Ukraine Without Hype

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. TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @RomeoKokriatskiUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype Resources and Charitieshttps://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)

15 Apr 20231h 5min

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. TwitterAnthony: @BartawayRomeo: @RomeoKokriatskiUkraine Without Hype: @HypeUkraine Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/UkraineWithoutHype Resources and Charitieshttps://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype MusicHey Sokoli (Traditional)

31 Mar 202346min

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. James Twitter: @SpaghettiKozak YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpaghettiKozak 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)

16 Mar 20231h 19min

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 Charities https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype Music Hey Sokoli (Traditional)

11 Mar 20231h 3min

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 Charities https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype Music Hey Sokoli (Traditional)

24 Feb 20231h 12min

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 LinkTree https://linktr.ee/ukrainewithouthype Music Hey Sokoli (Traditional)

17 Feb 20231h 10min

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)

31 Jan 20231h 23min

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)

12 Jan 202353min