Krynytsya (The Well), your wellspring for Ukraine and Ukrainians

Myroslava Gongadze is the Eastern Europe Chief for the Voice of America. She is a prominent and seasoned Ukrainian journalist currently based in Warsaw, Poland. In this interview, Ms. Gongadze discusses the critical need for U.S. aid for Ukraine, Ukraine's air defenses and its major gains in the Black Sea, the Polish blockade of Ukraine's grain exports and the major challenges faced on a daily basis covering the war. https://www.voanews.com/author/myroslava-gongadze/rubmv

Ukrainian American Tamara Syby-Holovak is the Razom project lead for the Ukraine response initiative and welcome center in the New York City area. She is also the refugee coordinator for Ukrainian Jersey City and the Vice President with Soyuz Ukrainok Branch #143. Tamara's Ukrainian family roots in Jersey City go back more than 100 years. Ms. Syby-Holovak discusses her efforts to help Ukrainian refugees from the Russian invasion of Ukraine get settled in the New York area. https://www.razomforukraine.org/ https://www.ukrainianjc.com https://www.unwla.org

Anders Aslund is a Swedish economist, former Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a preeminent specialist on East European economies. He has been closely involved with Ukraine and its economy since the 1980's. He is a prolific author and his book, "How Ukraine Became a Market Economy and Democracy (2009)", is a comprehensive account of how Ukraine successfully made the transition to a market economy. In this interview, Mr. Aslund discusses the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and what the EU and the West must do to ensure Ukraine's security and independence. https://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/28064

Yuliya Ziskina is a policy and advocacy attorney specializing in information policy and public international law. She is also a Senior Legal Fellow for the Ukraine advocacy group Razom. Ms. Ziskina reviews the options for using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's reconstruction. https://newlinesinstitute.org/people/yuliya-m-ziskina/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliya-ziskina/

The Ukrainian American restaurant Veselka made its debut in the Lower East Side of New York City in 1954. Veselka, which means rainbow in Ukrainian, was founded by Volodymyr and Olha Darmochwal in 1954. Their son-in-law Tom Birchard later took over management and operated the restaurant for many years. Eventually he passed the torch to his son Jason during the early days of the COVID pandemic. Michael Fiore, a documentary filmmaker, is now releasing his inspiring movie about this father-and-son team who have helped make Veselka an icon in the local Lower East Side community and beyond. You can find out more about the movie and its rollout schedule here. https://veselka.com/pages/veselka-the-movie And, more about Veselka here. https://veselka.com/

Peter Dickinson is the editor of the UkraineAlert blog at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and the publisher of Business Ukraine and Lviv Today magazines. He is a well known British journalist and media manager in Kyiv and has been focused on Ukraine since the 1990's. Mr. Dickinson discusses Ukraine as it grapples with the Russian invasion now entering its third year. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/peter-dickinson/

Ukrainian Master Chef Yevhen Klopotenko has become an innovative cultural ambassador for Ukrainian cuisine. Mr. Klopotenko applied to UNESCO to obtain international recognition for borshch. As a result of his efforts, in July 2022 UNESCO inscribed the Culture of Ukrainian borshch on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. He talks about his career and culinary efforts which include a Ukrainian cookbook, a restaurant in Kyiv and the upcoming launch of Ukrainian cafes in New York and Washington, D.C. https://klopotenko.com/en/

Kurt Volker is an American diplomat with more than 35 years experience in government, academia and the private sector. He is a well known expert in U.S. foreign and national security policy. He was the US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations from 2017-2019 and the US Ambassador to NATO in 2008-2009. Ambassador Volker discusses the Russian invasion of Ukraine and what the country's prospects are for winning the war. https://ldns.asu.edu/about/ambassador-kurt-volker https://bgrdc.com/team-member-post/ambassador-kurt-volker/

