever-growing protests
48:36 - Shocking developments in Syria demonstrate Russia's growing inability to project power
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @VagrantJournoUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicShchedryk - Carol of the Bells (Traditional)
The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States puts Ukraine in an extremely perilous position as members of the incoming administration have threatened to cut off aid.
We ask:
01:06 - What were the Election results?
05:31 - How can we analyze the election?
21:20 - Who are the initial Trump appointments and what do they mean for Ukraine?
43:31 - How will Trump's non-Ukraine policy effect Ukrainians?
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @VagrantJournoUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:01:25 - Announcements
00:08:36 - The release of Maxim Butkevych and the murder of Victoria Roshchyna
00:14:21 - Combat Update: Tough situation in southern Donetsk Oblast and near Kupyansk
00:23:37 - The assassination of a Russian war criminal
00:25:34 - The "Kherson Safari"
00:31:19 - Russia poisoned the Desna River
00:34:58 - The Ukrainian Victory Plan
00:45:31 - North Korean soldiers join the Russian war on Ukraine
00:52:16 - Poland makes demands on historical memory issues for Ukrainian EU ascension
00:58:39 - Russia attacks Moldovan democracy in close election
1:05:47 - The Georgian government rigs its elections, and protests resume from the opposition to the "Russian law"
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @VagrantJournoUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
02:40 - Update on combat situation and Russian long-range strikes on Sumy and Izmail.
08:36 - Putin loosens Russian nuclear first-strike policy, but it is really all bluster meant for propaganda purposes
24:34 - The crew of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier is being sent to storm units
28:35 - President Zelesnky thanks American workers for supporting Ukraine, which turns out to be extremely controversial
Link
https://extension.psu.edu/impacts-of-the-war-in-ukraine-on-the-people-and-environment
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @VagrantJournoUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
01:18 - Brief Combat Update
04:59 - Ukraine destroys large Russian arms depot in Tver region
08:45 - Further information about the extensive Russian misinformation campaign across many countries
14:21 - Russia attempts a coup in Armenia
16:08 - The Georgian government slips further into the Russian sphere with anti-LGBT law and a plausibly related murder.
21:20—We interview Yasmin Sherif, the Director of Education Cannot Wait, a UNICEF-connected Fund that supports schools in Ukraine. We talk about the need for physically safe places, distance learning, and accounting for the psychological toll that war takes on children.
Link
https://www.educationcannotwait.org/
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @VagrantJournoUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
1:03 - Announcement: Cash program by the Norwegian Refugee Council
2:23 - Obituaries for Journalist David Knowles and ZSU soldier Matityahu Samborsky, son of Ukrainian Chief Rabbi
4:23 - Combat Update: Dynamic situation on multiple parts of the front line from Kursk to Vuhledar
9:48 - Russians continue a protracted series of missile and drone attacks throughout the country, including damaging a Crimean Tatar mosque in Kyiv. Ukraine needs the ability to strike at launch sites.
20:39 - Ukraine does a shakeup of a large number of Ministerial and other government positions
29:52 - DoJ uncovers how Russia Today funded right-wing media outlet Tennet Media, with more updates to come
45:56 - The Russian documentary "Russians at War" draws heavy criticism from Ukrainian observers (and us), while showing how Russian propaganda can work its way into western outlets.
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @VagrantJournoUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:00:29 - Russia launches another massive missile strike targetting civilians, energy infrastructure, and journalists
00:07:16 - Russia systemically destroys the physical heritage of Huliaipole, the center of the Civil War-era Free Territory of Nestor Makhno
00:14:32 - Battlefield Update
00:19:19 - Misinformation Case Study: Imane Khelif
00:40:33 - Misinformation Case Study: UK Far-Right Riots
00:47:33 - How a case of misinformation develops
1:03:33 - What are the causes of misinformation, and how do we fix them?
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @VagrantJournoUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:01:16 - Ukraine Rugby 7s tournament
5:04 - The ongoing Battle for Pokrovsk, evacuations underway
13:23 - The murder of New York
20:09.993 - Ukraine establishes an occupation authority for Russia's Kursk region
38:41.083 - An update on the Nordstream sabotage investigation
58:27.513 - Ukraine ratifies the Rome Statute
1:00:32.892 - Ukraine passes a law banning Russian religious organizations. No, it did not "ban Christianity."
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @VagrantJournoUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
03:18 - Ukraine has carried out numerous strikes and special forces raids on Russian defense infrastructure
8:34 - On August 6, Ukraine launched an invasion of the Kursk region of Russia and has made continuous progress ever since.
19:02 - We analyze some questions raised by the invasion, such as the lack of organizing by local Russians to either resist the invasion or support each other.
46:05 - Other parts of the front are more challenging, with New York close to falling.
48:49 - Ukraine had a small but successful showing at the 2024 Paris Olympics
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @RomeoKokriatskiUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
01:11 - A prisoner swap between the US and Russia trades political prisoners in Russian cells for Russian spies and assassins.
22:14 - Battlefield Update: Deterioration of the Pokrovks front
25:17 - Ukraine might have maybe possibly aided in an ambush of Wagner forces in Mali. Allegedly.
29:30 - F16s finally arrive in Ukraine
32:00 - Ukrainian politician Iryan Farion assassinated
36:20 - Ukraine shuts off Russian Lukoil deliveries to Hungary
39:00 - Georgian security services make big (unsubstantiated) allegations against the Georgian Legion
42:42 - Russia severely damages archeological site in Crimea
46:43 - Russian sociologists do an in-depth study of Russian feelings about the war
The Studyhttps://meduza.io/feature/2024/06/25/a-kogda-uzhe-pobeda-to-nasha-budet
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @RomeoKokriatskiUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
01:17 - Combat Updates
08:42 - The GOP's plan to replace the administrative state
00:22:11 - The Republican National Convention
00:27:20 - The disturbing background of JD Vance and the Thiel network
00:48:16 - Hillbilly Elegy and Vance's opportunism
01:01:33 - Senator Vance and the far-right
01:12:18 - President Biden steps down from the race for VP Kamala Harris
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @RomeoKokriatskiUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
02:00 - A heat wave combines with power outages to make a difficult mid-summer
06:54 - Massive Russian missile strike kills dozens of people across the country and destroys Ukraine's premier children's hospital.
34:44 - Combat update: New York in critical danger
38:15 - A prisoner swap frees a Crimean Tatar community leader, among others
41:47 - Last month's attacks in Dagestan rip open lingering civil strife
50:16 - Hungarian President Orban makes extreme demands of Ukraine, attempts shuttle diplomacy with the Kremlin
55:13 - UK and French elections look good for Ukraine
58:28 - Nothing happens at the NATO summit
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @RomeoKokriatskiUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediahttp://youtube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypehttp://tiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypehttp://instagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
We took some downtime from the headlines to ask our supporters what questions they have for us about Ukraine, the war, or anything. We get back into the old Putin succession question, what podcasts are good or bad, and some takes on food. These are our responses.
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @RomeoKokriatskiUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediayoutube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypetiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypeinstagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli by the Children's ensemble "Veseli Gudaki"
In this episode...
