Radmila Segol - Living In Ukraine During Putin's War

In February of 2014, Russia’s military, under direction of President Vladimir Putin, invaded and, subsequently annexed Crimea – a peninsula off the eastern side of Ukraine. Russia quickly installed a subservient government to its own, presided over a referendum in the region under the watchful eye of Russian soldiers to legitimize the action as driven by the will of the people, and began issuing Russian passports to Crimean inhabitants – a pretext for the later argument that Russia was protecting its citizens when it invaded. Since then, a battle has ensued between Russia and Ukraine on the peninsula, throwing Crimea into disarray, dysfunction, and ruin. 

In February of this year, Russia invaded Ukraine again – only this time the campaign is much wider and Putin’s ultimate goal remains unknown. Unlike what happened in 2014, the global response to this invasion has been unified and swift, cutting Russia off from the rest of the world in almost universal terms – from international finance, trade, diplomacy, and travel. Russia has become a pariah on the global stage with a few notable exceptions – China, India, and Brazil. Nonetheless, as of this moment, Putin seems to be playing the long game, and it remains to be seen how it will end. 

In this episode, I’m talking to a friend of mine, Dr. Radmila Segol. She is an Associate Professor of Journalism at the National Technical University of Ukraine and Editor-in-Chief of the Prometheus Mass Open Online Course platform. She also provides background research, editing, and translation for news organizations and on articles that have been, and soon will be, published in outlets such as Washington Post, the Economist, and Vogue. 

Mila lives in Kyiv, Ukraine and she has chosen to stay there with her mother and her brother, throughout this Russian campaign of war. We talk about her life before before the invasion- before the war. And we talk about her life in Ukraine now. We discuss some history, the damage done, her thoughts about when, if at all, Ukraine could forgive Russia, how she finds some happiness living under constant air raids and the threat of death, and what the rest of the world, you and I, can do to help.

If you would like to explore opportunities to offer some help, Dr. Segol has suggested the following programs:

Come Back Alive
Soloma Cats

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Majestic Earth - Joystock