Stefan Korshak is the senior defense correspondent for the Kyiv Post newspaper published in English in Kyiv, Ukraine. He talks about his experiences during the early days of the war, the ongoing conflict and the technology Ukraine is using to secure a strategic advantage during the war. https://www.kyivpost.com/authors/11

Lucia Bondar is a Ukrainian publisher and author. Her coffee table books focus on architecture and design in Ukraine. Ms. Bondar's latest book, "Ukraine Rising: Contemporary Creative Culture from Ukraine" is a collaboration with the independent German book publisher Gestalten based in Berlin. This book presents the work of the Ukrainian creative community and highlights their innovation and intrepid spirit. https://cp-publishing.com.ua/en/main-page/ https://us.gestalten.com/products/ukraine-rising

In 2017 Ukrainian American doctors Nelya and Serhii Melnitchouk founded a non-profit to work on improving cancer and trauma care in Ukraine. The focus of Global Medical Knowledge Alliance (GMKA) is to develop physician and patient educational content that is evidence based, written by experts, and available through an online educational platform. Serhii is a cardiac surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Nelya is a cancer surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and also a Harvard Medical School assistant professor in Boston. They discuss their non-profit project and how it is bringing a higher level of medical care to Ukraine. https://gmka.org/

The implementation of geothermal energy in Ukraine could bring an important new source to ensure energy security. Taras Popadynets, head of Geothermal Ukraine, and Yuliia Demchuk, board member, discuss why the NGO Geothermal Ukraine was established and what the advantages are in the implementation of geothermal energy in Ukraine. https://geothermalukraine.org/

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. http://cis-onu.com/en/cv-dubovyk

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. https://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. https://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. https://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. https://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. https://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. https://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. https://sasn.rutgers.edu/about-us/faculty-staff/alexander-motyl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_Group_rebellion

Oleg Drozdov is the owner of the well-known Ukrainian architectural firm Drozdov & Partners. He is also the cofounder of the Kharkiv School of Architecture established in 2017. In 2022, Mr. Drozdov cofounded Ro3kvit, a coalition of Ukrainian and international architects, urban planners and artists dedicated to assisting the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. He talks about his career in architecture and why the Ukraine reconstruction effort must be based on sustainability and a partnership with civil society. https://www.linkedin.com/in/oleg-drozdov-b25a7011/ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/07/magazine/ukraine-rebuild-irpin.html

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)" https://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 book will be "Saint" and it will be published later in 2023. https://sashamaslov.com/

Nadia Parfan is a Ukrainian anthropologist, programmer, documentary film director and producer. She is also the founder of the online streaming service "Takflix" (https://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. https://www.midpoint-institute.eu/en/person/nadia-1mHSDI

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 the Russia-Ukraine war. He is the author of the book "Here, Right Matters: An American Story.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Vindman

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 https://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 he hopes to achieve with its release. Evgeny emphasizes that although Russia actually invaded Ukraine one year ago, the war really began in 2014 with its annexation of Crimea and the takeover of the Donbas by pro-Russian separatists. Although he had hoped to release an updated final cut of the film in time for the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February 2023, as of April 10, 2023, Evgeny is still working on its worldwide distribution. https://www.freedomonfire.film/

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. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tymurkorytnyi/?originalSubdomain=ua

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. https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine https://mediacenter.org.ua/in-vinnytsia-our-team-went-to-the-attack-site-immediately-to-provide-meals-to-medics-and-rescuers-clearing-the-debris-world-central-kitchen-in-ukraine/

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. https://henryjacksonsociety.org/staff/dr-taras-kuzio/ https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/the-west-reaps-multiple-benefits-from-backing-ukraine-against-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. https://www.amazon.com/ESCAPE-MARIUPOL-Survivors-True-Story-ebook/dp/B0BN2DBLPK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=C4EMG64YYJO7&keywords=escape+from+mariupol+a+survivor%27s+true+story&qid=1672409094&sprefix=%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-1