01:34 - A pretty eventful two weeks in Kyiv of the Book Arsenal, FanCon, and Kyiv Pride
10:00 - Combat update: Dangers to Donbas logistics, tide turned in Kharkiv region
15:45 - On the G7 Summit
20:20 - On the Ukraine Recovery Conference
31:55 - On the Summit on Peace in Ukraine
42:05 - Russia's reactions and diplomatic maneuvers
45:23 - On an upcoming NATO summit
47:14 - EU Parliament Election Results
49:05 - Armenia announces it is leaving Russian security bloc
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @RomeoKokriatskiUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediayoutube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypetiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypeinstagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
01:19 - No end in sight to electricity outages, even by winter
4:05 - Battlefield Update: Foreign partners loosen restrictions on using weapons against Russia, improving the situation on the front
13:50 - Inane "escalation management" by the DC blob must come to an end.
20:37 - The ICRC and OCHA were accused of facilitating the sending of Ukrainians to prison camps.
42:03 - A Eulogy for Hospitaller Iryna ‘Cheka’ Tsybukh
45:51 - Diplomacy news: Shagri-La Dialogue laying the groundwork for Swiss Peace Summit, Ukraine moves forward with EU candidacy
53:36 - Parliament passes law to promote English language
The Letter
https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/chekas-posthumous-letter-russia-kills-ukrainian-combat-medic-iryna-tsybukh/
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @RomeoKokriatskiUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediayoutube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypetiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypeinstagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
1:24 - Visiting some local Kyiv stories with the theme of corruption and anti-corruption.
13:44 - The Russian Kharkiv offensive is blunted but they continue to make gains outside of Avdiivka.
18:37 - The city of Kharkiv continues to be bombarded by Russia, including strikes on a busy department store and the largest print house in the country.
23:47 - An update on the captured Ukrainian journalist for Hromadske Victoria Roshchyna.
25:15 - Russia is threatening to advance its borders in the Baltic Sea
38:58 - France to send military advisors to Ukraine
40:12 - Russia does a purge of its military leadership
53:03 - The EU and US respond critically to the Georgian government's upcoming "Russian Law" against NGOs
1:06:13 - Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk is crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @RomeoKokriatskiUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Other Social Mediayoutube.com/@UkraineWithoutHypetiktok.com/@ukrainewithouthypeinstagram.com/ukrainewithouthype/
Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:00 - Announcements: We have expanded our social media presence and have posted a new video for Patreon subscriber
2:28 - Russian attacks on energy have necessitated a re-introduction of electricity rationing
5:51 - Russia has expanded its offensive by re-invading previously liberated areas outside of Kharkiv
19:38 - Attempted assassinations of both Ukrainian President Zelensky and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico
25:42 - Kremlinology Corner, Putin does a shakeup in the top spots of his executive
42:10 - An update on protests in Georgia and Armenia
50:49 - Ukraine comes in third at a controversial 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode, we give an overview of what brought Georgia/Sakartvelo from independence in 1991 to the place where it is now, with mass protests on the streets fighting against the so-called "Russian Law." This law, similar to the Russian foreign agent law, would put onerous restrictions on foreign funding for civil society.
We then debunk claims it is similar to American FARA restrictions and reflect on the place of NGOs in society.
Vladyslav: @VlStarodubtsev
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode, we celebrate Labor Day by speaking with returning guest Vladyslav Starodubtsev about the history of International Worker's Day in Ukraine and the world, along with the state of labor rights in Ukraine at present. Vladyslav is a leftist and labor organizer in Ukraine including with Sotsіalniy Rukh.
Vladyslav: @VlStarodubtsev
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
01:00 - Russian missile attacks on Kharkiv and the seaside promenade in Odesa
06:44 - Russian army makes worrisome advances north of Avdiivka
14:00 - US House of Representatives finally votes for Ukraine aid, reportedly after targeted and intensive lobbying stressing the plight of Ukrainian Protestants under occupation.
33:55 - Prominent deaths on either side of the line highlight the differences in the quality of people involved.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode, we sit down with retired Congressman David Bonior, former Representative for the northern suburbs of Detroit and Democratic Party Whip from 1991-2002. David worked to shift US policy in favor of independent Ukraine in the collapse of the Soviet Union and has advocated for the country ever since. We talk about the political fight in Congress, the Ukrainian-American diaspora, and his current mission in the country.
But first, some updates about Chasiv Yar, missile strikes, mobilization reform, and protests in Georgia.
Links
https://youtu.be/OJBnIRLYLZk?si=dbYgifdM2MEAgyBt
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
0:53 - Combat Update: Kharkiv hit heavily by Russian bombs, Chasiv Yar shaping to be the next big battle
9:05 - Mobilization age lowered to 25
14:05 - Russian citizens in the Ukrainian military
22:00 - Russian military recruitment around the world, the hows and whys
51:22 - Russian Orthodox Church declaration of Holy War...and anti-urbanism
Links
https://youtu.be/OJBnIRLYLZk?si=dbYgifdM2MEAgyBt
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:55 - Announcement: New documentary from the Kyiv Independent
01:50 - Reflections on the Kyiv Security Forum
06:57 - Combat Update: Raids into Russian territory lasting a very long time
12:30 - Russia launches a heavy nightly missile campaign against energy infrastructure and civilian homes. I go to the scene of a destroyed Art Academy
29:31 - Ukrainians made to vote in Russian "elections"
31:13 - ISIS attack on Moscow suburb
49:40 - 20 Days in Mariupol is the first Ukrainian film to win an Oscar
Links
https://youtu.be/OJBnIRLYLZk?si=dbYgifdM2MEAgyBt
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
We interview Ivan Zharkov, a participant in the Revolution of Dignity who enlisted to defend Ukraine in the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion. He talks about his experiences in the Battles of Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Bakhmut, especially as the leader of a medical unit.
Links
https://english.nv.ua/opinion/what-price-victory-opinion-50396884.html
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
01:00 - Another Russian ship destroyed; Russia advances in the outskirts of Avdiivka
03:24 - Czech-led artillery shell supply getting ready for shipment to Ukraine
06:27 - German Chancellor Scholz says dumb things
10:41 - French President Macron gets a whole lot more assertive, threatens French involvement in war
19:00 - Sweden joins NATO
22:38 - Polish "farmer" protest worsens
27:27 - Russia nearly kills the Prime Minster of Greece
31:17 - Russia threatens Moldova over Transnistria with strong parallels between Moldova and Ukraine
Links
https://english.nv.ua/opinion/what-price-victory-opinion-50396884.html
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
01:09 - The fall of the hero-city of Avdiivka. The city is no more.
12:04 - Remembering 10 years of Revolution and War, and 2 Years of the full-scale invasion
14:30 - The Polish farmer blockade of the border reaches grotesque new heights
22:25 - The complicated legacy of Alexei Navalny, who was killed in Russian prison
36:41 - Tucker Carlson, crass Russian propagandist, amazed by shopping carts
Links
https://english.nv.ua/opinion/tucker-carlson-interview-with-vladimir-putin-compared-to-holodomor-denier-walter-duranty-50391631.html
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:01:15 - Ukraine destroys two more ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet using naval drones
00:04:02 - Russia makes breakthroughs in Avdiivka, putting the defense of the city at critical risk
00:12:18 - Republican blocking of Ukraine aid leaves Ukrainian Armed Forces ammunition starved
00:23:39 - Tucker Carlson interviews Putin, old man yells at clouds
00:42:00 - Zelensky does personnel shakeup of Ukraine's top brass, replaces Zaluzhnyi
00:51:38 - Zelensky passes a decree on the study of formerly Ukrainian-inhabited regions within the borders of the Russian Federation.
