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Welcome to the Jay Martin Show. In this week's episode, Serhii Plokhii, a professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard, explores the complex historical and geopolitical roots of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He emphasizes that the struggle is deeply tied to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Russia's ambitions to reclaim influence over its former territories, with Ukraine being a crucial component of this agenda. Plokhii highlights that the greater nuclear threat lies not in weapons but in the vulnerability of nuclear power plants in conflict zones, which could trigger catastrophic events. Serhii's Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001H6KWTU For more content from VRIC host Jay Martin, please visit The Commodity University at https://thecommodityuniversity.com/ Sign up for Jay's newsletter at https://jaymartin.substack.com/subscribe 0:00 Intro 5:56 - How Did the American Empire Rise as Others Fell? 11:35 - Did the U.S. Really Want the Soviet Union to Collapse? 17:09 - Is Putin's War Driven by Nuclear Paranoia? 24:45 - What's America's True Agenda in Ukraine? 30:58 - If the U.S. Wants to Focus on China, Why Intervene in Ukraine? 41:09 - Does Russia Aim to Revive the Soviet Union? 45:48 - How Are Nuclear Power Plants the Biggest War Risk? 59:45 - What Happens If Zaporizhzhia Runs Out of Cooling Water? 1:04:50 - Will Russia Ever Agree to a Peace Treaty? 1:11:40 - Could Trump Negotiate an End to the War in One Day? Copyright © 2024 Cambridge House International Inc. All rights reserved.
How can history help us understand the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Why can Moscow not even imagine itself without Kyiv? Is Russia an empire in decline? The Explaining Ukraine podcast invites Professor Serhii Plokhii, a prominent Ukrainian historian, director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI), and author of numerous books about Ukraine, Russia, and Eastern Europe. His latest book is The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History. This conversation was held in Kyiv on May 24th, 2024, before Plokhii met with the Ukrainian public at the UkraineWorld Club and PEN Ukraine. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, Ukrainian philosopher, chief editor of UkraineWorld and president of PEN Ukraine. UkraineWorld (ukraineworld.org) is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, one of Ukraine's largest media NGOs. Listen on various platforms: https://li.sten.to/explaining-ukraine Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld. We provide exclusive content for our patrons. You can also support our volunteer trips to the frontlines at PayPal: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. Check two other podcasts with Plokhii: What Makes Ukrainian History Interesting to the World https://ukraineworld.org/en/podcasts/ep-46-ukrainian-history World War II and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine https://ukraineworld.org/en/podcasts/ep-223
Russia has tried to assert a monopoly for itself in the victory over Nazism in WWII. But what role did Ukrainians and other nations of the former USSR play in this victory? What is the role of 1945 in Russia's current ideology? How has it influenced the Russian invasion of Ukraine? What are the major elements of the Ukrainian political identity that explain the country's resistance today? Has Russia been defeated in wars in the past? Will Russian defeat today be good for Russia itself? – Ukrainian philosopher and journalist, chief editor of UkraineWorld.org Volodymyr Yermolenko, speaks to a famous Ukrainian historian Serhii Plokhii, Director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute and Mykhailo S. Hrushevs'kyi Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University. This episode is made by UkraineWorld in partnership with EUvsDisinfo, an EU project aimed at increasing public awareness and understanding of the Kremlin's disinformation operations, and to help citizens in Europe and beyond develop resistance to digital disinformation and media manipulation. UkraineWorld is brought to you by Internews Ukraine, a Ukrainian media NGO. “Thinking in Dark Times” is a podcast series by UkraineWorld. This series seeks to make Ukraine and the current war a focal point of our common reflection about the world's present, past, and future. We try to see the light through and despite the current darkness. Support us at patreon.com/ukraineworld
Serhii Plokhii, Sergey Radchenko, and Vladislav Zubok offer unique insights on the how and why of the Soviet collapse in a roundtable that challenges popular historiographical myths about the world-shaking event. Serhii Plokhii is the Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History and the director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University. His book, The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union, was published in 2015. Sergey Radchenko is the Wilson E. Schmidt Distinguished Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He has written extensively on the Cold War, nuclear history, and on Russian and Chinese foreign and security policies. Vladislav Zubok is Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His books include, among others, A Failed Empire: the Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev (University of North Carolina Press, 2007), and Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union (Yale University Press, 2021).