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. https://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. https://algorithmwatch.org/en/zvook-ukraine-air-defense/ https://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 current wave of Ukrainian displaced families due to the war. Ukrainian refugee children make up about half of the current student population of 200. https://www.stnicholascathedralschool.org/

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. https://www.linkedin.com/in/denys-gurak/ https://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. https://www.coffeeinaction.com/

Since the Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2022, the Ukrainian agricultural sector has faced many very difficult challenges in its effort to keep operating as a major player in the global economy. Alex Lissitsa is an agribusiness expert, a Presidium member with the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club and CEO of the Warsaw-listed agricultural company IMC. He reviews what has happened with Ukrainian agriculture this year and talks about the current situation with the export of its agricultural products. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lissitsa/

In 2016 journalist and writer Bohdan Logvynenko created Ukraїner as a volunteer media project. Through in-depth research called "expeditions", the multimedia platform aims to create an understanding of who Ukrainians are and to put the findings in an easily accessible mass media format online. Yuliia Tymoshenko, editor-in-chief of the English language edition of Ukraїner, talks about its content and how the media platform has taken a new direction with the war in Ukraine. https://ukrainer.net/en/

Ukraine has experienced repeated attacks on its energy infrastructure by Russian missiles and drones. Andrian Prokip, an energy analyst with the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, talks about the October 2022 attacks and what needs to be done to repair the damage. He also reviews what steps must be taken to prevent future attacks. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/andrian-prokip

Marina Sorina, a Ukrainian emigre from Kharkiv, Ukraine, arrived in Verona, Italy in 1995. She is a tour guide and and an active volunteer member of "Malve di Ucraina" cultural association . Marina talks about the development of the Ukrainian community in Italy at the end of the 20th century and reviews the current situation for Ukrainian war refugees. She had an unsuccessful bid in September 2022 for a seat in the Italian Parliament with the Più Europa party. https://www.facebook.com/MarinaSorinaVr https://www.facebook.com/malvediucrainaverona

The career of Ukrainian Canadian Michael Bociurkiw as a global affairs analyst, speaker and journalist in both print and live media spans several decades. Early in his career, he covered the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster as a correspondent for The Ukrainian Weekly. Michael is a a frequent commentator on BBC World Television, BBC World Service Radio, CNN, Bloomberg TV, CTV, CBC and Al Jazeera. He is a senior fellow at the Washington, DC-based Atlantic Council, attached to its Eurasia Center. In this interview, Michael talks about his impressive and varied career in the media and his personal involvement and keen interest in Ukrainian affairs. https://www.michaelbociurkiw.com/

October 14, 2022 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Ukrainska Povstanska Armiia, "UPA") in Western Ukraine. From 1942 to 1954 this group of young Ukrainian partisans fought against Germany, the Soviet Union and Poland for Ukrainian independence. Christina Kotlar, the daughter of Julian "Levko" Kotlar, talks about her father's activity in UPA from 1944-1947 and his life-long effort working with UPA veterans and helping to chronicle their valiant struggle during World War II and afterwards. She also touches on the current situation with Ukrainian partisans in the south of Ukraine during the Russian occupation. For an overview about UPA read this: http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CU%5CK%5CUkrainianInsurgentArmy.htm

Yurii Kovryzhenko is a Ukrainian chef and cofounder of the London neo bistro Mriya (the Dream). He talks about his vision for this new restaurant and how it should become a very special Ukrainian cultural gathering place in the UK. The restaurant was opened on August 31, 2022. In an effort to help these newcomers in London, Mriya is staffed solely by Ukrainian refugees. https://www.facebook.com/mriyaneobistro

Urban Space Radio was started by the NGO Teple Misto ("Warm City") in the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk in 2015. Initially the media platform only offered popular music produced by Ukrainian musicians, but added podcasts in 2018. CEO Nadiia Hulchuk talks about the history of the media platform and its efforts to bring together, inform and entertain Ukrainians around the country and abroad. https://urbanspaceradio.com/