00:57:03 - Ukraine's Eurovision contestants were selected
Links
https://english.nv.ua/opinion/tucker-carlson-interview-with-vladimir-putin-compared-to-holodomor-denier-walter-duranty-50391631.html
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Once upon a time, Ukraine Without Hype liked to do episodes that were biographies of some of Ukraine's various baddies. The Russian buildup and then the full-scale invasion created different priorities. In this episode, we look at the subjects of these exposés and ask Where Are They Now?
00:02:42 - Pavlo Vovk
00:12:50 - Ilya Kyva
00:29:00 - Viktor Medvedchuk
00:48:00 - Dmytro Firtash
01:05:44 - Arsen Avakov
01:20:35 - Conclusions
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode:
01:00 - Quick updates on Russian missile attacks, Russia freezing, and the end of the holiday season
09:00 - Combat Update - Little movement on the front line, Ukraine shoots down Russian A-50, Russian electronic warfare in the Baltic Sea
17:05 - House Republicans claim they will block Ukraine aid for the next year
24:17 - The death of the sexual assault coach turned Russian spy Gonzalo Lira
32:25 - Headline Story - Extremely unpopular reforms to the mobilization system flounder in parliament, and the underlying problems that surround them.
51:09 - Protests in the Russian region of Bashkortostan
57:53 - New Year prisoner exchange brings defenders of Mariupol and Snake Island home at last
Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XQxveVhfuI&ab_channel=KyivIndependent
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Shedryk - Carol of the Bells (Traditional)
Anthony and Romeo reflect on the biggest news stories of 2023, from the Battle of Bakhmut to the Kherson flood to Avdiivka. What went right, what went wrong, and what was unexpected? Then, we take what we learned from the year to guess what may happen next year, a year of grinding attrition warfare and an ever-more vital fight for support.
Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XQxveVhfuI&ab_channel=KyivIndependent
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Shedryk - Carol of the Bells (Traditional)
In this episode...
2:50 - In the Combat Update, Ukrainian defenders continue to hold Avdiivka, Russia pushes through the divided city of Marinka, and the ZSU consolidates gains on the Left Bank of the Dnipro near Kherson
10:07 - The collaborator Ilya Kyva is assassinated near Moscow by the SBU.
13:37 - House Republicans stonewall Ukraine aid funding until next year with a list of demands.
19:54 - Hungary steps aside to allow Ukraine to enter EU accession negotiations but blocks aid funding.
25:20 - A more pro-EU government is sworn in in Poland, which may begin the process of ending the truck blockade on the border.
Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XQxveVhfuI&ab_channel=KyivIndependent
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Shedryk - Carol of the Bells (Traditional)
In this episodes...
02:30 - The Kyiv Independent releases a new documentary (which I narrated) on the torture of Ukrainian POWs in Russian custody
03:41 - In the Start of Winter, a huge storm hits the Black Sea while Russia ups its drone attacks on Kyiv in the early phases of an expected winter campaign against energy infrastructure.
10:03 - Putin gives a speech reaffirming his maximalist goals of reforging the Russian Empire while the Russian Supreme Court declares LGBT people to be extremists
20:52 - In the headline story, the Polish trucker blockade on the Ukrainian border, which is blocking Ukrainian humanitarian goods, has clear Russian influence behind it.
31:00 - The "Scythian Gold" that had been locked in legal limbo after the illegal annexation of Crimea has finally returned home to Kyiv.
Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XQxveVhfuI&ab_channel=KyivIndependent
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Olga Tokariuk is a Ukrainian journalist and Chatham Fellow who was there when the history of Ukraine - and the world - changed forever on the night of November 21, 2013. Former President Yanukovych had gone back on his promises of European Association, and fully chose Russia. What followed was protests turned into Revolution, and Revolution turned into a war to defend the very existence of the Ukrainian people.
We look back at that time 10 years ago, and what it means now.
Olga's Links
Twitter: @olgatokariuk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/olga-tokariuk/
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:01:11 - Combat update - Avdiivka will be the focal point of the war for at least the rest of the year.
00:07:26 - General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, writes an article in the Economist about what Ukraine needs to break out of attritional "positional" war.
00:27:11 - Russian soldiers slaughter a family for not giving up their home.
00:30:50 - A pogrom at an airport in Dagestan shows where the Russian government would prefer internal frustrations be pointed.
00:46:48 - Ukraine is set to take a step forward with its EU candidate status next month.
Links
Zaluzhniy's Article: https://infographics.economist.com/2023/ExternalContent/ZALUZHNYI_FULL_VERSION.pdf
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Some outside pressure is asking why Ukraine won't be having wartime elections. We start by going over why that would be impossible, then dig deeper into Ukrainian electoral politics and would would come of an election.
00:01:24 - Holding elections in Ukraine would be illegal, dangerous, and logistically insurmountable.
00:14:53 - A pretty confusing bill is in the works to allow for elections anyway.
00:30:51 - Ukrainian civics lesson 101
00:37:43 - What are Ukraine's political parties?
00:56:08 - What happens with the formerly "pro-Russian" vote?
01:03:31 - Would Zelensky win re-election?
01:07:25 - Might Zelensky not run for re-election?
01:12:00 - The controversial character Oleksiy Arestovych has announced his Presidential campaign.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:42 - Anthony recounts a reporting trip to Kharkiv and back to the former Kakhovka Reservoir
07:42 - Russia launches a massive assault on Avdiivka, and takes massive casualties in the process. Meanwhile, Ukraine launched a large but secretive incursion across the Dnipro River.
22:12 - The newly arrived ATACMS missiles from the US devastate Russia's helicopter fleet stationed at Berdyansk, but they still aren't quite what was wanted.
26:43 - The trial of five police officers involved in brutally suppressing Euromaidan reaches an unsatisfying conclusion.
36:30 - Ukraine moves forward with legislation that could allow for same-sex partnerships.
41:20 - The Polish elections look like a win for the opposition, but either way, it looks good for Ukraine.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
We are joined by Joey Ayoub, PhD, host of The Fire These Times, about the recent massacre by Hamas in southern Israel and Israel's subsequent retaliation against Gaza's civilian population. The ferocity of Hamas' attack was unprecedented, but so was the systemic weakness and dysfunction of the Israeli state. Why did it happen, and is there any solution to Israel's ongoing siege of Gaza?
Joey Ayoub's Links
https://thefirethesetimes.com/
https://www.patreon.com/firethesetimes
https://twitter.com/FireTheseTimes
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:49 - Russia hits a grocery store and cafe holding a wake for a deceased community member in a village in Kharkiv region, killing over 50 people.
03:15 - Ukraine advances beyond the second line of defenses in the Tokmak direction
05:17 - After heavy attacks on the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including its headquarters in Sevastopol, the Russian Navy retreated away from Crimea to other Black Sea ports. This opened up trade lanes out of Odesa, which are once again in use.
15:06 - The first Abrams tanks arrive in Ukraine to aid the counter-offensive, with ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) missiles finally on their way as well.
18:52 - USA Congressional infighting leaves Ukraine funding in question
26:48 - Anti-Ukrainian political party comes out ahead in Slovak elections
29:35 - Nearly the entire Armenian population of Nagrono-Karabakh has been driven from their homes.