Als Amateurhistoriker fällt der Moskauer Autokrat Putin schon länger auf: 2021 sorgte ein exzentrisches Essay des russischen Präsidenten international für Aufsehen, in dem Putin die Geschichte seines Landes zwischen Zarenreich und Sowjetunion ausdeutete und die Ukraine als künstliches Gebilde beschrieb, das nie eine eigenständige, souveräne Nation gewesen sein solle – und daher wieder unter die Fuchtel des Kreml gehöre. Was 2022 darauf und daraus folgte, das bekommen wir seit dem 24. Februar jeden Tag anhand von brutalen, blutigen Bildern aus Osteuropa vermittelt. Russlands Angriffskrieg beruht auf einer willentlichen Fehldeutung der langen, stürmischen und allzu oft auch tragischen Beziehung zwischen russischen und ukrainischen Staatsgebilden, die heute noch die Gegenwart zu verwüsten und Städte in Schutt und Asche zu legen vermag. Doch in Wahrheit besitzt das kämpferische und freiheitsbewusste „Grenzland“ – das bedeutet der Name „Ukraine“ im Kern – vor allem eine sehr faszinierende, an Kehrtwenden und Saltos reiche eigene Geschichte. Diese Region am äußersten Zipfel der eurasischen Steppe avancierte zu einem Knotenpunkt und Begegnungsraum in den letzten 2.000 Jahren: Sie war ein Ort, an dem antike Griechen und skythische Reitervölker, Wikingerprinzen und byzantinische Aristokraten, mongolische Kriegsherren und Habsburgerkaiser aufeinandertrafen – manchmal friedlich, nicht selten jedoch weniger friedlich. Die Menschen dort erlebten durch die Jahrhunderte immer wieder, wie ihre Selbstbestimmung eingeschränkt oder gleich ganz aufgehoben wurde. Serhii Plokhii, Direktor des Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute und Autor der besten englischsprachigen Historie der Ukraine, The Gates of Europe, unternimmt mit uns einen atemberaubenden Parforceritt durch die Millenia. Er gilt in den USA als die führende Autorität für die Geschichte Osteuropas und gewann u.a. den Baillie Gifford Prize, auf Deutsch erschien gerade erst Die Frontlinie im Rowohlt Verlag. Danach sprechen wir mit Maryna Honcharuk, einer promovierten Grundschullehrerin, die zehn Jahre in der Deutschen Schule Kyiv als Schulleiterin arbeitete und ab 2018 Gründerin des Kinder Klubs Skills war. Im Frühling flüchtete Maryna mit ihren Kindern nach Freiburg und lebt hier – ihr Ehemann kämpft als Offizier an der Front. Shownotes: "Die Frontlinie" - Serhii Plokhii "The Gates of Europe" - Serhii Plokhii Moderation & Redaktion: René Freudenthal Produktion & Mitarbeit: Hanna Langreder Original-Logo zum Podcast: Simon Krause Original-Musik zum Podcast: Edward Fernbach
Professor Serhii Plokhii, Director of Harvard University's Ukrainian Research Institute, discusses the competing narratives surrounding Ukraine's national identity – both their historical origins and their modern implications. This is Part 3 of a three-part lecture series, "Understanding Ukrainian History" which serves as an introductory module to the Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia. Recorded via Zoom on June 27, 2022.
Professor Serhii Plokhii, Director of Harvard University's Ukrainian Research Institute, discusses the competing narratives surrounding Ukraine's national identity – both their historical origins and their modern implications. This is Part 2 of a three-part lecture series, "Understanding Ukrainian History" which serves as an introductory module to the Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia. Recorded via Zoom on June 24, 2022.