Volodymyr Yermolenko is a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, director of analytics at Internews Ukraine and host of the "Explaining Ukraine" podcast. In this interview, he explores Ukraine's national identity and how it was shaped. He also looks at Putin's views about Ukraine and why he thinks a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine is almost impossible at this point. https://ukraineworld.org/

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it is estimated that nearly 12.8 million people have been displaced. About 7.7 million people are internally displaced within Ukraine and in need of housing. Slava Balbek, the founder and CEO of the architectural firm Balbek Bureau, and John Shmorhun, the Chairman of the NGO MoveUkraine, discuss their respective plans to provide housing for Ukraine's internally displaced people. https://www.balbek.com/ https://www.moveukraine.org/

Jaroslaw (Slavko) Martyniuk is a retired energy economist and sociologist. He was born in Ukraine at the start of World War II. His family made a narrow escape from Communism and settled in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. Eventually, the family emigrated to Chicago in the U.S. Some members of his extended family who remained in Ukraine ended up in the Gulag in the Soviet Union. Martyniuk worked for Amoco Oil in Chicago, and in 1979, his oil industry experience led him to a diplomatic post with the International Energy Agency in Paris. In the mid-eighties, in a career switch, he joined the Soviet Area Audience and Opinion Research team coordinating a network of fifty interviewers conducting specialized research with Soviet visitors on behalf of Radio Liberty. In 1991 he relocated to Munich, and in 1995 moved to Washington, where he was responsible for opinion polling in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union until he retired in 2011. He speaks five languages and traveled to fifty countries in Europe and the former Soviet Union. In 2018 Martyniuk published his memoir “Monte Rosa: Memoir of an Accidental Spy.” https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaroslaw-roman-martyniuk-60217846/

Meest-America, the international package and freight delivery service for Eastern Europe, has played a key role in delivering much-needed humanitarian supplies to Ukraine during the war. COO Natalia Brandafi talks about how the company was forced to pivot from its primary mission after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 to transport humanitarian supplies to Ukraine. Its work with major Ukrainian-American non-profit and charitable organizations is also highlighted. https://us.meest.com/

On June 23, 2022 the European Union formally approved Ukraine's candidate for membership status. Prof. Alexander Motyl, professor of political science at Rutgers-Newark University in Newark, N.J. and an expert on Ukraine, Russia and the USSR, talks about the significance of EU candidate member status for Ukraine and what the next steps might be to full membership. He also provides a recap of Ukraine-EU relations in the last 30 years. https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/about-us/have-you-met-rutgers-newark/alexander-motyl

Sergiy Kyslytsya was appointed by President Zelenskyy as the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations in 2019. He is a career diplomat who has served Ukraine in various roles since 1993. In this interview, Ambassador Kyslytsya talks about various aspects of the Russo-Ukraine war and his efforts to gain greater assistance and support for Ukraine from the global community. https://ukraineun.org/en/ukraine-and-unsc/permanent-representative/

Ostap Kryvdyk is a foreign policy and international security expert. His many roles include advisor and consultant to important Ukrainian government and education institutions. Mr. Kryvdyk talks about the Russian occupation of southern Ukraine and the growing resistance to it and partisan activity. His personal profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kryvdyk/

Drones are playing a key role in the defense of Ukraine in the war with Russia. Valerii Iakovenko, a cofounder and the CEO of the Ukrainian tech firm DroneUA, points out that his company's primary mission is to provide drones for agriculture. However, it had to pivot to assist Ukraine's military during the Russo-Ukraine war with drones for air reconnaissance, directing weapons fire and conducting search and rescue operations. https://drone.ua/

What do you get when you mix Ukrainian folk music and American bluegrass and Western Swing music? The Lemko Bluegrass Band. Musician Rost Tatomyr founded the group in 2012. They continue to play this exciting blend of traditional music from the Carpathian Mountains and beyond in a variety of venues in Ukraine, Poland and elsewhere. Rost Tatomyr talks about how he formed the group, their approach to its music and plans for the future.

