Talk Eastern Europe

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 ...

Adam, Nina, and Alexandra are finally back together to discuss some news from the region. They cover the latest military draft in Russia, ongoing strikes in Ukraine, Hungary's decision to pull out of the International Criminal Court, and Adam gives his perspective on developments on the Polish-Belarusian border. 

For the deep dive, Alexandra speaks with Ognen Vangelov, Assistant Professor at University American College-Skopje in...

To start of the episode, Adam and Alexandra talk about the prospect of foreign troop deployment in Ukraine, a historic border agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, a further crackdown against opposition in Georgia, and the fleeing of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik to Moscow.

Alexandra is then joined by policy analyst Alejandro Esteso Pérez, who specializes in the Western Balkans, EU enlargement, corruption, and authoritar...

Nina and Alexandra open the episode by discussing the ongoing negotiations in Riyadh between the US, Russia and Ukraine and providing an overdue update on the deteriorating situation for civil society and media in Georgia. They then talk about a potential final agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the assault of a journalist in Serbia.

For the main interview, Nina and Alexandra spoke with Leanid Marozau, the Head of the Lega...

In this episode, Adam and Alexandra start by discussing the latest news from the region – including the fallout from the tragic fire which killed 59 people in North Macedonia as well as the massive protests which took place in Belgrade over the weekend. They also look at developments in Hungary as the opposition leader appears to be gaining momentum, while the government outlaws Budapest Pride.

Later, Adam is joined by Konstantin v...

In this episode, Adam and Nina kick off with the latest headlines, including Ukraine’s ceasefire deal in exchange for renewed US military and intelligence aid, plus a NATO military chiefs’ meeting in Paris. They also break down what’s happening in Romania, the online clash between Poland’s Foreign Minister and Elon Musk, and wrap up with updates from Azerbaijan.

Later, Alexandra and Nina chat with Zuzana Pavlíčková, a human rights ...