Unite for Ukraine

Have you ever wondered what it is like to volunteer in a war zone? The 7th episode of Unite for Ukraine shares the story of the Swiss American volunteer, Karen, who has been on two volunteering missions in Ukraine since the beginning of the war in February. In her conversation with Valeria and Maya, Karen reveals the details of her volunteering experience — from sharing her initial decision about going to Ukraine; with her family and friends, rescuing people and animals, to the sound of hostile missiles flying in the sky.

31 years ago today, on the 24th of August 1991, Ukraine proclaimed its independence. However 6 months ago today, Ukraine was forced to begin a fight for its independence and freedom as a result of a full scale Russian invasion. Through the stories and experiences of our two podcasters, this episode will share the “two realities” Ukrainians are facing nowadays. As they celebrate the most prominent national holiday and commemorate the beginning of the biggest national tragedy on the same day, Alina and Valeria shed light on how their lives have taken on dual meanings after the 24th of February. They will also share opinions on the world’s response to the tragic events in their mother country.

For a month now, Volodymyr Zelensky has been astonishing the international community with his courage on an everyday basis. In this episode, we talk about the President of Ukraine who in the past month has become the symbol of freedom and courage, not only in Ukraine, but in the entire world. We highlight the change in people’s perception of him, by introducing his unique career and personal background.

"I don’t want to support Ukraine anymore after I saw Black people being kicked out of the train by Ukrainian authorities." Recently, this is what we’ve heard around us after the war started in Ukraine. In this episode we invited Camille, a Black woman who lived in Ukraine for 3 years, to share with you her experience and perspective of racism in Ukraine during the current war. The goal of episode 4 is to highlight the fact that you can be against racism, but also support Ukraine through this testing time.

As every neighboring country, Ukraine and Russia share a common history. Since 2014, Russian aggression has been affecting the lives of both Ukrainians and Russians. In this episode of “Unite for Ukraine”, we hear about the current situation from the perspective of a Russian citizen who used to live in Donetsk. He talks about his life in Eastern Ukraine, the differences and similarities between Russia and Ukraine, and he gives his opinion on the “brotherhood” between two nations. 

Let us know what you think about Ep.3 in the comments and if there are any topics you want to hear us discuss next!

In this episode, Alina and Valeria share their experience of the first day of the War. They describe how they discovered the news, how it impacted them, and what actions they took. In comparison to their "normal life" on the day before the invasion, they also share how dramatically their days have changed and how the hardship has lasted for the last 7 days.

This podcast aims to call for unity in response to the dramatic events that have been caused by the invasion of the Ukrainian territory by the Russian Federation from the 24th of February onwards. In this episode, Alina, Valeria, and Maksym help you to have a first and brief outlook on the current situation in Ukraine through the story of Alina’s family, currently living in the middle of the hostilities. They also share their point of view on the support that has been shown by the rest of the world.