Why Ukraine's resistance starts with ordinary people

• How did two friends save hundreds of civilians? How did one restaurant feed tens of thousands in a besieged city?
• What does a former entrepreneur feel while recovering the bodies of fallen soldiers every day?
• What is life truly like under Russian occupation? And most importantly, why is the Ukrainian resistance impossible to grasp without understanding the role of ordinary people, like you and me?

This episode features a conversation held at PEN Ukraine in late February with the authors of the book Dark Days, Determined People: Stories from Ukraine under Siege, written by journalists Bohdan Ben and Orysia Hrudka. Part of the "Ukrainian Voices" series, the book was published in English by Ibidem-Verlag and is available on Amazon.

The book brings together 20 reportage stories documented between 2022 and 2024 across Ukraine. Originally published mostly by Euromaidan Press, these stories capture the lived experiences of Ukrainian soldiers, volunteers, artists, students, and children.

• Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko — Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine

You can support UkraineWorld on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld. Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.

You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com.

This podcast was made with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. It's content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Renaissance Foundation.