Professor Serhii Plokhii, Director of Harvard University's Ukrainian Research Institute, discusses the competing narratives surrounding Ukraine's national identity – both their historical origins and their modern implications. This is Part 1 of a three-part lecture series, "Understanding Ukrainian History" which serves as an introductory module to the Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia. Recorded via Zoom on June 22, 2022.
On 24th February, Russia invaded Ukraine. In the weeks since, we've heard horrifying tales of human rights abuses and families forced to flee their homes. Nevertheless, Ukrainian forces have managed to resist the Russian military for now, whilst Western nations have expressed their support, sending relief to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia. In this month's episode of Read Smart, we're joined by Sir Antony Beevor, a multi-award winning historian of war whose book Stalingrad, which recounted the battle between Russian and German forces in Eastern Europe in the Second World War, won the very first Samuel Johnson Prize – the precursor to the Baillie Gifford Prize. His new book, publishing this coming May, is Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921. Antony is joined by Serhii Plokhii, the professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University, who won the 2018 Baillie Gifford Prize for Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy. Joining Antony and Serhii, is Polly Jones, the professor of Russian at The University of Oxford, who recently wrote an introduction to Ukrainian author Vassily Grossman's epic novel Life and Fate. This episode is hosted by author and critic Shahidha Bari, and generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Listen now as these three hugely distinguished guests discuss the conflict in Ukraine, the extent to which Putin's current actions are based in historical motivation and how far the conflict marks a historical turning point. The Disasters Emergency Committee and British Red Cross are taking donations for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal online. If you'd like to support this, please visit redcross.org.uk To find out more about the Baillie Gifford Prize visit thebailliegiffordprize.co.uk, or follow us on socials @BGPrize.
Krynytsya (The Well), your wellspring for Ukraine and Ukrainians
Serhii Plokhii, author, historian and director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, offers his perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine war. He discusses Russian President Vladimir Putin and his motives for the invasion. Prof. Plokhii also talks about nuclear power plants in Ukraine and the global risks from repeated attacks by the Russians. https://huri.harvard.edu/
Thirty years ago, on 1 December 1991, more than 90% of Ukrainian voters voted for the country's independence, with turnout exceeding 80%. The referendum served as a democratic legitimation after Ukraine had declared its independence on 24 August 1991. The declaration of independence and its public approval were a watershed moment for Ukraine and Soviet history in the decisive year of 1991. Afterward it had become clear that the further existence of the USSR, without its second largest republic, had become unrealistic. To this day, the Ukrainian independence leaves a contested legacy. The memories of 1991 are intertwined with contested questions of national identity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. For this episode, Serhii Plokhii and Gwendolyn Sasse join our host Félix Krawatzek to discuss Ukrainian independence, its aftermath and what it means for Ukraine to this day. (Music: “Complete” by Modul is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0-License.)
Ukrainians took to the streets twice in 10 years to defend their fledgling democracy. The first time, it seemed an election might be stolen. Then the government broke a pledge to bring the country closer to the European Union — and the people pushed back. Now Ukraine is mired in conflicts with separatists in the east and with Russia over its hold on Crimea. But even as Putin wages war on this former Soviet republic, the long-term outlook for Ukraine is strong. Harvard historian Serhii Plokhii explains why.
In this podcast, Serhii Plokhii -- Mykhailo S. Hrushevs'kyi Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University and Director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI) -- spoke with University of Cambridge students enrolled in Paper (course) SL9 (Introduction to the Language, Literature and Culture of Ukraine) and in Paper SL12 (Socialist Russia from 1917-1991). Collectively, these Cambridge students have read Plokhii's books 'The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine', 'Lost Kingdom: A History of Russian Nationalism from Ivan the Great to Vladimir Putin', 'Tsars and Cossacks: A Study in Iconography', and a number of his scholarly articles. Professor Plokhii has written extensively on such topics as the origins of Slavic nations, the Cossak period in Ukraine, the history of Russian nationalism, the Cold War, the Yalta Conference, Chornobyl', and the figures of Mykhailo Hrushevs'kyi and Stepan Bandera. Professor Plokhii has won numerous awards for his publications, all of which position Ukraine in the cultural framework of European history. The conversation was recorded on 18 May 2020.
