The Just Security Podcast
Just Security is an online forum for the rigorous analysis of national security, foreign policy, and rights. We aim to promote principled solutions to problems confronting decision-makers in the United States and abroad. Our expert authors are individuals with significant government experience, academics, civil society practitioners, individuals directly affected by national security policies, and other leading voices.
The Just Security Podcast
Ukraine’s Resistance to Russia’s Invasion: The Other Mobilization
Ukraine’s response to the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion has been defined by extraordinary civilian mobilization. As millions of Ukrainians face the devastation of their homes, schools, and communities, volunteers—especially women—have stepped up in unprecedented ways to support the nation’s survival.
In this episode, host Viola Gienger is joined by Lauren Van Metre, President and CEO of Women in International Security (WIIS) and a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and Ella Lamakh, founder of the Kyiv-based Democracy Development Center, to discuss how Ukraine’s women in frontline communities have stepped up to lead the local response. The episode also features the voices of three of the women in Ella’s network who are serving their frontline communities with humanitarian aid, organizing, and in one case, as a military administrator. Special thanks to those community leaders – Valentyna Holovata, Yuliia Porhenko, and Tetiana (who asked to use only her first name for security purposes), and to Dmytro Lysak for translation.
Show Notes:
- Voices from the Frontlines of Democracy in Ukraine: Supporting and Protecting Civil Society by Lauren Van Metre
- Ella Lamakh’s Democracy Development Center
- Just Security’s Russia-Ukraine War Archive