A Ukraine State of Mind w/Valerie Demicheva

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine loomed, Brandon reached out to his colleage, journalist Valerie Demicheva, to see if she'd be interested in writing a piece for WhoWhatWhy. Valerie talked to Ukrainians in the days and hours before the invasion to understand their feelings on Russia (and Russians) and how they were preparing.

We talked to Valerie about the people she met and how they're coping with Russian incursion. We also talk about Valerie's own history: she and her family left Ukraine when she was a child and the country was part of the Soviet Union. For her, writing the story revealed how she's still dealing with fear of an all-seeing state, and whether she can identify with the modern Ukrainian state of mind.

 

JOURNOS is produced by Heather "Eagle Ears" Wilson.