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.’”
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
May 19, 2022
May 19, 2022
3 min
May 19th 2022
Yuriy reports today from the frontline of the invasion and reflects on how his mindset has changed over the course of the war particularly with the loss of a dozen of his fellow soldiers.
May 16, 2022
May 16, 2022
2 min
May 16th 2022
The kitchen is not a safe place to be. Yuriy explains why the field kitchens are such an easy target for the Russians and sadly today he lost two comrades.
May 15, 2022
May 15, 2022
3 min
May 15th 2022
Yuriy has been on rotation in the East for a few days and reports from a nearly empty city where Russia has been focusing its efforts and talks about the barbaric tactics and war crimes of the Russian soldiers that hasn't been widely reported on in Western media.
May 11, 2022
May 11, 2022
3 min
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.
May 9, 2022
May 9, 2022
2 min
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...
May 5, 2022
May 5, 2022
3 min
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.
May 3, 2022
May 3, 2022
3 min
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.
Apr 30, 2022
Apr 30, 2022
3 min
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.
Apr 28, 2022
Apr 28, 2022
3 min
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.
Apr 26, 2022
Apr 26, 2022
3 min
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.