Ukraine Without Hype

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 Twitter 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)

19 Jan 20241h 3min

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 Twitter 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)

31 Des 20231h 13min

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 Twitter 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)

21 Des 202336min

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 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)

30 Nov 202337min

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/ 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)

24 Nov 202347min

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 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)

18 Nov 202357min

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. 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)

4 Nov 20231h 21min

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. 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)

25 Okt 202347min