Talk Eastern Europe

Nina and Alexandra kick off this episode with a summary ofthe week's news, from the violations of NATO airspace in Estonia and Denmark to US President Donald Trump's possible 180 on Ukraine. They also discuss Russia's revival of the Intervision Song Contest as its latest cultural diplomacyeffort, as well as the extradition of Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc from Greece after several years of evading the law. 

Nina ...

In this episode, Adam and Nina review the week’s key developments, including the Zapad 2025 military exercises between Russia and Belarus, protests in Slovakia, a Russian drone incursion into Poland and Romania, and the latest updates from Romania and Georgia.

Following the news, Nina speaks with Ray Koçi, an advisor to the Mayor of Tirana on inclusive planning and coordinator of the Tirana School Streets Programme. They discuss the...

In this episode, Alexandra and Adam start off with some discussion on the news, including concerns over the upcoming Russia/Belarus Zapad 2025 military exercises, Slovakia’s Robert Fico and his meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine, and upcoming elections in Moldova.

Later, Adam and Nina are joined by Thomas de Waal, a senior fellow with Carnegie Europe and expert on the South Caucasus. They discuss the peace deal which was in...

Talk Eastern Europe is back from its August break! In this episode, Adam, Alexandra and Nina run through some of the bigger stories from the region, including developments in the Balkans, Poland, the EU, and look at the global implications of China’s victory celebrations this week.

After the news, Adam and Nina are joined by Pavel Havlíček, research fellow at the Prague-based Association for International Affairs (AMO) to discuss th...

In this episode, Adam and Alexandra start by discussing the latest news including fears of interference in Moldova’s upcoming elections, the upcoming inauguration Poland’s new president as well as some worrisome security breaches in the Baltics.

For the main interview,  Adam sits down with Kyiv-based journalist Aleksander Palikot to discuss the recent political crisis surrounding Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions, NABU and SAPO...

Episode 232: Book talk: The history of queer life in Bosnia and Herzegovina

In this episode, Adam and Nina cover several key developments from the region, including the latest from Ukraine, breaking news from Moldova, far-right marches across Poland, and the EU’s adoption of its 18th package of sanctions against Russia.

Later in the episode, Alexandra and Nina are joined by Matej Vrebac, Programme Coordinator at the Sarajevo Open Ce...

In this special edition of Talk Eastern Europe, Alexandra reports in-person from Sofia for a deep dive into disinformation and digital interference in Bulgaria during the last several years of perpetual election campaigning. She speaks with experts Angel Petrov, Gloria Trifonova, and Petko Petkov on Bulgaria’s political landscape, local and Russian backed disinformation, the rise of far-right political actors, and why Russian narra...

In this episode, Alexandra and Nina discuss the blockades across Serbia, the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, Russia’s largest air assault on Ukraine to date, and reflect on the conclusion of Poland’s EU presidency.

Later in the episode, Nina speaks with Norwegian documentary filmmaker Tommy Gulliksen about his latest documentary, Facing War. The documentary follows NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg through his fin...

Episode 229: Film talk – Black Snow

In this episode, Adam and Nina catch up on the latest news, including a discussion on the outcomes of the historic NATO Summit in The Hague, highlights of the Pride in Budapest, recent clashes and arrests during protests in Serbia and ongoing protests in Georgia.

Later in the episode, Nina speaks with Alina Simone, a Ukrainian-American journalist and filmmaker whose work has appeared in the New Yo...

In this episode Adam and Alexandra open with some discussion on the latest news, including the release of 14 political prisoners in Belarus, repressions taking place in Azerbaijan, Romania and Georgia.

For the main deep dive, Alexandra and Nina continue on the Georgian theme by speaking with Teona Macharashvili, co-founder and board member of Caucasus Open Space, and a committed pro-democracy activist, to unpack the latest developm...

In this episode, Alexandra and Nina discuss recent developments across Central and Eastern Europe, including the latest charges in North Macedonia following the tragic nightclub fire in Kočani, ongoing protests in Serbia, and a vote of no confidence in the Czech Republic.

The main interview features Daryna Pidhorna, Senior Lawyer at the Regional Centre for Human Rights. Daryna explores how Russia's aggression is targeting Ukrain...

In this special episode, Nina, Alexandra and Adam host a special episode recorded live with the Patrons of Talk Eastern Europe. They start with a discussion on recent news developments, including Ukraine’s Operation Spider Web, Bulgaria joining the Eurozone, and the latest on repressions in Georgia.

During the main episode, Adam is put in the hot-seat with Alexandra and Nina asking about the recent elections in Poland. They discuss...

In this special edition of Talk Eastern Europe, Alexandra reports in-person from Romania for a deep dive into the recent presidential elections. She speaks with experts Laura Stefan, Diana Filimon, and Vlad Barleanu about what happened in these dramatic elections, the allegations of digital interference from Russia, how the public responded, and what it all means for Romanian democracy.

Commentary by:

• Laura Stefan, Founder and t...

In this episode Adam and Alexandra catch up on the latest news, with a discussion on the upcoming presidential election in Poland, current developments in Hungary and what is the status of the peace process in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

During the deep dive, Adam sits down with journalist Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska to discuss issues in Central Asia in particular the situation surrounding the Caspian Sea.  They look at the geo...

Nina and Alexandra celebrate some positive news from the Romanian and Polish elections over the weekend before updating listeners on US-brokered negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. They also discuss revelations of forgery in a shady business dealing involving Trump's son-in-law in Serbia and new efforts by the ruling party to undermine the opposition in Georgia. 

Alexandra then interviews Dilmurad Yusupov, an independent resea...

In this episode, Alexandra and Adam start with updates from Ukraine and efforts to bring about a ceasefire. Meanwhile, a Polish investigation has found that a fire last year which burned down a huge shopping center in Warsaw was ordered by Russian intelligence while the country gets ready to vote in the presidential election on May 18th. Finally, Alexandra discusses the results of the recent Albania parliamentary election.

Later in ...

Nina and Alexandra open this episode with a discussion of the first round of the much-awaited presidential election in Romania, in which the far-right candidate George Simion blew away the competition. They then talk about Russia's commemoration of Victory in Europe Day taking place on May 9th, including the various guests from our region who plan to attend. Finally, Alexandra provides updates on the student protests in Serbia ...

In this episode, Adam and Alexandra open with a discussion of the latest news, including Ukraine and the status of the Trump negotiations; the deteriorating situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina; developments in Kosovo; and the preparations for presidential elections in Romania.

Later, Adam is joined by David Criekemans, an Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Antwerp (Belgium). They discuss the changin...

Adam, Alexandra, and Nina return after a short break to discuss the latest developments in the region. Topics include the situation in Ukraine, the introduction of a controversial "Russian-style" law targeting NGOs in Slovakia, the formation of a new government and prime minister in Serbia, and recent developments surrounding the presidential elections in Romania.

In the main interview, Alexandra and Nina speak with Olga ...