38:51 - Serb militants carry out a short uprising in northern Kosovo with either the support or blessing of the Serbian government.
47:24 - Reflection on the unwinding of the international order
Links
"Bullet Holes" by the Kyiv Independent: https://youtu.be/E-coT5t70Tg?si=LQRYdJfgJdudQvta
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:01:20 - Visiting a Hungarian-speaking town in the Zakarpattia region
00:18:40 - The anniversary of the assassination of Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze in 2000, and how the protest movement against it helped form Ukraine's democratic path.
00:33:11 - A trade dispute over agricultural goods stirs diplomatic row between Poland and Ukraine.
00:41:48 - Azerbaijan invades the Nagorno-Karabakh region to take full control of the area. News of war crimes by the Azerbaijani army pour in.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:01:21 - Ukrainian forces begin to pierce Russia's second line of defense in the south, and retake positions near Donetsk city.
00:08:35 - Russia caught by the Cuban authorities illegally trafficking potential soldiers.
00:11:51 - Russia looks to North Korea as a source of arms.
00:16:10 - Russia holds elections, including in the occupied territories.
00:21:07 - Elon Musk interfered with a Ukrainian operation to sink the Russian Black Sea Fleet by cutting off the attack drone's internet connection.
00:29:35 - Ukraine's new Defense Minister is a Crimean Tatar community leader with a record as a diplomat and administrator.
00:50:18 - Igor Kolomoisky finds himself in legal trouble on fraud charges.
00:58:56 - Armenia uses a diplomatic event in Kyiv to announce aid to Ukraine...to the scorn of its Russian treaty allies
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:01:16 - Despite naysaying in the Western press, the Southern offensive makes a major breakthrough by taking Robotyne and pushing forward.
00:25:32 - How Ukraine, the country that barely has a navy, is taking the fight to the Russians in the Black Sea and Dnipro River
00:43:00 - Three Ukrainian pilots die in a training accident, including the famous ace known as "Juice"
00:47:20 - Anti-corruption news: The heads of all recruitment offices are sacked after discovering widespread corruption, and investigative journalists look at a bad deal on coats by the MOD
1:09:21 - Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner group and failed insurrectionist, is eliminated via an exploding airplane along with much of the rest of the mercenary company's leadership. What now?
Links
"Uprooted" by the Kyiv Independent: https://youtu.be/cq2gEMhuDpsMy
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Anthony has returned from a reporting trip to the south of Ukraine and relays what he saw on the ground.
00:02:10 - Odesa's Transfiguration Cathedral was badly damaged by the recent Russia strike on the city landmark, but Odesa is undeterred from the August vacation season.
00:19:05 - We had a bit of an adventure with the Transnistria border and a drunk, possibly, maybe marijuana farmer, but saw the very apparent reforms in the State Border Service.
00:38:14 - Returning to Mykolaiv, a city bouncing back now that it is no longer the front line.
00:42:21 - The area around the now-drained Nova Kakhovka Reservoir is facing a water crisis, both for individual use and agriculture. But the recovered meadowland also has archeological discoveries.
1:02:25 - Zaporizhzhia, on the other end of the reservoir, is a fortified city overseeing the counteroffensive only a short distance away.
1:10:42 - Conclusions
Links
https://newlinesmag.com/podcast/ukraines-cluster-bomb-dilemma-with-sera-koulabdara-and-romeo-kokriatski/
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:00:36 - Announcements; join our Discord
00:02:44 - Russian counterattack thwarted in the Luhansk Oblast while progress continues in the south and Bakhmut
00:11:20 - Russia cancels grain deal, then bombs Odesa city center and port infrastructure
00:25:44 - The Ballad of Igor Girkin, the Forrest Gump of Russian Imperialism. One of the men most personally responsible for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He is now under arrest in Russia for something other than his actual crimes.
1:02:20 - Russian conspiracy to humiliate a Ukrainian fencer backfires
Links
"Uprooted" by the Kyiv Independent: https://youtu.be/cq2gEMhuDps
My article on Kherson: https://kyivindependent.com/how-russian-soldiers-shared-evidence-of-their-own-war-crime/
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
01:30 - Ukrainian army attacks the first line of Russian defense in the south while making gains around Bakhmut. Meanwhile, deep attacks take down the Crimean Bridge and an assassination of a Russian submarine commander.
13:30 - An update on the after-effects of the Wagner Coup attempt
20:30 - The NATO Summit in Vilnius proves to be disappointing.
27:00 - Zelensky clashes with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev
30:00 - Zelensky's visit to Poland looks to mend old wounds.
38:30 - Turkey makes big moves to support Ukraine amidst Russia canceling the grain deal.
47:00 - Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina passes in the hospital after a Russian missile attack in Kramatorsk.
52:40 - Question from the fans on the US sending Ukraine cluster munitions
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode...
00:50 - The Ukrainian counteroffensive lurches forward across the front lines
07:23 - Wagner Group and its leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin launch a day-long uprising against the Russian government. What happened? Why? What now?
41:15 - A locked Kyiv bomb shelter leads to the death of a mother and child.
45:00 - Russian targets a restaurant in Kramatorsk used as a hub for journalists and aid workers.
48:00 - The legal system finally answers the question "Who ordered Katya Handzyuk?" The politicians who ordered the activist's death were sentenced to 10 years.
43:45 - A peace delegation by a group of African countries proves disappointing
57:00 - Hungary holds Ukrainian prisoners of war
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Following the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Dam in the Kherson region, the area downstream was flooded, causing a massive amount of destruction. Anthony went to the city to cover the aid efforts in a city in which he has memories of a better time.
While there, the Russians fired on a group of humanitarian aid workers Anthony was helping and reporting on. One was wounded but is in stable condition.
After that story, Anthony goes on a rant about the Internal Committee of the Red Cross failing in its mission. Then an overview of what the future environmental, economic, epidemiological, and war-related after-effects of the dam's destruction will be for years to come.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Dylan Burns is a political streamer on YouTube and Twitch who has made multiple reporting trips to Ukraine. We talk about his coverage of demining efforts and other topics, what it means to be a political streamer with a younger audience who stepped into the world of journalism, and the controversial value of debating more Russia-friendly figures.
Dylan Burn's Info
https://www.dylanburns.tv/
https://www.youtube.com/@DylanBurnsLIVE
https://twitter.com/DylanBurns1776
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode -
00:40 - What is it like to go through a mass suicide drone attack?
10:43 - Combat update: Ukraine continues to advance around Bakhmut, but major shifts are unlikely until the counter-offensive. They also continue to hit strategic Russian points. Meanwhile, Russia struggles to find a solution to re-do's of the Belgorod border raid.
18:00 - A tangent about the rise of Russian PMCs as an erosion of Russian state power.
22:27 - Armenia takes further steps to concede the Karabakh dispute to Azerbaijan.
26:20 - NATO peacekeepers injured by ethnic Serb protesters while trying to control conflict in Kosovo.
34:53 - A tangent about how consociational governance isn't all that great and how some in the West tried to impose failing models from the Balkans onto Ukraine.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode -
1:30 - Russian forces take control of the ruins of Bakhmut
11:15 - A questionable group of Russian volunteer soldiers fighting for Ukraine launch a raid into Belgorod Oblast of Russia and take a strangely long amount of time to be driven off.
