Alexander Vindman, a Ukrainian American who was born in Kyiv, is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former director for European affairs with the U.S. National Security Council (NSC). As a foreign area officer specializing in Eurasia, he served in the U.S. embassies in Kyiv and Moscow. Mr. Vindman received a Master of Arts degree in Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian studies from Harvard University. He also has a doctoral degree in international affairs from Johns Hopkins University. In his interview, Mr. Vindman discusses why the U.S. and its allies need to do more to help Ukraine win…
Author: Mike Buryk
Julian Kytasty is a Ukrainian American composer, singer, kobzar, bandurist, flutist and conductor. He has performed around the world and collaborated with many different groups including the well known Yara Arts Group of New York City. Julian descends from a long line of bandura players in his family. In this interview, he talks about his distinguished musical career and his family. Photo by Ihor Slabicky en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Kytasty
Eight years ago, Israeli-American film director, producer and cinematographer Evgeny Afineevsky released the documentary “Winter on Fire,” the award-winning film that tells the story of the Ukrainian Maidan revolution of 2013-2014. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, he felt it was his duty to continue telling the story of the brave Ukrainian people and their quest for freedom and independence. His new documentary is “Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom”. It was screened at various international and U.S. film festivals in the second half of 2022. In this interview, he shares his thoughts about the film and what…
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought with it a large-scale problem with mines. It is estimated that about 35-40% of the country is covered with mines and unexploded ordnance on land, in the seas and in lakes and rivers. This poses a great threat to the public, the economy and in particular agriculture and therefore global food safety. Tymur Korytnyi, Director of Digital and IT for the State Defense Concern Ukroboronoprom, talks about the attempt by global partners and local experts to assist Ukraine in demining. Photo courtesy of Oleksandr Simonenko / UNDP Ukraine. www.linkedin.com/in/tymurkorytnyi
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a non-profit NGO not-for-profit delivering meals to people affected by natural disasters. It was founded by chef José Andrés in 2010. For the first time, WCK entered a war zone when it began operating in Ukraine in 2022. Yuliya Stefanyuk, Ukraine country leader for WCK, talks about her experiences with the humanitarian organization and how it has provided millions of meals and foodstuff to Ukrainians suffering from the effects of the 2022 Russian invasion. Photo: Yuliya Stefanyuk stands inside of a truck just unloaded with food from Poland in the first week of March 2022.…
Dr. Taras Kuzio is a well-known British Ukrainian writer and author and a professor of political science with the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv, Ukraine. He is an expert in Ukrainian political, economic and security affairs. In this interview, Prof. Kuzio reviews Ukraine’s current prospects for victory in its war with Russia and talks about whether NATO will accept it as a new member. description henryjacksonsociety.org/staff/dr-taras-kuzio/ www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukraine…ainst-russia/
“Escape from Mariupol: A Survivor’s True Story” is co-authored by Adoriana Marik (a pseudonym) and Anne Howard. This newly published book recounts the life of a 31-year-old woman trapped in a basement and underground tunnels for more than a month in Russian-occupied Mariupol, Ukraine, in the spring of 2022. She also describes her experiences trying to leave this war-torn area and her eventual arrival in the U.S. as a “temporary parolee” for a 2-year period under the government’s “Uniting for Ukraine” program. Amazon Book: ESCAPE FROM MARIUPOL: A Survivor’s True Story
Hope for Ukraine is a New Jersey-based non-profit established in 2016 to help children obtain needed medical treatment in Ukraine. Yuriy Boyechko, president of the organization, explains that with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Hope for Ukraine has expanded its mission to deliver food and other relief supplies to the war-torn country. The organization continues to produce positive results for its life-saving work on a daily basis. hopeforukraine.net
Ukraine’s air defense systems are critical to protect the country against Russian missile and drone attacks. Technologist and entrepreneur Dmytro Bielievtsov, the CTO of the startup Respeecher, discusses a new project, Zvook, which is developing an acoustic monitoring network powered by AI. The goal of the project is to enhance Ukraine’s air defense systems to better detect incoming enemy missiles and drones.algorithmwatch.org/en/zvook-ukraine-air-defense/www.epravda.com.ua/publications/2022/11/28/694314/
As of November 29, 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that almost 7.9 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded across Europe. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reports in December 2022 that more than 82,000 Ukrainians and their immediate family members have been paroled into the U.S. under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) process since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. St. Nicholas Cathedral School in Chicago, Ill., was founded in 1936 where it became a hub for the Ukrainian Village community. Anna Cirilli, the principal of the primary school, talks about efforts to accomodate the…
Denys Gurak, the CEO and cofounder of the 3D bioprinting company A.D.A.M., has made significant contributions to Ukraine’s economy for many years. Now based in the U.S., he is a partner in the ff Blue and Yellow Heritage Fund that plans to make a major investment in Ukrainian tech startups. He reviews his career and discusses why Ukrainian tech startups are positioned to make key contributions to global markets. www.linkedin.com/in/denys-gurak/ ffvc.com/ukraine/
Vadim Granovskiy is a well known Ukrainian coffee entrepreneur and the founder of Coffee in Action. His charity fund supports the Armed Forces of Ukraine through the Coffee Care project which supplies high quality coffee and brewing equipment to Ukrainian soldiers. Vadim talks about how he became a world renowned coffee entrepreneur and why he transformed his Kyiv Podil cafe into a major effort to help make the lives of Ukrainian soldiers a little more tolerable while serving on active duty in the war with Russia. www.coffeeinaction.com/