One year into Russia’s war on Ukraine, we take a look at how Ukrainians are preparing for life after war, their relentless optimism and their deep dedication to keeping the wheels of justice rolling, in this fourth and final episode of the limited series, “Defending Democracy: Ukraine”.

Last February, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems Head of Political and Legal Affairs Alisa Shushkovska fled Kyiv with her child, when rockets flew past their apartment window. But even as she navigated life as a refugee abroad, she never stopped working towards the future of Ukraine. Alisa is the fiber on which Ukraine will prevail amid this war. She takes time from her work to discuss with Adrienne what free and fair elections look like in post-war Ukraine.

Then, the powerhouse director of Ukraine’s first organization to win the Nobel Peace Prize for documenting more than 28,000 alleged Russian war crimes since 2014, Oleksandra Matviichuk, calls for a new international tribunal to hold Russian President Putin accountable. The 2022 Nobel Laureate gives Adrienne a haunting account of what she has seen and explains how she believes the international community can restore justice for the victims of this deadly aggression.

Plus, it’s often said that Ukraine is fighting two wars. Hear from President Zelenskyy’s pick to run the cabinet-level National Agency on Corruption Prevention, Oleksandr Novikov. He is a man on a mission who will stop at nothing to combat corruption, defend democracy, and protect the future of Ukraine.

Key Links

• Will a special Ukraine tribunal really happen? Yahoo News
• Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Needs Estimated $349 Billion
• Ukraine adopts new and improved referendum law
• IRI Public Opinion Survey of Residents of Ukraine | June 2022
• IRI Public Opinion Survey of Residents of Ukraine

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Democracy! The Podcast is hosted by CEPPS and Adrienne Ross, with production assistance from Amy Radlinski and voiceover from Alix Lawson.

Featured guests in this episode:

• Oleksandra Matviichuk, Director, Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine), 2022 Nobel Laureate.

On the morning of February 24, 2022, Russian troops blasted Kyiv with heavy artillery and missile strikes focusing their assault on several main targets including Boryspil International Airport. While apparently intending to overtake the capital city quickly, Russian troops, instead, retreated after weeks of difficult fighting. Today, home to 3.6 million people, Kyiv remains a hotly unwon part of Russia’s wide-scale military campaign. In “Defending Democracy: The Battle for Kyiv '', we take a closer look at all that lies there, the damage that has been done, and the danger that still exists.

Plus, the country’s most famous mayor, the former world heavyweight boxing champ, Vitali Klitschko returns to the podcast with a candid account of what it takes to lead his hometown in war. The son of a Soviet Air Force Officer and survivor of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Klitschko is a true defender of democracy who knows first-hand what’s in jeopardy.

Plus, the war has turned more than 9 million Ukrainians into refugees. One proud Kyvian who made her way to the United States sits down with Adrienne at the Florida International University's Washington, DC studio to tell her story and share just what it means to leave your family, flee your homeland, and all that you know in the midst of war.

Key Links

• The Women’s Democracy Network of Ukraine
• Reuters: Ukrainian village leader and family found buried in shallow grave
• Florida International University’s Ukraine Resource Guide
• FIU and USAID sign historic agreement to increase jobs, internships and research opportunities for students

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Democracy! The Podcast is hosted by CEPPS and Adrienne Ross, with production assistance from Amy Radlinski and voiceover from Alix Lawson. Special thanks to Florida International University in Washington, DC for the generous access to their recording studio.

Featured guests in this episode:

• The Honorable Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko
• Natalia Yakymchuk, Program and Evaluation Officer, The International Republican Institute

This podcast has been produced by the Consortium for Elections, and Political Process Strengthening through the Democratic Elections and Political Processes Cooperative Agreement and is made possible by the generous...

By definition, “democracy” thrives or dies according to the will of the people, and in Ukraine, it’s the people who have made all the difference. In the second episode of this four-part miniseries, “Defending Democracy: The People of Ukraine,” we look at what Ukrainians have endured to maintain a modern, democratic society in the midst of Russia’s attacks.

First, Adrienne talks to three co-chairs of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Equal Opportunity Caucus who share their memories from the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, to the fight they've had keeping the lights on in parliament no matter what. These thoughtful “People’s Deputies” also detail the massive paradigm shift their country is experiencing as more than 50,000 women report for duty on Ukraine’s frontlines.

Plus, Oleksandr Syenkevych’s story sounds like the plot of a Hollywood action movie, but he is, in fact, the real-life, democratically elected mayor of the town nicknamed, “City of Heroes.” Together he and the citizens of Mykolaiv have survived some of the worst bombings of the war while stopping Russian Armed Forces from advancing along the Black Sea. Meantime, across the country, Ukraine’s mayors are being hunted, targeted, disappeared, and murdered by Russian troops. In fact, the invaders have destroyed nearly everything in Mykolaiv except the people’s dedication to democracy and their will to prevail.

Key Links

• Equal Opportunity Caucus: Gender equality in Ukraine. What has changed in 30 years?
• Harder than ever: How power outages affect people with disabilities in Ukraine
• UN High Commissioner for Refugees Data Portal for Ukraine Refugee Situation
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Civilian Casualties
• USAID Humanitarian Assistance Ukraine

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Democracy! The Podcast is hosted by CEPPS and Adrienne Ross with production assistance from Amy Radlinski.

Featured guests in this episode:

• People’s Deputy of Ukraine Maryna Bardina, Servant of the People Party, Equal Opportunity Caucus co-chair; Chair of the parliamentary subcommittee on Ukraine’s compliance with international commitments on human rights and gender equality.
• People’s Deputy of Ukraine Mariia Ionova, European Solidarity Party, Equal Opportunities Caucus co-chair.