PODCAST · news
Europe from the ground, with Michael Andersen
by Two Grumpy Old Men on Ukraine
Across the continent, from Ukraine to Spain, Michael Andersen goes looking for the people and places behind the big stories — politicians and soldiers, businessmen and dissidents, artists, outsiders and ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times. Reporting, profiles and conversations from the Europe behind the headlines. twogrumpyoldmenonukraine.substack.com
Episodes
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Report from Kramatorsk (II) – “The big aid agencies do almost nothing”
Anna Bowles and Victoria Belim in Kramatorsk, Eastern Ukraine BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN My guests today are Anna Bowles, a British writer, and Victoria Belim, a Ukrainian-American writer. Both have spent months helping with the dangerous evacuation work in the city of Kramatorsk in Eastern Ukraine…
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Report from Kramatorsk - “bad things are in store, people are leaving”
My guest today is Anna Bowles. In the interview, the British writer, editor and activist talks about why she spends four months of the year in Eastern Ukraine, supporting and writing about NGOs there - the local organisations that help people survive. Right now Anna is helping with the dangerous...
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Russian bombs do not stop the music in Lviv
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN (Warning: The combination of the courage an resilience of the people in Lviv, combined with Chopin’s music - and, possibly, the fact that I myself used to live in the neighbouring street to the Organ Hall - I am afraid, turned this podcast into a bit of a love letter to Lviv.…
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‘Kherson: Human Safari’ film shown at the Munich Security Conference
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN Interview with the American writer and filmmaker Zarina Zabrisky about her visit to the Munich Security Conference, and her work filming ‘human safari’ the past three years in Kherson, where she now lives. And yes, ‘human safari’ means just what the title says: Russian…
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Russia's 'Human Safari' in Ukraine
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN Today we are talking about one of the most – out of many, many – sadistic traits of the Russian war on Ukraine and on Ukrainians. It has been dubbed ‘Human Safari’. And yes, it means just that. Russian soldiers armed with drones and cameras go hunting for Ukrainian civilians…
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Andreas Umland on the Trump vs Zelensky&Co meeting
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN Today on the pod I discuss the Monday meeting in the White House with Ukraine expert Andreas Umland from the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies. * The Trump vs Zelensky&Co meeting went better-than-expected * But negotiations with Vladimir Putin will lead nowhere *...
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“The Alaska summit should never have happened”
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN On the pod this week, I talk Alaska summit with Volodymyr Dubovyk, professor at Odesa Mechnikov National University and Brian Bonner, who for 14 years was the editor of the Kyiv Post, and is still living in Kyiv observing Ukraine. We talk about Putin playing a clue and…
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Do Americans still care about Ukraine?
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN Every Summer, Brian Bonner, who for 14 years edited the Kyiv Post and has lived in Ukraine pretty much for the past three decades, goes back to see family and friends in his home land, the United States of America. Last Summer, Brian reported back to us about how the Americans...
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Zelensky shoots himself in the foot. And possibly Ukraine.
Michael and Brian discuss corruption in Ukraine - and the ‘attempts’ to fight it during the last 30 years. And why Zelensky’s political suicide with law no 12414 is so important. But shouldn’t be a surprise. Thank God for those young people. A reminder: we cannot do this without you. Please...
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And the Danes just keep driving cars to Ukraine!
MICHAEL ANDERSEN “The anger against the arrogance and evilness of the Russians is palpable in Denmark”, says Jesper Lindholt. And ‘Cars for Ukraine’ – financed by private contributions and companies - are, in fact, increasing the number of cars they are bringing to the front in Ukraine. If you…
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‘Trump probably thinks that John Wayne won the Second World War.’
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN Today on the pod, we interview Professor David Marples, a historian at the University of Alberta, Canada. David is an authority on Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, both on the present but also on the 1930 and 40s. I thought that I would bring on a man who actually knows history –…
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Ukraine talks in London: bizarre and still-born
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN Today’s podcast is about a summit that never was. “A diplomatic train wreck” as Brian Bonner, former editor of The Kyiv Post, explains from Kyiv. Just a few days ago, President Trump expressed high hopes – “I think that we will have a deal this week.” Will Trump now, as he has...
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"'F you Russia' is the message from Odesans,” says Julian Evans – author of a new book about the city.
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN Today on the pod we talk to the British journalist and author Julian Evans who has just published a book about Odesa - “Undefeatable.” A couple of month ago, we interviewed Julian about the book and his long love affair with Odesa, you can read the interview here. Anyone who...
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VIDEO – Ukrainian eye candy for the weekend
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN There is a rumour that Vladimir Putin – after having seen how many positive, and, shall we say… ‘warm’ comments we got when we first posted this video - now is considering doing his own version. Our advice: Vova - don’t. A cool, tongue-in-cheek, shirt-off soldier video works...
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All Trump's Men on Ukraine
Vance, Rubio, Hegseth, Waltz, Gaetz and Gabbard - on our pod today, we analyse Trump’s team on Ukraine. Or against Ukraine? Get full access to Michael Andersen at twogrumpyoldmenonukraine.substack.com/subscribe
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Is Ukraine getting ready to cede land to Russia?
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN Der Spiegel’s article can be found here (in German), while English summaries of it can be found here, here and here. Get full access to Michael Andersen at twogrumpyoldmenonukraine.substack.com/subscribe
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Obama failed Ukraine, says Joe Biden in a new book: “Barack never took Putin seriously, we gave him a license to continue!”
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN The book is ‘War’ by Bob Woodward, to be published 15 October. The audio quotes are from CNN - ‘That son of a b***h’: New Woodward book reveals candid behind-the-scenes conversations of Biden, Trump, Harris and Putin. Get full access to Michael Andersen at...
