PODCAST: On the home front of the Russia-Ukrainian war
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full scale land, sea, and air war on Ukraine, after weeks of the Russian military building up along its borders with heavy weaponry and no real explanation. Putin later announced the goal of the invasion to be the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.
In President Biden’s words, Russia’s violent invasion is “a flagrant violation of international law.”
Outside of the 3,455 civilian casualties, reported by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as of April 2, this war has forced more than 4.5 million Ukrainians to flee their country, leaving the world in shock, sadness, and economic ruin.
A month and a half after the start of the war, we spoke to a University of Washington history professor, a Sammamish resident, and a Ukrainian refugee to learn about how we got to where we are today and how our community has been impacted by this war. Guests include:
- Dr. Eric Johnson, History Professor, University of Washington
- Iryna Maslova, Sammamish resident originally from Ukraine
- Natalia Romanchenko, Ukrainian refugee