Michael Pullara brings us the story of Freddie Woodruff, a CIA agent, whose murder was covered up by his own organization. Serhii Plokhii chronicles the history of the Ukraine, a country that has been caught in the crossfire of conflict for years. John U. Bacon explains the Great Halifax Explosion, a WWI accident that rendered homeless half of a Canadian city. BYU's Chip Oscarson on how the way we commemorate historical conflicts affects the way we think about them.
“On April 26, 1986, a power surge destroyed Unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant causing the largest nuclear disaster in history. On this episode of KennanX our host, Jill Dougherty, explores the lasting legacy and impact of Chernobyl. We are joined by Craig Mazin, Creator and Producer of HBO’s Chernobyl; Serhii Plokhii, Director, Ukraine Research Institute, Harvard University; Masha Gessen, Staff Writer at The New Yorker; and Maxim Trudolyubov, Senior Advisor at the Kennan Institute and Editor-In-Chief of The Russia File.”
In the first episode of a four-part series exploring the end of communism in Eastern Europe, we look at the fall of the Berlin Wall, 30 years ago this week, and ask when and where the cracks began. Andrew Mueller is joined by Artemy Kalinovsky, Serhii Plokhii and Cerstin Gammelin to discuss the Afghan–Soviet War, the Chernobyl disaster and the fall of the Wall itself.
In his lecture, Serhii Plokhii draws on new sources to lay bare the flaws of the Soviet nuclear industry, tracing the disaster to the authoritarian character of Communist party rule, the regime's control of scientific information, and its emphasis on economic development over all else. Today, the risk of another Chernobyl, claims Plokhii, looms in the mismanagement of nuclear power in the developing world.
In his lecture, Serhii Plokhii draws on new sources to lay bare the flaws of the Soviet nuclear industry, tracing the disaster to the authoritarian character of Communist party rule, the regime’s control of scientific information, and its emphasis on economic development over all else. Today, the risk of another Chernobyl, claims Plokhii, looms in the mismanagement of nuclear power in the developing world.
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Ukraine Calling. I'm Bohdan Nahaylo for Hromadske Radio in Kyiv and as always we're bringing you news, our feature interview followed, by some new music from Ukraine. This week our guest is celebrated Harvard historian and award-winning author Professor Serhii Plokhii. Here is a chance to get to know more about this distinguished scholar and publicists and his views.
In April of 1986, a devastating explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant laid the groundwork for many problems that continue to haunt us today. According to Harvard professor Serhii Plokhii, the immediate cause of the Chernobyl accident was a turbine test gone wrong. But he says the roots of that disaster lay in the interaction between major flaws in the Soviet political system, as well as in the nuclear power industry. Guest: Serhii Plokhii, professor of Ukrainian History and Director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University. Perspective is a weekly public affairs program hosted by Richard Baker, communications professor at Kansas State University. Perspective has been continuously produced for radio stations across the nation by K-State for well over six decades. The program has included interviews with dignitaries, authors and thought leaders from around the world. Send comments, questions or requests for copies of past programs to ksrenews@ksu.edu. K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan.
On the morning of April 26, 1986, the world witnessed the worst nuclear disaster in history: the explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine. Dozens died of radiation poisoning, fallout contaminated half the continent, and thousands fell ill. In his lecture, Serhii Plokhii draws on new sources to lay bare the flaws of the Soviet nuclear industry, tracing the disaster to the authoritarian character of Communist party rule, the regime’s control of scientific information, and its emphasis on economic development over all else. Today, the risk of another Chernobyl, claims Plokhii, looms in the mismanagement of nuclear power in the developing world.
We have a very special guest. Professor Serhii Plokhii is the Mykhailo Hrushevsky professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University, where he also serves as the director of the Ukrainian Research Institute. He’s the author of quite a few award-winning books including “The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine”, which in 2015 won the […]