Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj This episode of Talk Eastern Europe opens with Adam’s rundown of some of the latest headlines in the region, including the Polish visa scandal, Slovak elections, the growing tensions surrounding Ukrainian grain and the escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Later, Adam is joined by Alina Frolova, an expert and deputy chair of the Center for Defense Strategies in Kyiv. She is a former Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine and previously served as an Adviser to the Ministries of Defence and Information Policy. Together they discuss the ongoing counteroffensive, how to argue against the growing number of voices in the West calling for a settlement with Moscow, and what to expect in the coming months. Check out the newest issue of New Eastern Europe now available here: https://bit.ly/44U8i0Z On Slovak elections, leaders and kingmakers: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/09/19/slovakias-parliamentary-election-the-leaders-and-the-kingmakers/ Background on the Nagorno-Karabkh Conflict and our interview with Thomas de Waal: https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episodes/episode-133-the-blockade-of-the-lachin-corridor-187
Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj On August 23rd 2023, the founder and leader of the Russian mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash in Russia. Prigozhin’s death comes exactly two months after Prigozhin led a mutiny of Wagner soldiers in Russia, almost making it to Moscow before turning back. The death of Prigozhin clearly has the marks of a Putin-led assassination. What does it say about the Putin power structure? What is next for politics inside Russia? And is Prigozhin really dead? To help answer these questions, Adam sits down with Olga Lautman, a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). The interview takes place after a short rundown of the latest news in our region. Share your feedback, let me know your thoughts about the interview and other stories we should be looking at. Find Adam on X/Twitter: @areichardt Check out previous episodes on Prigozhin and the Wagner Group Episode 130: The Wagner Group https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episodes/episode-130-the-wagner-group-200 Episode 145: Prigozhin's march of justice fails to reach its destination https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episodes/episode-145-prigozhins-march-of-justice-fails-to-reach-its-destination-864
Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj Talk Eastern Europe is back after the short August break. Adam opens the episode with a rundown of the most important stories that took place over the last several weeks, including the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, F-16s for Ukraine, the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin Corridor and Georgia’s attempts to impeach its president. Later, Adam is joined by Mark Temnycky, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and an accredited freelance journalist covering Eurasian affairs and European energy security matters. They discuss the role of sanctions and their role in stopping (or not) Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. They also touch on the ongoing Ukrainian counter-offensive as well as the recent US political developments and the recent Republican primary debate. Read more: “The dream of sanctions stopping wars” by Svenja Petersen. New Eastern Europe Issue 3-4/2023, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/07/04/the-dream-of-sanctions-stopping-wars/ “Armenia: Russia’s backdoor to circumvent sanctions” by Aleksandar Srbinovski, New Eastern Europe 26 May 2023. https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/05/26/armenia-russias-backdoor-to-circumvent-sanctions/ More by Mark Temnycky on New Eastern Europe: “Azerbaijan tightens blockade as Armenia calls for assistance” https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/08/30/azerbaijan-tightens-blockade-as-armenia-calls-for-assistance/ “Uncertainty lies ahead for Georgia” https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/06/05/uncertainty-lies-ahead-for-georgia/ “The Russo-Belarusian Union State is here” https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/04/27/the-russo-belarusian-union-state-is-here/ Check us out at: https://www.talkeasterneurope.eu
Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj As this is Aga's last episode as a co-host, her and Adam start with a reflection on their cooperation over the past year and a half, with a surprise entrance by another former co-host, Maciek Makulski! They then discuss current developments in the region, including the arrest of prominent Russian pro-war blogger Igor Girkin and the continuous Russian missile strikes against Odesa following Moscow's withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal. Aga then sits down with three guests - Stephan Müller from the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Isak Skenderi from a Kosovo-based NGO "Voice of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians" (VORAE), and Natali Tomenko from the Agency for the Advocacy of Roma Culture (ARCA) in Ukraine. Together they discuss the experience of different Roma communities in conflict zones and post-conflict environments, using the example of Kosovo as a source of lessons learned for Ukraine. Find out more about our guests' organisations: Central Council of German Sinti and Roma: https://zentralrat.sintiundroma.de/en/ VORAE: https://www.vorae.org/ ARCA: https://arca.org.ua/en/about_us/ You can follow our guests and their activities on Twitter (or is it just "X" now??) @muellerbudapest, @isakskenderi and @TomenkoNatali Natali's art can be found at https://www.natalitomenko.com/
Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj In this episode, Adam and Agnieszka open with a discussion of the most recent news in the region, in particular Ukraine’s attack against the Kerch Strait bridge as well as Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal, and its consequences. Later, Adam is joined Yulia Kazdobina, head of the Ukrainian Foundation for Security Studies and a senior fellow with the foreign policy council “Ukrainian Prism”. They discuss the outcomes of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, how it met Ukraine’s expectations. Yulia also shares her assessment of the current Ukrainian counter-offensive and how Russia is changing its tactics. Read Yulia’s latest essay from the most recent issue of New Eastern Europe: “NATO should reconsider its policy on Ukraine’s membership” https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/07/04/nato-should-reconsider-its-policy-on-ukraines-membership/ Check out the latest issue of New Eastern Europe now available here: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/07/04/issue-3-4-2023-beyond-the-fence/
Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj In this episode Adam and Aga discuss the NATO summit which took place this week in Vilnius, with a particular focus on what its conclusions mean for Ukraine. They also talk about political tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina as Republika Srpska's Milorad Dodik stands up to High Representative Christian Schmidt. The news section concludes with reports that the Lachin corridor has now been completely blocked also to Red Cross convoys providing humanitarian assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh. Aga then sits down with Vessela Tcherneva, deputy director of the European Council on Foreign Relations and head of ECFR’s Sofia office, to discuss everything you need to know about the European Political Community - a new pan-continental discussion and cooperation forum. Aga and Vessela talk about how the EPC has developed since its idea was first floated by French President Emmanuel Macron and what are the domains in which the Community can have the biggest added value. They also take stock of the EPC's recent second summit which took place in Moldova and consider predictions for an upcoming summit in Spain. Find out more about our guest at https://ecfr.eu/profile/vessela_tcherneva/ Vessela's recent publication on the topic can be found at https://ecfr.eu/article/the-future-of-the-european-political-community/
Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj Aga and Adam start this episode by discussing the upcoming NATO summit, fears linked to a potential nuclear sabotage at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and tensions between Ukraine and Georgia over the state of health of Mikheil Saakashvili. Aga then sits down with Marek Menkiszak, the Head of the Russian Department at the Centre for Eastern Studies in Poland and a lecturer at the Centre for East European Studies at the University of Warsaw. Together, they discuss the origins of Prigozhin's march on Moscow on 23-24 June, its conduct, the surprising resolution of the crisis involving Belarus' Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and potential aftermath for all parties involved. Find more analysis on Russia from the Center for European Studies at https://www.osw.waw.pl/en Read the latest on New Eastern Europe - "The point of no return" by: Valerii Pekar https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/06/30/the-point-of-no-return/ - “Russia’s Wagner rebellion: how will Putin emerge from the crisis?” Joshua R. Kroeker, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2023/06/29/russias-wagner-rebellion-how-will-putin-emerge-from-the-crisis/
Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj In this episode of Talk Eastern Europe Adam and Agnieszka open with a discussion of the perplexing events that took place over the weekend in Russia with the half-attempted insurrection lead by the Wagner Group’s Yevgeny Prigozhin. Later, Adam is joined by Mark Fisher, documentary filmmaker and CEO and founder of Fisher Creative. Mark describes how he and his team decided to create a documentary film about the civic mobilization which emerged as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The film documents both actions inside and outside of Ukraine and Mark gives some hints on what we can expect once the film is released later this year. The film is titled: “Human Unity. A Global Mobilization in Support of Ukraine”. Check out the trailer and support the fund-raising efforts here: https://fishercreative.com/films-in-progress/humanunityfilm
Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj Adam and Aga start this episode by discussing the start of the long-awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive, the apparent move by the Russian Defence Ministry to take over Wagner Group troops, and the results of recent elections in Montenegro. We then turn towards Bulgaria, which has seen five parliamentary elections in the past two years, the latest of which has just resulted in the formation of what our guest calls "a government of national mistrust". Speaking of our guest, Aga sat down with Spasimir Domaradzki, a lecturer at the University of Warsaw and senior political analyst in the Balkan division at the Institute for Central Europe. Together they delve deep into the roots of the crisis, different political forces and actors involved, and the prospects for the newly-created government. You can read more of Spasimir's analyses at https://ies.lublin.pl/author/spasimir-domaradzki/ Stay up to date: visit us at: www.talkeasterneurope.eu Join the TEE Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/talkeasterneurope
Support the podcast, become a patron, get additional benefits: https://bit.ly/3nMGeYj In this episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam and Agnieszka catch up over the most recent developments, mainly the political situation currently unfolding in Poland around the new law on Russian influence as well as the massive opposition-organised march which took place last weekend. They also discuss the news coming out of Ukraine, namely the Russian blowing of the dam at Nova Kakhovka which has the potential to create disastrous consequences for thousands of Ukrainians. Later, Adam and Aga are joined by Stanley Bill, an associate professor in Polish Studies at Cambridge University and the Director of the Slavonic Studies Section and Chair of the Cambridge Committee for Russian and East European Studies. He is the founder and editor-at-large of the news and opinion website Notes from Poland (www.notesfrompoland.com). Stanley not only discusses the recent developments but also gives some important insight into the upcoming parliamentary elections later this fall. Stay up to date: visit us at: www.talkeasterneurope.eu Join the TEE Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/talkeasterneurope