Ukraine is the most significant part of Europe’s eastern borderland: all black earth and agriculture, the last bastion before the steppe and the vastness of Russia. The country’s geography has defined its significance as a strategic centre as it becomes more entwined with the liberal values of the European Union. In this episode, we speak to Alexander Clarkson, lecturer for German and European Studies at King's College London, about how this has defined the war and what it means for its relationship with the European Union in the future. Nastya also speaks with Edward Reese, a Ukrainian LGBTQ+ activist, about how Pride events in Ukraine are a symbol of the progressive values their country aspires to.

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