Fighting For Ukraine
Yuriy Matsarsky is a Ukranian journalist turned civilian fighter against the Russian invasion on the democratic country of Ukraine. In this podcast he brings daily updates from the frontlines of the Ukranian resistance. “As a journalist I thought, ‘You shouldn’t be involved in this. You should be watching from the sidelines.’ But the Ukrainian citizen part of me told me, ‘No, this doesn’t work anymore. You should protect your country, you should protect your loved ones, you should protect your freedom—you should protect your people.’”
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Yuriy Matsarsky
Yuriy is a Ukranian journalist based in Kyiv who has spent most of his professional media career covering warzones. Now he finds himself in one and the battle is his. Yuriy has put down his journalist pen and picked up a rifle to protect his country against the Russian invasion.
“I want Ukraine to be prosperous, to be a happy country, my people all around me to be happy. Putin is following in the steps of Hitler right now. Every day, with every bombing, with every rocket fire, it’s more and more and more dead Ukrainians. More dead Ukrainians.
“This fight is not only for us. We are fighting for the whole world. I really, really love the United States, and the United States people. We love the same music, we love the same books, we love our kids in the same way. Please help us.”
Episodes
Wednesday May 11, 2022
Wednesday May 11, 2022
May 11th 2022
Yuriy thinks about the pause button that has been hit on all of the usual bustling arts and culture in Ukraine and what it will look like once again after the Victory Day.
Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
May 9th 2022
Today is Victory Day in Europe - a holiday honouring World War II that is important to Russia and of course Putin. Yuriy considers the rhetoric in Russia about the Russians view of themselves as 'saviours' in the Second World War and wonders how Putin cannot see the similarity...
Thursday May 05, 2022
Thursday May 05, 2022
May 5th 2022
Yuriy reflects on some parts of the country that are starting to reopen and rebuild but notes that there are still war crimes happening in other parts of the country as the news coverage on Ukraine feels like it is beginning to wane.
Tuesday May 03, 2022
Tuesday May 03, 2022
May 3rd 2022
Yuriy returns from his tour on the frontline. He had a couple of positive encounters with an uncle with whom he has a close relationship and a fan of his radio show which led him to reflect on his transition from civilian to soldier.
Saturday Apr 30, 2022
Saturday Apr 30, 2022
April 30th 2022
Yuriy is moving around the country with his former co-anchor of his radio show finding and solving problems. He and his comrades are no longer civilians and feel like they've been in the army for a long time, but Yuriy still wears his signature music memorabilia and invites them to come and play in Ukraine to celebrate their victory at the end of the war.
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
April 28th 2022
Yuriy takes a trip to Kharkiv for the first time since the start of the war. Kharkiv is where he is from, where his parents lived and he shares some of his fond memories in stark contrast to the shelled version of the city he now sees.
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
April 26th 2022
Yuriy is about to head on leave for about a week or so but promises to record while he is away. He speaks to a man from Mikolaiv, a town famous for ship-building, which was recently bombed by the Russians, who is now leaving his home.
Monday Apr 25, 2022
Monday Apr 25, 2022
April 25th 2022
Yuriy has just returned after a trip to Odessa, where the city was shelled during his short stay over the Easter weekend...
Yuriy also expresses his thanks for listening to his podcast and donating to his GoFundMe page.
Thursday Apr 21, 2022
Thursday Apr 21, 2022
April 21st 2022
Yuriy is back and has some news about Lloyd, his American friend and an interview he did for the BBC recently where, it seems, Boris Johnson was listening to his pleas for assistance...
Sunday Apr 17, 2022
Sunday Apr 17, 2022
April 17th 2022
Yuriy's Easter Sunday looks a little different this year. He speaks about his comrade who is the machine gunner in his platoon who loves his weapon.
Yuriy will also be on rotation in another region of Ukraine for the next few days and he won't be able to post any updates.