What is the current state of the economy of Ukraine after 54 days of war with Russia? What will it take to rebuild Ukraine when the war ends and who will pay for it? Natalie Jaresko is an international financial executive and the former Minister of Finance of Ukraine from 2014-2016. She discusses these issues and also talks about her personal efforts to support Ukraine during the war. https://www.linkedin.com/in/njaresko/

Alexander Motyl, a professor of political science with Rutgers University in Newark, N.J. and a well known speaker, writer and artist, talks about his family, his distinguished career and the future of Ukraine. This interview was produced in July 2021. https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/about-us/have-you-met-rutgers-newark/alexander-motyl

Andrew Mac is a partner in the international law firm Asters and is based in Washington, D.C. He is a non-staff, non-paid adviser to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He discusses how the president has been able to effectively engage Western countries to actively support Ukraine during the current war with Russia. https://www.asterslaw.com/our_team/mac/

Dora Chomiak is the president of Razom, an international grass-roots organization established during Ukraine’s Euro-Maidan revolution in 2014. Razom now has 100,000 active volunteers and donors, and, since Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine on February 24, the organization has raised more than $12 million for the purchase and delivery of humanitarian and other relief aid to Ukraine. Ms. Chomiak discusses this effort and gives her perspective on what has made the organization so successful. razomforukraine.org

Oleksandr Kosovan is the CEO of MacPaw and cofounder of the SMRK venture capital fund and a well respected technology sector business leader in Ukraine. He offers his perspective on what it is happening in the IT industry and tech startups in Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine war. https://macpaw.com/ https://humanitarian-aid.macpaw.com/

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/

The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine is playing a key role in the country's defense in the Russia-Ukraine war. Deputy Minister Alexander Bornyakov talks about the creation of a volunteer IT Army of Ukraine and efforts to encourage major Silicon Valley tech companies to stop doing business with Russia. He also reviews the use of crypto currency for helping to raise funds for the army of Ukraine. https://thedigital.gov.ua/

The situation with nuclear power plants in Ukraine during the current war with Russia poses a significant global risk. Sergii Mirnyi is a Ukrainian international expert on nuclear accidents who was commander of the radiation reconnaissance platoon at Chernobyl in 1986 when the nuclear disaster occurred. He talks about what is happening now with nuclear power plants in Ukraine and the potential for new major disasters as the Russians attempt to capture and control them during the war.

Ukraine is now in its 10th day of the Russian invasion and war. Ukrainian member of parliament Kira Rudik talks about the current situation in Ukraine and its efforts to defend its independence.

Mykhailo Veselsky, a businessman, philanthropist and the founder of the Radowell Project, talks about his efforts to improve the lives of all the citizens of Radowell, Ukraine. The Radowell Project includes activities in education, medicine, the local economy and the encouragement of entrepreneurship. https://radowell.org.ua/en/

Natalya Poshyvaylo-Towler was born near Poltava, Ukraine. She left for New Zealand in the late 1990's and eventually settled in Melbourne, Australia. She is a regional vice president with the Ukrainian World Congress, an organization focused on the global Ukrainian diaspora. Natalya discusses her family history, her travel to the southern hemisphere and her life there and offers her observations about the Ukrainian communities in New Zealand and Australia. https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/about/leadership/nataliya-poshyvaylo-towler/

Bohdan Shandor is a Ukrainian American who is very active in the community in the U.S. He is President of Shandor & Co., LLC, a management consulting firm. His father was Dr. Vincent Shandor, a Ukrainian activist in Zakarpattia and head of the Carpatho-Ukrainian Representation to the Prague (Czechoslovakia) Federal government preceeding and at the beginning of World War II. Bohdan himself was a witness to the events in 1991 that led to Ukraine declaring formal independence from the Soviet Union and confirming it in a referendum. This special edition episode of Krynytsya was produced for The Ukrainian Weekly, a newspaper serving the global Ukrainian community since 1933. http://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/

