Prof. Volodymyr Dubovyk is the Director, Center for International Studies at Mechnikov National University, Odesa, Ukraine. He is a Ukrainian expert on U.S.-Ukraine relations and security in the Black Sea region. Prof. Dubovyk is currently a visiting scholar at the Tufts University Fletcher Russia and Eurasia program in Massachusetts. He offers his views on U.S.-Ukraine relations and Ukraine’s increasing success in counteracting Russia in the Black Sea region.cis-onu.com/en/cv-dubovyk
Author: Mike Buryk
On June 5, 2023, the Kahkovka Dam was breached in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. The disaster has been cited as evidence of Russian ecological warfare against Ukraine. Freelance Ukrainian American journalist Mark Temnycky talks about what happened and the long term impact for Ukraine and the global economy. www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/mark-temnycky/
The Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC) promotes the research, study, and understanding of the Holodomor, which was the man-made Famine in Ukraine of 1932–33. HREC was established in 2013 with the generous support of the Temerty Foundation as a project of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) at the University of Alberta. The HREC mandate is carried out by CIUS staff in Toronto and Edmonton offices and researchers in Ukraine. Executive Director Marta Baziuk discusses the history of the HREC and its current programs to recognize the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor. holodomor.ca
Pavlo Kovtoniuk is a cofounder of the Ukrainian Health Center (UHC). The UHC is a think tank based in Kyiv Ukraine offering consultancy, analytics, and educational services. Mr. Kovtoniuk talks about the extreme challenges faced by the health care system in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February 2024 and offers his views on what might lie ahead. uhc.org.ua/en/home/
Nataliya Gumenyuk is a Ukrainian journalist and expert on foreign affairs. She is a cofounder of the independent media Hromadske TV and the Reckoning Project, which was established to document war crimes in Ukraine. Ms. Gumenyuk is also the CEO of the Public Interest Journalism Lab. She gives her perspectives on how Ukrainian society has changed during the war and why securing Crimea is critical to long term peace. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nataliya_Gumenyuk
There is an ongoing battle against Russian disinformation about Ukraine being fought today. Julia Petryk, the head of PR with the Ukrainian software firm MacPaw, is also the cofounder of the Ukrainian PR Army. The worldwide group (mostly volunteer) was formed shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred in February 2022. Ms. Petryk talks about how and why the group was established, its challenges and successes. www.pr.army
Alex Lissitsa is an agribusiness expert, a Presidium member with the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club and CEO of the Warsaw-listed agricultural company IMC. He discusses the current Russian blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea grain exports and shipping and its impact on global food insecurity. www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lissitsa
The Ukrainian Canadian Daniel Bilak has spent 30 years helping to develop a western style governmental administration in Ukraine. A lawyer by profession, he has also been involved with managing investment opportunity in the country. Today Mr. Bilak is serving in Ukraine’s territorial defense forces. He reviews his valuable efforts and talks about the recent destruction of the Kakokhova dam in southern Ukraine and the possible consequences.
Katherine Marsh is a Ukrainian American journalist and author. Her latest book, “The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine”, is a middle-grade survival story that traces a painful family secret back to the Holodomor, the horrific forced famine in Ukraine in the 1930’s. Katherine discusses the history of her family and how she drew from it to write this compelling book. us.macmillan.com/books/9781250313607/thelostyear
On June 23rd-24th, the Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin led a military rebellion in Russia. His troops took over the Russian military command center Rostov-on-Don and some of them marched on Moscow. Prigozhin recalled his troops before they reached the Russian capital. Political Science Professor Alexander Motyl, who is an expert on Soviet and post-Soviet politics, offers his analysis of these events. He also talks about the possible implications for Ukraine and the Russian invasion of the country. sasn.rutgers.edu/about-us/faculty…/alexander-motyl en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_Group_rebellion
Sasha Maslov, who was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, is a Ukrainian American portrait photographer and visual storyteller. He has done work for major global media companies like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and many others. Sasha has produced several books of his photographs including “Ukrainian Railroad Ladies (2020)” railroadladies.com. He is currently working on a book of his photos from the Russo-Ukrainian war with the Ukrainian journalist and television hostess Nastya Stanko. The project is supported by the group “Saint Javelin”, founded and headed by the Canadian journalist Christian Borys. The name of the…
Nadia Parfan is a Ukrainian anthropologist, programmer, documentary film director and producer. She is also the founder of the online streaming service “Takflix” (takflix.com/en). Takflix is a unique video-on-demand streaming service to watch Ukrainian films, which are hand-picked by its curators. It has about 70,000 registered users who are 60% from Ukraine and 40% from other countries. Nadia talks about her career and how and why she started Takflix. www.midpoint-institute.eu/en/person/nadia-1mHSDI