37:30 - With the Russian success in Bakhmut, the war enters a new phase. What are the opportunities and concerns for how that new phase will shape out?
47:30 - Looking to the sky, Kyiv thwarts a massive missile barrage with the help of the Patriot missile defense system, and it looks like F-16s are on their way to the Ukrainian Air Force
52:10 - The Arab League, G7, and Chinese-Central Asia Summits all show opportunities for Ukraine and how far Russian soft power has fallen
1:06:30 - The (now former) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court gets caught in a bribery scandal
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this episode -
1:45 - An overview of the evolving situation in the war. Ukraine has made a series of localized micro-offensives throughout the front line resulting in numerous small victories against the Russian occupiers. Most importantly, in the area around Bakhmut, where they have retaken ground to the north and south of the city. This also enflames the struggle between the Wagner Group and the regular Russian army.
26:15 - Ukraine's acquisition of Patriot and Storm Shadow missile systems is changing the calculus in the war of long-range missiles.
40:25 - A eulogy for the left-wing internationalist volunteers Finbar Cafferkey, Cooper Andrews, and Dmitry Petrov, and the journalist Arman Soldin.
52:40 - The Red Square Victory Day Parade was a flop.
1:03:00 - Amnesty International was caught covering up an internal review showing the failings of the Ukraine reportage.
1:06:50 - Eurovision
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Ukraine without Hype is joined by Armenian political scientist Karena Avedissian. Karena specializes in governance, access to justice, social movements, and new media/communications in Eurasia. We asked her about the background of the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region, recent developments of Baku tightening their grip on the region and Yerevan looking like they may give in, and the role of civil society in either country.
Twitter
Karena: @KarenaAv
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this Episode...
1:00 - Combat Update: Ukraine pushed back to the last few neighborhoods in Bakhmut, while a raid in Kherson Oblast gains attention as paving the way for the coming offensive.
12:05 - Putin visits occupied Kherson Oblast...maybe
17:05 - Wagner fighters blow the whistle, having been given extermination orders against Ukrainians
(https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/18/wagner-mercenary-admits-tossing-grenades-at-injured-ukrainian-pows)
25:12 - Ukraine's EU neighbors block Ukrainian agricultural imports in order to protect domestic markets, the EU is trying to negotiate a resolution.
International News
39:50 - Washington Post reports on deep Russian influence campaigns in Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany Party and left-wing Die Linke Party.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/21/germany-russia-interference-afd-wagenknecht/
47:35 - Azerbaijan closes down Nagorno Karabakh, and the next conflict looms closer.
57:35 - Civil War in Sudan is another conflict where the Wagner Group is showing its influence.
For Sudan: @YousraElbagirFor Armenia: @KarenaAv
Twitter
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this Episode...
01:10 - War Updates: The Russians advance through the city center of Bakhmut, but it seems pretty certain that the city will not be surrounded. No Russian progress around Avdiivka, and most other advances have ground down.
10:07 - The Wagner Group circulates a video of themselves beheading a live Ukrainian prisoner. We go into some of the sociology behind why they would go to such depths.
20:52 - The Russian Orthodox Church faces an increasingly frequent series of localized crises in the aftermath of their official expulsion from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
27:22 - In the main focus of the episode, a weirdo internet Nazi working for the Air National Guard leaks a trove of top-secret military documents in order to impress his friends on a gaming chatroom.
Twitter
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In this News Digest...
00:50 - War Updates: The focus of the war is on Bakhmut and Avdiivka, two cities that have been largely destroyed and are threatened by attempted Russian encirclements. Russia knocks a US surveillance drone out of international skies, while Slovakia supplies Ukraine with fighter jets. Putin threatens to move tactical nuclear weapons into Belarus.
15:00 - International Relations: While Putin accepts his role as an inferior partner at a summit with China, Japanese PM Kishida makes a visit to Kyiv. Journalists release evidence of a years-long Russian plot to dominate Moldova in the midst of that plot seemingly unfolding ( https://kyivindependent.com/leaked-document-exposes-kremlins-10-year-plan-to-undermine-moldova/ ). Azerbaijan begins a new round of hostilities with Karabakh and Armenia.
And the title story - the International Criminal Court puts out a warrant for Vladimir Putin and "Children’s rights commissioner" Maria Lvova-Belova for the mass kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
28:40 - Domestic News: Standoff as Russian Orthodox priests refuse to vacate Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. A gay marriage bill is introduced to the Verkhovna Rada. New picks for Ministerial positions in the government seem promising.
37:05 - Entertainment: At the Oscars, "Navalny" documentary beats Ukrainian documentary "House Made of Splinters." I have thoughts.
Twitter
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charities
https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
James is a US Army veteran who supported Ukraine for years before the full-scale invasion and enlisted when the time came. We talk to him about how his many years living in Russia opened his eyes to the country's simmering fascism and his path into the Ukrainian army. Since he also has a YouTube channel where he talks about old movies, we also go into how evolving technologies and pop culture shape popular perceptions of the nature of war. JamesTwitter: @SpaghettiKozak
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpaghettiKozak
Twitter
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charitieshttps://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
00:45 - Combat Update, including the increasingly brutal fight to defend the strong point of Bakhmut while preparing a counter-offensive.
10:50 - A militia made up of Russian dissidents fighting for Ukraine makes a cross-border raid into Bryansk region of Russia in order to get the rest of the country to revolt. We have questions.
26:00 - China presents a peace plan while rumors swirl of them possibly beginning to sell Russia military equipment.
34:30 - Pro-Russian protests in Moldova raise concerns over Russian aggressive actions in the country.
45:34 - Georgian demonstrators force their government to abandon a repressive "foreign agent" law.
57:40 - Russian occupation authorities illegally sentence a Ukrainian civil society activist turned soldier turned POW to 13 years in prison.
Twitter
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charitieshttps://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
The glory of Ukraine has not yet perished, nor the will.
Still upon us, young brothers, fate shall smile.
Our enemies shall vanish, like dew in the sun.
We too shall rule, brothers, our country.
February 24th is the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, a day that shall live in infamy. It has been a full year since the Russian-fascist forces began their three-day campaign to conquer and exterminate Ukraine. We talk to former Ukraine Without Hype co-host Maria Romanenko about becoming a refugee on the first day of this war and the advocacy and support work she has done in the United Kingdom since then.
Twitter
Maria: @Rommari
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Resources and Charitieshttps://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
For this week's combat update, Russia continues to grind away at Bakhmut, making the most progress in the northern suburbs while being fought back in the south. In what appears to be the start of their much-awaited Spring offensive, most other fronts are successfully holding the Russians off. Then...
30:45 - The execution of Russian neo-Nazi could be another sign of inter-fractional fighting either within the ultra-nationalist camp or being it and the regular army.
40:50 - Zelesnky's makes a diplomatic trip to the UK and EU, which shows some signs of possible future deliveries of fighter jets.
53:45 - Anti-corruption raids continue throughout the country, targeting oligarchs and government officials suspected of graft.
Twitter
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
LinkTreehttps://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
The second half of January has been extremely busy and there are many headlines to cover.
00:42 - Combat Update: Russian forces make troubling gains to the north and south of Bakhmut, but Bakhmut still stands. Russia fails in offensives along the southern line at Orikhiv and Vuhledar. Ukraine advances against Kreminna but is met with an increased Russian buildup.