Author Oleh Iwanusiw discusses how he put together and published his book, "Church in Ruins", 1987, Shevchenko Scientific Society. This book describes the history of the Ukrainian churches of the Eparchy of Peremyshl, which is currently within the borders of Poland. It includes an extensive collection of photographs, most of which were taken by the author himself during his travels to this region. A digital copy of the book is available here. https://archive.org/details/cerkva-v-rujini-iwanusiw-1987

Adrian Karmazyn is a Ukrainian American who spent 27 years with the Voice of America Ukrainian Service based in Washington, D.C., including as chief of the service from 2005-2015. He talks about his family background, education and career. To read about the VOA collection at the Ukrainian Museum-Archives in Cleveland visit http://uaas.org.ua/VOAs-Ukrainian-Window-on-the-1996-Democratic-Convention-by-Karmazyn.html and https://www.umacleveland.org/research/voa/.

Andrew Nynka is the Editor-in-Chief of The Ukrainian Weekly and Svoboda, two newspapers published by the Ukrainian National Association for the global Ukrainian community. Andrew talks about his own family history and educational and professional background. He also discusses the history of the two newspapers and his plans for their future development. http://www.ukrweekly.com/uwwp/ http://svoboda-news.com/svwp/

OOL press secretary and author Diana Howansky Reilly talks about her lifelong involvement with the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna and the Lemko Research Foundation (LRF). She discusses some of their current programs as well as new directions. https://lemko-ool.com/?lang=en

Mike Dowhan, a board member who is responsible for communications with the Ukrainian Genealogy Group National Capitol Region in Ottawa, Canada, discusses his own interest in genealogy and how his group serves the cultural interests of Ukrainian Canadians.

The Ukrainian History and Education Center is located in Somerset, N.J. Its mission is to offer stories about Ukraine and the Ukrainian American experience and connect generations through exhibitions, archives, and educational programming. Natalia Honcharenko, director of the UHEC, and Michael Andrec, its archivist, talk about the history of the center, its programs both in-person and online and future plans. https://www.ukrhec.org/

Olia Hercules is a British Ukrainian and an award-winning author and cooking celebrity in the UK. She discusses her latest book, "Summer Kitchens", about regional cooking in Ukraine. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/summer-kitchens-9781408899090/

The Ukrainian Institute of America is located in New York City. Its mission is to develop and promote through various programs a greater awareness, understanding, knowledge and appreciation of the art, culture, history and traditions of Ukraine in the U.S. Dr. Walter Hoydysh has been the director of its Art at the Institute program for more than 20 years. In this interview, he talks about his own background as a World War II Ukrainian emigre to the U.S. and how The Institute serves not only the Ukrainian American community, but also a wider audience of non-Ukrainians in the New York metropolitan area and beyond. https://ukrainianinstitute.org/

Elona Voytovych, a multimedia journalist with the U.S. Voice of America Ukrainian service, talks about her early career and current job as a social media specialist. She was born in Lviv, Ukraine, and emigrated to the U.S. at an early age. Elona is now based in Washington, D.C.

British post-punk musicians Peter Solowka and Len Liggins founded the folk-rock group The Ukrainians in Leeds, England, in 1991. They have produced and played more than 150 distinctly unique tracks and several albums since then and traveled to perform in concerts in many places including the UK, Canada, Poland and Ukraine. https://www.the-ukrainians.com/ Here are three of their music videos. Cherez Richku, Cherez Hai (Across the River and through the Meadow) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYqiydP1Ox0&feature=youtu.be&t=110 This is a song written by The Ukrainians in 1991. It features the choir "Volya" from Manchester, England. Souveniry (Souvenirs) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bQWiIH0k78 from their "Diaspora" album Zvidky Vy? (Where Are You From?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPPogHlXNU4 from their most recent studio album "Summer in Lviv"

Prof. Thomas Prymak, Research Associate at the Chair of Ukrainian Studies, the University of Toronto, discusses the origin and history of Ukrainian and Slavic surnames. For additional background about him: https://utoronto.academia.edu/TPrymak.

