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.’”
Listen on:
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
Sunday Apr 03, 2022
Sunday Apr 03, 2022
April 3rd 2022
TRIGGER WARNING.
Producer's note and script from the intro: Today’s episode contains a description of a sexual and violent attack on a child so I urge you to take caution while listening to this episode. I know that you are aware that this is a podcast about the realities of a war on the ground with real people and this was inevitably a possibility in terms of its content. One of the unique things about Yuriy’s episodes, and the reason I personally am drawn to it, is that while they are informative and grounded in the grim truths of an unjust war - he tends to find some light and human experience within all the darkness. However, in today’s episode, he doesn’t find any. So again, I urge you to listen with caution and give yourself space to process.
Saturday Apr 02, 2022
Saturday Apr 02, 2022
April 2nd 2022
Yuriy meets an old non-Ukranian friend from his days as a journalist. Yuriy was unsettled by his friends questions about the future.
Friday Apr 01, 2022
Friday Apr 01, 2022
April 1st 2022
This year there are no pranks but Yuriy still has his sense of humour. He has a new friend called Lloyd, a Texan and former marine who has some trouble in the kitchen.
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
March 31st 2022
Yuriy slept on a comfortable mattress for the first time since he enlisted thanks to the generosity of a Ukranian who wanted to help the war effort by donating it to his barracks. His good night's sleep helped him reflect on the pride he feels serving with his comrades. Some of these men performed an operation to rescue their families from an occupied part of Ukraine forming a plan that sounds straight out of a movie about World War II.
Wednesday Mar 30, 2022
Wednesday Mar 30, 2022
March 30th 2022
Yuriy talks about Russian dehumanizing propaganda in an effort to explain how Russian soldiers are justifying the war and their killing Ukranian people.
Tuesday Mar 29, 2022
Tuesday Mar 29, 2022
March 29th 2022
Yuriy's fellow soldier is a playwright, but he is also a soldier and right now his duty is protecting his comrades in the barracks. He sees a direct link between his new role as a soldier to protecting his livelihood and being a playwright once again.
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
March 28th 2022
Yuiry returns to Kyiv sooner than expected and has not lost his sense of humour. He has a convivial message for his foreign correspondent colleagues about what to expect from their Ukranian hosts...
Saturday Mar 26, 2022
Saturday Mar 26, 2022
March 26th 2022
Yuriy has left his station in Kyiv for a new posting where he won't be able to send episodes for a few days. This will be the new norm for now. Producer Stevie lets you know how you can support Yuriy and his family and when we might expect an update.
Friday Mar 25, 2022
Friday Mar 25, 2022
March 25th 2022
Yuriy's describes his transportation options for hosting and guiding journalists around Kyiv with his signature dry sense of humour and descriptive story-telling nature. They might not be fancy, but get him from A to B.
Thursday Mar 24, 2022
Thursday Mar 24, 2022
March 24th 2022
Yuriy and producer Stevie joined Podbean the podcast platform host to talk about Yuriy's story and how this podcast came about only 2 weeks ago.
This live-streamed interview is available to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCJ_FPCsxFM