09:10 - Russia missile strike hits an apartment building in the central city of Dnipro, killing 46 people.
19:12 - A helicopter crash in the Kyiv suburb of Brovary kills the top leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, though the causes are still unknown. The helicopter also crashed into a kindergarten, killing one child.
27:30 - A corruption scandal in the Ministry of Defense leads to an anti-corruption hunt that leads to several officials resigning. There is also more turnover in high-level posts which could possibly be coincidental timing rather than wrongdoing.
48:00 - Tanks. Ukraine's allies have begun supplying Ukraine with a variety of tank models that are superior to what the Russians have readily available, though the process of doing this was extremely politically fraught.
1:13:00 - Miscellaneous. New pro-Ukraine President of Czechia, revelations about Bulgaria's vital role in supplying Ukraine in the early days of the war, strikes on military facilities in Iran
Twitter
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
After months of little but continuous defeat, the Russian military looks like it is on the verge of taking the Donbas salt-mining town of Soledar. The battle is ongoing, but the situation is dire and would leave northern Bakhmut more vulnerable. We go into what little we know about the situation on the ground. This is followed by a discussion on the mercenary company Wagner Group, who is leading the battle, and the designs of its owner Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The start of 2023 has seen Ukraine destroy several Russian barracks and logistics points, leading to Russia lying about its own barracks strike against Ukraine in order to save face.
Good news is coming in about new weapons shipments to Ukraine, including armored fighting vehicles and possibly tanks.
As a new session of Congression takes their seats, the far-right is better positioned to block support for Ukraine.
Twitter
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Shchedryk (Traditional)
On the last day of a very difficult year, we do a news roundup of the last headlines of 2022. President Zelensky leaves Ukraine for the first time of the full-scale invasion to hold a joint presser with President Biden, then a speech before a joint session of Congress.
In other news, Russia sends its New Year Greetings in the form of multiple murderous missile salvos against most of Ukraine's major cities. Russian ultra-nationalist and ex-space program head Dmitry Rogozin was wounded in a strike in Donetsk. The statue of Empress Catherine II was dismantled in Odesa. Azerbaijan blockades the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Twitter
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Shchedryk (Traditional)
Our news update covers the continuing Russian offensive on Bakhmut while Ukraine steps up its campaign of HIMARS strikes and partisan sabotage behind enemy lines, the coming and going power blackouts, the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to a Ukrainian NGO, and what may be the final death of the corrupt Kyiv District Administrative Court. Plus, morbid packages are being sent to Ukrainian embassies throughout Europe.
Then (@19:15) the Ukrainian government is moving to ban religious organizations which are connected to the Russian Federation, which mostly means the Russian Orthodox Church. We go over the history that led to the ROC being in the position it is now in, why it is being targeted (spoiler: it is all the collaboration with an invading army), and then dig into some of the misinformation being spread about the topic.
Twitter
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Shchedryk (Traditional)
Kyiv is suffering from increasingly severe power outages as Russia focuses it strategy on making Ukraine as unlivable as possible for the civilian population during the winter.
Then (@11:45) we take our time to remember the Holodomor following its remembrance day on November 26th. What is was, why it was a genocide by the Stalinist regime against the Ukrainian people, and what it may have been like to live through. And, of course, how the genocide of the Ukrainian people in the 1930s is connected to the current one in the 2020s.
Twitter
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In a rustic candlelit recording session, Anthony covers the liberation of Kherson - the steps that led to the victory, the immediate priorities for the civilian population, and where the fighting is likely to shift to.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Celebration in liberated Kherson
Recorded and edited during the windows where everyone has electricity, this episode traces what led Russians to change strategies to targeting civilian infrastructure. Frustrated by continuous battlefield failures, the Russians can only take comfort in making Ukrainians as miserable as they can. Then, ANthony and Romeo discuss some of their recent travels from one side of the country to the other.
Frontline report: https://english.nv.ua/nation/nv-visits-the-frontline-of-the-kherson-counteroffensive-ukraine-war-50278670.html
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Greetings Comrades! This is a crossover episode with the Eastern Border podcast where Anthony and Kristaps discuss their recent reporting trip to the city of Mykolaiv and the nearby frontlines. But first, a combat update regarding the rapid Ukrainian advances on both the Kharkiv and Kherson fronts.
And a special thank you to our fixers at the Ukraine Frontline Media Platform.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Kristaps: @Eastern_Border
Fixers: @UFMPlatform
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
It is a short-form on-the-road episode by Anthony Bartaway, but these are all developing stories that deserve more focus. First up, the Ukrainian advance in the Kharkiv region and northern Donbas is continuing to roll forward and retake occupied territory, but they are discovering all of the horrors seen in all recovered territory. Putin swaps high-profile Ukrainian POWs for his flunky Medvedchuk. Russia holds a stage-play of a "referendum" in occupied regions of Ukraine, in a stunt that should fool nobody. The Russian military is bolstered through a "limited" and poorly-organized mobilization that seems to target minority groups. Conflicts in multiple points of the former Soviet Union show Russia's decline as a regional power.
Finally, wrap up with a thought on the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
While the Russian army was focused on defending its holdings in Kherson, Ukraine pulled off a stunning offensive to the east of Kharkiv. In less than a week, the Russian garrison in the Izyum salient completely disintegrated, leading to them abandoning Kharkiv Oblast to the west of the Oskil River. This offensive has not stopped, so this episode may become immediately out of date - in the time between editing and posting Ukraine has taken more territory to the north of the Donets River. Anthony and Romeo go over how this happened and what it may lead to.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
This episode is dedicated both to Ukraine's Independence Day and the 6th-month anniversary of the war that threatens that independence. In our news round-up we cover:
00:00:45 - The combat update, including the long-awaited kinetic phase of the Kherson Offensive.
00:19:00 - Russia has been staging continuous provocations at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant that threaten a meltdown. The IAEA has arrived on the site to carry out an inspection.
00:30:45 - Morgue workers have managed to leak information back to Kyiv about the number of dead Mariupol. One out of Four people were killed.
00:34:05 - The daughter of Russian fascist philosopher Alexandr Dugin was assassinated in Moscow, theories abound over how
00:43:40 - The last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev passed away at the age of 91. To be generous, he had a controversial legacy.
00:45:35 - Ukraine marks Independence Day with a storm of Russian missiles, and Russia's longed-for parade in Kyiv
00:49:28 - Reflections on 6 months since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In a brief news update, Russia focuses its efforts in Donbas on the Donetsk suburb of Pisky, which guards the way to the vital strategic Ukrainian fortress-city of Avdiivka. On the Kherson front, the Russian army pours into the region in order to forestall a Ukrainian offensive, but by doing so put themselves in an extremely logistically precarious position. This is helped by Ukraine, somehow, blowing up a Russian Air Force base in Crimea.
Then, we speak with Vladyslav Starodubtsev, a Democratic Socialist activist in the organization Sotsialnyi Rukh, or Social Movement. We discuss the new changes to Ukraine's labor laws that severely hurt worker's rights in a time when maintaining stability is even more important than ever. What sacrifices are actually necessary and useful in war and who should bear them?
Vladyslav's Contacts and Projects
Twitter: @VlStarodubtsev
Sotsialnyi Rukh: https://rev.org.ua/
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
In a brief news update, Russia shifts away from the Sloviansk front to Avdiivka in Donbas, while building up its defenses against the awaited Ukrainian offensive in Kherson. Meanwhile, they continue their intense missile strike campaign, especially against Mykolaiv and are suspected of an unusual mass execution in a prison camp in Olenivka.