An interview with Val Bogattchouk, the CEO of Nova UA federal credit union headquartered in Clifton, N.J. Since the 1960's Nova UA (originally Self-Reliance) has offered banking and other financial services to the local Ukrainian-American community in the Clifton-Passaic area of New Jersey. It has also actively supported various community cultural and social institutions. https://novafcu.com/

Uliana Skits'ka is a Ukrainian broadcast journalist based in Lviv. She started her journalism career in 2014 working at “24 News channel” preparing the infotainment programs “Made in Ukraine” and “Ours”. For these programs she researched biographies of people of Ukrainian descent. The result of this work was a book "#Ours on the world map" ("#НАШІ на карті світу"). The book covers 80 Ukrainians or people of Ukrainian descent who are well known or in some cases unknown. Her profiles include American filmmaker Steven Spielberg, former New York City mayor Ed Koch and 19th century Ukrainian painter Ilya Repin among others. Uliana discusses her book and journalism career.

Christian Raffensperger is professor of history at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and an associate with the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI). He discusses his scholarly exploration of dynastic relations in Kyivan Rus' and the impact on genealogy for Ukraine and Eastern and Western Europe. The Harvard University Ukrainian Research Institute's Rus' Genealogy Project. http://gis.huri.harvard.edu/historical-atlas/rus-genealogy.html

Anatoli Sienczenko is President of the New Kuban Education Welfare Association in Buena Vista, New Jersey. He is also the ataman of the New Kuban Kozaks. He tells the story of the Kuban Kozaks and how his family emigrated to the U.S. and to this southern New Jersey community of Kozaks and their descendants.

British Ukrainian journalist Askold Krushelnycky talks about his family history and his 40-year career as a journalist. He is currently the U.S. correspondent for the Kyiv Post. He is also the author of the 2006 book, “An Orange Revolution – A Personal Journey Through Ukrainian History”. https://www.kyivpost.com/author/askoldyk?cn-reloaded=1

Chicago expat Areta Kovalsky who now lives and works in Lviv, Ukraine, talks about her experiences and discusses her Galicia history web site Forgotten Galicia. https://forgottengalicia.com/

Roman Brygider is the producer and director of the documentary film "Our Ukrainian American Legacy". He talks about his own Ukrainian ancestry and why he decided to make a documentary film about the Ukrainian-American community.

Nazar Danylkiv, Director of the UCU School of Ukrainian Language and Culture School, and Maryana Burak, its Academic Director, talk about how this popular program was founded, who its students are and current course and cultural activity offerings. https://studyukrainian.org.ua/

Shrewd Fox Brewery owner and brewmaster Vasyl Lenczuk talks about his successful craft brewing operation in Eldred and Glen Spey New York. His brewery offers a variety of unusual craft beers including a Ukrainian Kozak Porter inspired by the roasted coffee and chocolate flavors of Lviv. http://shrewdfoxbrewery.com/

Marie Makaruk and Bill Palanuk with the Ukrainian Cultural Institute in Dickinson, North Dakota, talk about the earlier history of Ukrainians in the state, the growth of their community and cultural and educational activities today. https://www.ucitoday.org/ "Hardship to Freedom" is a documentary produced by Ken Howie that portrays Ukrainian immigrant life in North Dakota. https://vimeo.com/118929599 Photo of Agnes Palanuk (Bill Palanuk's Mom) author of "Ukrainians in North Dakota in Their Voices" in her aunt's western North Dakota pioneer sod house. With permission from Halyna Klymuk Chomiak from her blog piece. http://www.halynaklymuk.com/a-visit-to-western-north-dakota/

Razom, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization supporting the people of Ukraine in their pursuit of a democratic society. Razom coordinates groups of volunteers around the globe working on fund-raising, media campaigning, investigating corrupt activities, providing legal assistance, and working with government representatives and human rights organizations. President and co-founder Mariya Soroka talks about how and why the organization was established and its many activities in support of Ukraine.

