In this episode of Ukraine in Flames, we’ll explore how the Netherlands will help Ukrainians protect its cultural heritage. The experts discuss the Black Sea Hub’s unique role in addressing war-related cultural preservation challenges in Ukraine, highlighting the transformative power of grassroots civil society, the need for coordinated support from international partners and local authorities, and the ongoing efforts to protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage amid the war. Watch UIF #662 to learn more about how the Netherlands plans to do so.

Robert Quarles van Ufford, Head of the Department of Cultural Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
Vanessa Fraga Prol, the Cultural Emergency Response Head of Programmes

Джерело: Ukraine Media Centre

NATO has made it clear that each NATO member country needs to be resilient to resist and recover from a major shock, such as a natural disaster, failure of critical infrastructure, or a hybrid or armed attack. Resilience is a society’s ability to resist and recover from such shocks and combines both civil preparedness and military capacity. This overarching requirement encompasses resilient supply chains, resilient infrastructure systems, and resilience against disinformation. Watch Ukraine in Flames #660 to find out about international experiences in enhancing security resilience and adapting them to Ukraine’s wartime conditions, focusing on how the security system can adjust to new challenges.

Guests:

Mati Raidma, Member of The Estonian Parliament, Expert of Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, Head of Estonian Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Peter Hauge Berg, Deputy Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine
Dmytro Teperik, Leading Expert on civic resilience, Director-General at the NGO “Resilient Ukraine”

Джерело: Ukraine Media Centre

After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the question of the history of our two peoples and states became more acute. After all, it was ‘historical justice’ that dictator Vladimir Putin used to justify the actions of his army on the territory of our country. Almost two weeks ago, on August 6, the Russians announced that Ukraine had breached the border in the Kursk region. The idea that Ukraine could switch roles with Russia and invade the territory of its much larger neighbor seemed unthinkable to most observers until two weeks ago. Watch Ukraine in Flames #653 to find out about the Ukrainian roots of the Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk regions of the Russian Federation and explain why, when Ukrainian soldiers meet older people in those regions, they reply to them in fluent Ukrainian.

Джерело: Ukraine Media Center

Currently, Russia and Ukraine, as parties to the armed conflict, along with third parties involved in the war to varying degrees, are proposing peace plans that could become the basis for negotiations to end the war. However, Russia’s latest demands appear to be ones that neither the government nor the people of Ukraine can accept. Russia will try, at least until the elections in the USA, to squeeze the most out of the current situation to strengthen its positions, while simultaneously fueling destabilizing processes in Europe. Watch Ukraine in Flames #650 to find out about the viability of proposed peace plans in the Russian-Ukrainian war and discuss the common features upon which all these peace plans are based.

Джерело: Ukraine Media Centre

Environmental threats and challenges that Ukraine faced before February 24, 2022 did not resolve themselves; they only deepened. The war has had a global impact on Ukraine’s environment, leading to the degradation of natural ecosystems, chemical and industrial pollution, landmining, and devastating damage to biodiversity. During reconstruction, we face the difficult task of simultaneously pursuing several goals: environmental restoration, implementing European integration reforms, and advancing climate change policy. Watch Ukraine in Flames #649 to find out whether it is possible to improve access to information and ensure sufficient opportunities for the public to influence government decisions on environmental policy in wartime and how to achieve standards of good environmental governance.

Джерело: Ukraine Media Center

In this episode of Ukraine in Flames, we’ll explore the West’s handling of Crimea. The expert highlight the lack of clear, actionable non-military solutions proposed by Western leaders, with repeated silence when asked for specific alternatives to liberating Crimea. This indecision, the experts tell, led to the Russia’s full-scale war, as some Western policies are ineffective or contradictory, especially concerning economic dealings with Russia. Watch UIF #648 to learn more about the failures of the west to learn from their mistakes of 2014.