Then, we speak with Sarah Ashton, an American journalist based out of Kharkiv. She tells us about the situation on the ground in the liberated front line towns in the north of the city that have to deal with the persistent threat of Russia returning. We also ask about what it is like as a trans woman coming to cover a war in a fairly conservative country.
Sarah's Contacts and Projects
Twitter: @SarahAshtonLV
Substack: https://sarahashtoncirillo.substack.com/
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
Ukraine struck a deal to secure its grain exports, but Russian perfidy meant Moscow broke the agreement almost immediately.
Following the end of the battle for Lysychansk, fighting on the front lines has slowed considerably, though that is very relative. Russia has not made any advances since then, and its artillery attacks are far less frequent. This is thanks in large part to the devastating effectiveness of the HIMARS system in destroying their logistics. This may be the key to a (hopefully) upcoming liberation of Kherson.
But a slow down of violence on the front lines has also been an increase in missile attacks behind them. Vinnytsia is one of the homes of Ukraine Without Hype, so we give our personal reflection on the attacks that shook the city on July 14th.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
A rapid Russian advance finishes off the long battle for Luysychansk, allowing them to occupy the entirety of Luhansk Oblast. The Battle for Donbas shifts westward to the Seversk/Bakhmut line. Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces continue to make grinding progress around Kherson and Zaporizhia and force Russia to abandon Snake Island.
Next, we discuss the protests in the Karakalpakstan region of Uzbekistan and the importance of watching Central Asia both in the broader regional and global contexts.
Finally, we take a Patreon question on Turkey's attempt to stall out Swedish and Finnish NATO ascension, Ankara's geostrategic positioning, and how much Russia is capable of retaliating against the two (spoiler: very little).
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Hey Sokoli (Traditional)
A rapid Russian offensive captures territory around Lysychansk, leading to the Ukrainian withdrawal from Severodonetsk, with a tough fight still to come.
The Ukrainian parliament ratifies the Istanbul Convention, a landmark treaty against domestic and gendered violence.
Ukraine is granted European Union candidate status, paving the way for future membership. It has been the dream of a generation of Ukrainians, but they have paid a heavy cost for it.
The pro-Ukraine Bulgarian Prime Minister loses a vote of no confidence.
Lithuania blocks off land transit of sanctioned goods to the Russian Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @RomeoKokriatski
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Ode to Joy from Beethoven's 9th Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, Performed by Bayreuth Festival Orchestra (1951)
Severodonetsk becomes the centerpiece of the war, as fierce urban fighting claims hundreds of lives.
Russian cruise missiles destroy a Kyiv civilian railcar repair plant in the first strike on the city in a month, increasing the difficulty of Ukraine's ability to export grain.
Three foreign-born fighters are sentenced to death by the Russian puppet authorities in Donetsk. We go over who these men are and why calling them mercenaries is malicious propaganda.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow (Traditional)
Brief news update: While Russia advances through the streets of Sieverodonetsk, Ukraine breaks through enemy lines in an offensive on the Kherson region. The US agrees to send Ukraine a new type of long-range rocket artillery after some very confusing negotiations. The branch of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine breaks away from Moscow and its future is uncertain.
(08:00) We have an interview with Christopher Atwood, a graduate student at the Harriman Institute at Columbia University in New York. He is a co-author of a report by the New Lines Institute and Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights which makes a legal case to classify Russia's atrocities against Ukrainians as a genocide. We give special attention to the role played by Russian media in spreading genocidal rhetoric.
Report from New Lines Institute
https://newlinesinstitute.org/an-independent-legal-analysis-of-the-russian-federations-breaches-of-the-genocide-convention-in-ukraine-and-the-duty-to-prevent/
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Christopher: @tca1_
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow (Traditional)
Anthony Bartaway goes over the latest updates from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(1:00) The fears of Russian general mobilization on Victory Day proved to be false.
(1:40) The defenders of Mariupol finally surrender, and their future is uncertain.
(4:30) The Ukrainian counter-offensive in Kharkiv successfully drives Russian forces away from the city, in some places straight to the border.
(7:50) A deep dive into the role played by the Siverskyi Donets River in the Battle for Donbas, and the advantages and difficulties that it gives either side.
(20:20) What Happens Next?
(26:45) Complete Change of Tone: Ukraine Wins Eurovision
(32:00) Patreon Question: What is the situation in Poland with refugees who have been raped by Russian soldiers and need abortion services?
Eurovision Winning Song "Stephania" by Kalush Orchestra
https://youtu.be/UiEGVYOruLk
https://youtu.be/Z8Z51no1TD0
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow (Traditional)
The Russian offensive in Donbas becomes bogged down outside of Izyum and Sievierodonetsk, with only minor forward progress since our last update. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces take the initiative around Kharkiv and score more hits against the Russian Navy and its positions on occupied Snake Island in the Black Sea. Russia's effort to rope Transnistria into a suicidal war is subsiding, but still something to watch. The US lend-lease bill begins to show results in getting much-needed equipment to Ukrainian defenders.
(32:20) For our main segment, we focus on the incredibly antisemitic remarks made by Russian FM Sergei Lavrov and the Russian media who picked up on them. We do a bit of a deeper dive into the history and nature of Russian antisemitism, and how it is an integral part of the Russian imperial project.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
זאָג ניט קיין מאָל (Never Say) by Hirsch Glick, Performed by Leon Lishner and Friends
The Battle for Donbas rages on as the Russian army tries desperately to encircle Ukrainian forces in the east, while the defenders of Mariupol make their last stand in the ruins of the sprawling Azovstal metallurgical plant. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army presses in on Russian-occupied territory in the East from Kharkiv and the West toward Kherson. Ukraine has begun receiving shipments of heavy weapons in order to take the fight to the enemy.
At the 37-minute mark, Anthony recounts a reporting trip into the Brovary region, where Russian soldiers sacked the villages of the eastern Kyiv countryside.
Article Referencedhttps://english.nv.ua/nation/terror-and-looting-in-the-farming-villages-that-bore-the-brunt-of-russia-s-eastern-push-towards-kyiv-50236045.html
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Ukraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow (Traditional)
Russian soldiers have retreated from northern Ukraine and will try to re-focus on Donbas, but what they left behind is a path of destruction that must be called a genocide. There have been multiple statements from the Russian government showing genocidal intent, and that intent was followed with action. Evidence of mass murder and other crimes is found in nearly every location that Russia occupied.
To sort through some of the issues regarding genocide and denial, we speak with scholar Joey Ayoub of the Fire These Times podcast. Ukraine Without Hype is also partnering with Fire These Times to produce a Ukraine series on their channel.
Anthony: @Bartaway
Romeo: @VagrantJourno
Joey Ayoub: @joeyayoub
Fire These Times: @FireTheseTimes
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Music
Plyve Kacha Po Tysyni, Traditional performed by Unattributed CC BY
Anthony Bartaway and Romeo Kokriatski talk about the current situation in the Russo-Ukraine War. Russian advances around Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv have been stopped by Ukrainian defenders, but have been replaced with artillery fire and rocket strikes. Along the Black Sea coast, the Russian army has been turned away from Mykolaiv, but is committing horrible war crimes to try and break Mariupol.