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Fact-checking the Ukraine part of the Harris-Trump debate
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN At last night’s US presidential debate, Donald Trump was held up on several of his lies – fact-checking it’s called - but mainly on domestic policy. So we thought we would fact-check the candidates’ arguments on Ukraine because these arguments—facts or lies—are vitally…
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What Americans think about Ukraine (if they do)? Impressions from the old editor's summer trip to the US of A.
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN My fellow grumper and blogger, Brian Bonner, always goes back to the US in the summer to see family and friends. So, recently, as Brian had just returned to Kyiv, I asked him about how Americans look at Ukraine after two-and-a-half years of war. Listen to the old editor’s...
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Unpleasant news (1): 'The mob is not going to storm the Kremlin and throw Putin out over Kursk.'
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN Here are links to some of the many pieces more or less directly predicting that the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk will be the end of Russian President Vladimir Putin. These are the ones we mentioned in the podcast. We are always happy to hear your opinion, but please, have a...
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How the West failed Ukraine
In a new critical analysis, Andreas Umland, a renowned expert on Ukraine, and two colleagues claim that the cognitive failure of Western politicians and opinion makers to grasp Vladimir Putin’s goals and methods in Ukraine led to weak policies by the West that only encouraged Putin to invade. In...
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JD Vance is disastrous news for Ukraine
We repeatedly refer to a longer, analytical piece in The New York Times in April by JD Vance called The Math on Ukraine Doesn’t Add Up. It is a good first step to understanding his thinking. Get full access to Michael Andersen at twogrumpyoldmenonukraine.substack.com/subscribe
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Is it possible that Russia hit the children's hospital by mistake? No way, experts agree.
BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN An in-depth interview with Michael Clemmesen, a retired Danish brigadier-general. Clemmesen worked for 50 years in the Danish army as an expert on Soviet and Russian warfare and technology. He also played an important role in helping reform and create the armies of the newly...
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Radio Kharkiv (episode 3): A Yankee in Kharkiv in the 1990s. And in 2024.
(By Michael Andersen) Thanks for reading Two Grumpy Old Men on Ukraine 🇺🇦! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Michael Andersen at twogrumpyoldmenonukraine.substack.com/subscribe
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Ukraine’s Peace Summit: Primarily for taking attendance of the coalition supporting Ukraine. Don’t expect much.
Get full access to Michael Andersen at twogrumpyoldmenonukraine.substack.com/subscribe
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Andrei Sannikov (Part 1): If the West had helped Belarusians topple Lukashenko in 2020, Putin would not have attacked Ukraine.
Andrei Sannikov was once Aleksandr Lukashenko’s deputy foreign minister, but for almost 30 years, he has been trying to topple the Belarus dictator. In this open-hearted interview, the first of two, Sannikov talks about that: * “Belarus was the key factor for Russia to attack Ukraine”; * The...
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Radio Kharkiv (Episode 2)
The debate about whether Ukraine should be allowed to use Western weapons to strike Russian weapons and military bases inside Russia is heating up. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron seemingly convinced German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, leaving U.S. President Joe Biden as the main obstacle...
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Radio Kharkiv (Episode 1)
In the first episode of Radio Kharkiv, we talk to Yevhen “Zhenya” Streltsov, the director and founder of Radio Nakypilo, whose work has inspired us to start this series. Zhenya talks about: * lying in your bed every night, listening to Russian drones and bombs; * how Russian disinformation…
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Ukraine + Biden 1 - Trump 0
(Michael Andersen writes) Volodymyr Dubovyk, a professor at Odesa Mechnikov National University, talks about: * the real and the imagined limits to how the West can help Ukraine and how minds can be changed, such as House Speaker Mike Johnson’s conversion; * the importance of the argument of…
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Andreas Umland: The European debate about Ukraine is changing. Sympathy is being replaced by rationality.
(Michael Andersen writes) According to German academic Andreas Umland, a top expert on Ukraine, Europeans still support Ukraine. But their reasoning is changing: Empathy has been replaced by more rational reasons. Europeans are now more worried about another wave of refugees and international...
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$61 billion for Ukraine, but still very far to go
(writes Michael Andersen) Get full access to Michael Andersen at twogrumpyoldmenonukraine.substack.com/subscribe
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ANALYSIS: A reelected President Trump vs. Ukraine: 'A nightmare revisited'
For our inaugural pod, I interviewed my fellow Substacker – the other ‘grumpy old man’ running this blog – Brian Bonner, about the consequences for Ukraine of a second Donald Trump presidency. Brian has worked as a journalist in Ukraine for 20 years and, before that, for even longer in his...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Across the continent, from Ukraine to Spain, Michael Andersen goes looking for the people and places behind the big stories — politicians and soldiers, businessmen and dissidents, artists, outsiders and ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times. Reporting, profiles and conversations from the Europe behind the headlines.
twogrumpyoldmenonukraine.substack.com
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Two Grumpy Old Men on Ukraine
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How many episodes does Europe from the ground, with Michael Andersen have?
Europe from the ground, with Michael Andersen currently has 32 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Europe from the ground, with Michael Andersen about?
Across the continent, from Ukraine to Spain, Michael Andersen goes looking for the people and places behind the big stories — politicians and soldiers, businessmen and dissidents, artists, outsiders and ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times. Reporting, profiles and conversations from the...
How often does Europe from the ground, with Michael Andersen release new episodes?
Europe from the ground, with Michael Andersen has 32 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Europe from the ground, with Michael Andersen is created and hosted by Two Grumpy Old Men on Ukraine.
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