Yevheniia Horyunova, political scientist (PhD)
Olga Skrypnyk, Head of the Board of the Crimean Human Rights Group;
Pavlo Lakiychuk, head of security programs at the Center for Global Studies “Strategy XXI”

Джерело: Ukraine Media Center

Rumena Filipova, Ph.D., Chairperson and Co-Founder at Institute for Global Analytics
Igor Fedyk Head of the South Eastern Europe Section at the New Geopolical Network

In this episode of Ukraine in Flames, we talk about how Bulgaria’s political and information spheres have been rather successfully penetrated by Russian propaganda and the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare efforts. Our guest experts explain how Bulgaria is actually at the forefront of Russia’s information warfare, and how the country’s historical, cultural, and economic connections make it challenging to eradicate Russia’s influence. They also bring up far-right parties like Revival, which propagate narratives supportive of Russia and feed Bulgarians’ fear that their country would be the target of Russia’s next war. Watch UIF #621 to learn more about what is currently being done to improve cooperation with Ukraine in this arena and what needs to be done next.

Timecodes
00:00 – Intro
03:39 – Filipova Examines Revival: Unraveling the Bulgarian Far Right’s Anti-EU, NATO Agenda and Anti-Ukrainian Messaging
07:02 – Fedyk on Bulgaria’s Vital Support: The Secret Savior of Ukraine and How Russia Penetrates the Bulgarian Information Space
14:03 – Outro

Source: Ukraine in Flames

On June 6, 2023, the Russians committed the biggest ecocide against the Ukrainian people – they blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam, releasing millions of tons of water and destroying everything in its path. Even as the first anniversary of the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP approached, Ukraine cannot fully assess the colossal damage to nature or determine how many people have died because of it. Watch Ukraine in Flames #623 to find out about the consequences of the Kakhovka HPP explosion, the current state of the reservoir territory, and the forecasts for the restoration of the Kakhovka HPP.

Guests:

Anatoliy Pavelko, Leading Legal Advisor, Ecologist of the international charity organization “Ecology-Law-Human”
Dmytro Skrylnikov, “Bureau of Environmental Investigations”
Vitaliy Horvat, Head of the land department of the Myliv community

Timecodes
00:00 – Intro
02:51 – (Pavelko) “What is Kakhovka Platform”
08:15 – (Skrylnikov) “Long-term perspective for development”
12:40 – (Horvat) “Situation in the Myliv community”
15:54 – Outro

Source: Ukraine in Flames

Both in war and peace, Ukraine will be a test of determination, unity, and even industrial potential for the West. There is an opinion that the center of gravity of NATO is shifting from France and Germany to the east and north. European defense is increasingly being rethought in Poland, the Scandinavian countries, and Ukraine. Post-Brexit Britain has also shown that it can still be at the forefront of Europe in terms of defense and security. Watch Ukraine in Flames #620 to find out about Ukraine’s role in the new global order. Is it at the center of world events, or does it remain on the periphery of global alliances and decision-making?

The invited experts were speakers at Book Arsenal 2024 in Kyiv, and the panel was held in collaboration with UCMC and UkraineWorld.

Guests:

Botakoz Kassymbekova, Assistant Professor in Modern History at University of Basel
Volodymyr Yermolenko, Philosopher, President of PEN Ukraine
Bruno Maçães, Portuguese Philosopher, Journalist, Politician

Timecodes
00:00 – Intro
02:25 – (Kassymbekova) “Ukraine is the center of resistance”
07:12 – (Yermolenko) “Confrontation between different value systems”
10:35 – (Maçães) “Where future is decided”
12:25 – Outro
Source: Ukraine in Flames

European integration of Ukraine is not only the right of the country, but also a great responsibility of Ukrainian citizens. As well as the transparent and efficient work of all levels of government to achieve the high standards required by the EU. Communicating the progress and results of Ukraine’s European integration is a vital aspect of implementing state policy. This approach will better inform citizens about how aligning Ukrainian laws with EU standards impacts their everyday lives. Watch Ukraine in flames #613 to find out more about the current state of Ukraine on its path to membership in the European Union and how regions and communities can take advantage of the opportunities opened up by European integration.

Guests:

Liubov Akulenko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Center for European Policy
Natalia Pakhaichuk, Head of Innovative Projects of the National Network of Local Media “Rayon.in.ua”

Timecodes
00:00 – Intro
02:36 – (Akulenko) “What’s next for Ukraine”
07:55 – (Pakhaichuk) “Covering European integration”
12:16 – Outro
Source: Ukraine in Flames