In the second segment, they sit down with Kiril, an open-source intelligence analyst with the Conflict Intelligence Team. We ask him about the state of the Russian army and why it seems to be underperforming so severely compared to their strength on paper.
Twitter Accounts:
Anthony: @bartaway
Romeo: @vagrantjourno
Kiril: @Mortis_banned
Conflict Intelligence Team: @CITeam_en
Support us at Patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Closing song: Bella Ciao, Ukrainian translation by Alex Tkachuk, performed by Vitalii Vointenko, Creative Commons
The state of the Russo-Ukraine War as it stood on March 5th. Russia is making gains in the South, but stalling out in the North, leading to their increased reliance on indiscriminate bombardments of civilian areas. While the Russian army is suffering from low morale and poor logistics, the Ukrainian people rally to defend their homes. We go into some of the important topics that come up so far, such as the Russian use of saboteurs and the threat posed to critical infrastructure such as the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Apologies for some audio problems, Ukraine Without Hype Studios in Exile has faced some difficulties.
https://twitter.com/HypeUkraine
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Short emergency episode: the long-feared war has come.
https://twitter.com/HypeUkraine
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Russia begins a barrage of both artillery fire and misinformation to drum up any excuse to go to war. Their claimed "troop withdrawal" turned out to be just another misdirection. Diplomatic efforts to calm the situation continue to fail.
The Russian legislature asks Putin to recognize the occupation authorities in Donbas as sovereign nations, but is rebuffed for now.
A Russian cyber attack brings down Ukraine's largest banks for a few hours.
Russian "naval exercises" bring most of the Black Sea under their control.
Scandals in both the Eurovision Song Contest and the Winter Olympics.
We close with an analysis of the present situation and what this all means.
https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
https://twitter.com/HypeUkraine
New Patreon page, so please help us spread the news about Ukraine: https://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype
Ukraine and its allies continue to try to head off the possible Russian offensive, but there is tension between Kyiv and Washington over how severe the threat may be. Then, in local news, a mass shooting by a National Guardsmen of his fellow soldiers and a corruption scandal at the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone regarding nuclear waste.
Next, we list some of the most frequent errors made by foreign journalists and politicians when describing Ukraine and go into some detail on how to correct them.
We end by analyzing the arguments from the different sides of the political spectrum for why they might support Russia, and make a plea to the Left to re-adjust some of their assumptions and have solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Here are some timestamps to better reach some of our arguments:
Style Guide
27:30 - Kyiv, not Kiev and other naming conventions.
33:00 - It is a Russian invasion, not a Civil War.
29:40 - The Far-Right is not as much of a problem as it is made out to be, do not focus on it to the exclusion of anything else.
45:00 - Ukrainian West vs. Russian East is vastly misunderstood.
49:30 - Do not rely on what you learned in WW2 movies and video games
Russia's Supporters and Fellow Travelers
53:00 - Bipartisan Bad Arguments
49:30 - Why the Right Supports Russia
1:04:30 - Why the Left Supports Russia
As the Russian military buildup continues on the Ukrainian border, diplomats from Ukraine, Russia, the UK, and the EU meet to avert catastrophe - to little effect thus far.
A likely Russian or Belarusian-based hack of multiple Ukrainian government-connected websites was mostly just an inconvenience. But, it highlights the years-long trends of both cyber warfare and using false flags to try and hurt Ukrainian-Polish relations.
Protests in Kazakhstan are met with lethal force by the government, who called in help from Russia and its other allies in the CSTO.
Former President Petro Poroshenko returns to Kyiv, where a judge was waiting for him to answer treason charges.
The New Year is right around the corner and our last episode of the year is a big one. Anthony Bartaway talks about what he saw and heard in some of the conflict-affected places in Donbas. Then he and Romeo Kokriatski get into the weeds about the likelihood of a renewed Russian invasion of Ukraine. The episode wraps up with news of former President Petro Poroshenko being accused of treason and how much it can be considered a power grab.
З Новим Pоком!
After a far too long August hiatus, Ukraine Without Hype is Back. Anthony Bartaway runs down some of the top news stories that we missed while we were away. These include the current Russian military buildup, Belarus spurring on a migrant crisis, an update on the Nordstream 2 pipeline, the end of the war in Afghanistan and Ukraine's role in evacuating refugees, Zelensky's bizarre presser and how it relates to press freedoms, the Crimea Platform, the Pandora Papers, checking in on the far-right post-Avakov, a covid update, public Hannukah observance as a mark of progress, and the death and rebirth of the Kyiv Post. A lot has happened.
**For the August 3rd edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway go over the large-scale personnel changes at the top of the Ministries of Defense and Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian military. Most of the attention goes to the newly-minted Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrsky. Then, on to a recent law that protects the rights of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine.
We wrap up with some comments on Belarus trying to kidnap one of their own Olympic athletes and the mysterious death of a Belarusian activist in Kyiv.**
For the July 21st edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway go over a bombshell story from the week: the irreplaceable Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has finally been replaced. Then, we cover how Ukraine is implementing one of the reforms most demanded from international partners: the opening up of agricultural land for purchase, something that was previously banned. Finally, a small section on the arrest of a left-wing activist on manufactured charges and his possible deportation to Belarus.
For the July 5th edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway go over Ukraine's most recent attempts to spur NATO leadership into moving forward with its ascension into the alliance. Then, we cover the next oligarch to have come into the sights of the current, though flawed, push for de-oligarchization: Dmytro Firtash. We close with some brief thoughts on William Shatner's new business relationship with Russia Today, which even he seemed confused about, and the unfolding story of the assault on Tbilisi Pride.
For the June 8th edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway cover delve into the story of pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, his treason investigation, and what that means in terms of a larger "de-oligarchization" effort. Then, updates on the situation in Belarus, where the Lukashenko regime is making such flagrant use of torture that they invited Russian militants from Donbas to help them do it.
For the May 25th edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway cover the still-breaking news about Belarus forcing down a Ryanair flight en route to Vilnius in order to kidnap an opposition journalist. Then, the ridiculous case of a pro-Russian member of the Verkhovna Rada who bumbled and bribed his way into a doctorate.
For the May 10th edition of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway delve into revelations about Russia's covert operations in Europe following a round of antagonistic diplomatic actions between Czechia and its allies, and Russia. Then, we discuss the career of possibly the most corrupt judge in Ukraine, Pavlo Vovk, and whether it might be coming to an end.
For the return of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Anthony Bartaway look at the Russian military buildup that had positioned itself for war and set Ukraine on edge before the Kremlin announced it was only a military exercise. Then, we narrow our scope to look into the Ukrainian protest movement that has been built around supporting jailed right-wing leader turned anti-corruption activist Serhiy Sternenko.
On this week's episode of Ukraine Without Hype, Romeo Kokriatski and Maria Romanenko discuss the aftermath and early results for local elections in Ukraine, a controversial Constitutional Court decision that could spell the end of anti-corruption efforts in the country, and protests in Poland following the Polish government's total ban on legal abortions.
On this newly returned episode of Ukraine Without Hype, hosts and journalists Romeo Kokriatski and Maria Romanenko discuss the biggest stories of Ukraine, and the region. This week - the upcoming Ukrainian local elections, the players, the numbers, the parties, and much, much more!