Volodymyr Yermolenko - Why Russia Attacks its Neighbours - Imperial Trauma that Triggers Violence.

Volodymyr Yermolenko is President of PEN Ukraine, the writers Union, and Chief Editor of Ukraine World. He is one of Ukraine’s leading cultural and intellectual figures, a philosopher, essayist, translator, Doctor of Political Studies, candidate of philosophical sciences, and senior lecturer at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. It is a great privilege to be in conversation, especially here in Kyiv. In this discussion, Yermolenko unpacks the complexities of Ukrainian identity, the historical context of Russian-Ukrainian relations, and the ongoing war. He explores themes of assimilation, imperialism, and the role of language in shaping national identity, while also analyzing how media narratives influence public perception. ---------- This event was co-hosted jointly by the Fog of War & Silicon Curtain podcasts. Hosts: Yaroslava Bukhta and Jonathan Fink 📍 Recorded at the office of ICAP Yednannia 🎥 Filming & Editing: Vladyslav Mashkin, The Ukrainians Media 📢 Event Logistics & Communications: 9.Department & Veronika Kobzysta 🔍 Key Topics: ✅ The historical roots of Russian-Ukrainian relations ✅ How language shapes identity and assimilation ✅ The role of media in shaping war narratives ✅ The cultural stakes of Ukraine’s fight for identity ✅ What this means for Europe’s future 📢 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth conversations on Ukraine, media, and global affairs. ---------- 00:00:00 - Introduction to the event and speaker 00:03:47 - Importance of memory and history in the Russian political project 00:04:32 - Discussion on the conscious effort to erase historical documents 00:05:26 - The symbolic significance of Chersones in Russian history 00:06:58 - The destruction of historical monuments in Crimea 00:08:04 - The role of legacy in European history 00:13:15 - The significance of language in shaping identity 00:14:41 - Language as a tool of imperialism and assimilation 00:20:58 - The challenge of conveying the reality of war to outsiders 00:28:56 - Discussion on genocide and reconciliation post-conflict 00:34:45 - The future of Europe and the rise of authoritarianism 00:50:20 - The balance between power and democracy in society 01:02:25 - The fight for Ukrainian identity as an anti-imperial struggle 01:06:26 - The role of culture in understanding and translating experiences 01:19:20 - The impact of media narratives on public perception 01:21:54 - Closing thoughts and reflections on the discussion ---------- 🎧 Follow us on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xj9aEHBbqc3VfH7mayJWB ApplePodcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fog-of-war/id1782306981 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fog_of_war_podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fogofwarpodcast/ ---------- View Yaroslava’s profile Yaroslava Bukhta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaroslava-bukhta/ https://www.anthro.ox.ac.uk/people/yaroslava-bukhta https://www.ukrainer.net/authors/yaroslava-bukhta-2/ https://x.com/yaroslavabukhta https://www.facebook.com/yaroslava.bukhta/ ---------- We ran two events in Ukraine in the last two weeks. Lviv (part 2) and Kyiv. The event we ran in August 2023 was a huge success, and had a great impact. Now our aim is even more ambitious. Two cities. Two events. Multiple panels consisting of the best experts, and all filmed in high definition for the channel. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras But it costs. Last time the overall cost was £3,500 for Live in Lviv, and we covered 80% of this through ticket sales. This time the costs are higher, and there's less opportunity to sell tickets at the available venues and studios, so I'm creating a campaign to raise £5,000 to make this trip a reality. We also have a much more ambitious programme to film interviews around Kyiv and Lviv for the channel. This project will have an impact, so please help if you can. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- Welcome to the Silicon Curtain podcast. Please like and subscribe if you like the content we produce. It will really help to increase the popularity of our content in YouTube’s algorithm. Our material is now being made available on popular podcasting platforms as well, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.