As Ukraine celebrates its long holiday season, all eyes are on the East. Putin has built up a massive force on the border between Russia and Ukraine but so far no one knows what he plans to do with it.

The US media are talking about a possible invasion of Ukraine by Russia, apparently forgetting there was already an invasion during the takeover of Crimea in 2014. What they’re not doing is interviewing Ukrainians, of course.

On today’s episode of Black Diplomats host Terrell Starr talks to Polina Sinovets, an international relations specialist at Odessa I.I. Mechnikov National University, and Mykola Bielieskov, a Research Fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Ukraine.

They cover the lack of international support for armed resistance, relations with NATO, and Ukraine’s military readiness for an attack by the Kremlin. It’s a heavy episode about subjects with serious consequences so we’re glad to have locals walk us through the details.

Thank you for listening!