The Ivano-Frankivsk Film Commission is a program of the Association of Economic Development of Ivano-Frankivsk. The AEDIF works with many different NGO's to promote the region within Ukraine and abroad. Mariana Zaklinska talks about her efforts to bring foreign film producers to the Ivano-Frankivsk region and familiarize them with the services available locally in this very picturesque area of Ukraine. https://www.facebook.com/ardifo.film/

George Gamota was born in Lviv, Ukraine, in 1939. He and his family emigrated from Ukraine during World War II and eventually settled in Minneapolis, Minn. George was educated in the U.S. and became a scientist after obtaining a PhD in Physics from the University of Mich. His professional career spanned more than 30 years in business, technology and higher education. After his retirement, he played a prominent role in Ukraine after independence in 1991 as a consultant in science and technology. You can read his biography here. https://www.physics.umn.edu/alumni/Gamota.pdf

The Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center (UHSC)at Manor College in Jenkintown, Pa., has been bringing Ukrainian culture, folk art and history to the community in the Philadelphia area since 1977. Chrystyna Prokopovych, curator of the UHSC and museum, discusses how the center was founded, its programs and what she hopes to accomplish in the future. https://manor.edu/about/catholic-identity-ukrainian-heritage/ukrainian-heritage-studies-center/

House of Ukraine San Diego is located in the famous Balboa Park. Along with the pavillions of other ethnic groups, this Ukrainian-American cultural institution offers various programs and activities to promote Ukraine in Southern California. Board member Vera Skop talks about her involvement with House of Ukraine and how it has served the local Ukrainian-American community for the past 60 years. http://houseofukraine.org/

Walter Rusel pioneered the study of Ukrainian genealogy in Canada. He launched the Ukrainian Genealogical and Historical Society of Canada in Calgary, Alberta, in 1979. Walter's fascinating interview digs into how and why he got started and the challenges he faced early on.

New Cave Media is an immersive storytelling studio offering 360° video and VR solutions to commercial clients around the globe. Alexey Furman is a co-founder, the executive producer and COO with New Cave. He discusses how the company was developed and some of the exciting projects it is doing in 360° video and VR for major clients. http://newcavemedia.com/

The Ukrainian: Life and Culture is a new, visually engaging magazine focused on the arts and culture. Its Editor-in-Chief, Inna Golovakha, hopes to develop a more positive image for Ukraine worldwide and promote its culture. In this interview she talks about how she came up with the idea for this English-language magazine which is published in the U.S. in Virginia. https://tulac.org

Tom Birchard is a co-owner of Veselka, the iconic Ukrainian-American restaurant on the Lower East Side of New York City. He talks about his many years there, how the neighborhood has changed and new plans for the restaurant. http://www.veselka.com/

Sergii Mirynyi, Chornobyl Tour cofounder and director of research and development, talks about the tours his company conducts in the area of the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear accident near Prypyat, Ukraine.

John Stetch is a Canadian of Ukrainian descent whose award-winning career as a world-class pianist spans several decades. He is classically trained, but probably best know for his jazz piano work. One of his most famous albums, "Ukrainianism" came out in 2002 and skillfully blends traditional Ukrainian folk tunes with modern jazz piano. In this interview John talks about his professional and family background and offers a look on how he has come to play with some of the best jazz artists today.

Ukrainian-British chef and cookbook author Olia Hercules discusses her family background and career and how she became a cooking celebrity in the UK. https://oliahercules.com/ Please contact Mike Buryk at michael.buryk@verizon.net for additional information. Copyright (c) 2018 by Michael J. Buryk. All Rights Reserved