What we know one week into Russian invasion of Ukraine

Two experts — one local and one who recently evacuated Ukraine for Poland — discuss the situation in Ukraine as it stands now and what’s likely to come next.

Demonstration against Russian invasion of Ukraine in Stokholm, February 2022.

Demonstration against Russian invasion of Ukraine in Stokholm, February 2022.

We’re now a week into the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At this point, there is no clear end in sight.

“It’s destroying soldiers, but it’s also destroying civilians. The tragedy that is being unleashed on Ukraine is just outrageous.” – Brian Mefford, U.S.-born longtime resident of Ukraine

As Ukrainian and Russian negotiators enter a second round of talks, many questions are left unanswered. What are the most likely outcomes of this attack for the people of Ukraine and for the rest of the world? And how effective will the U.S. and international response be?


Listen: Experts break down what we know about the war in Ukraine and what comes next.

 


Guests:

Aaron Retish is a history professor at Wayne State University with a specialization in Soviet and Russian history.

“We can look at silver linings and one of them is the heroic resistance of Ukrainians fighting a much stronger Russian army,” he says. “It’s inspiring.”

Brian Mefford is a U.S.-born longtime resident of Ukraine and a senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council. He is now in Poland after evacuating his home in Kyiv.

“It’s destroying soldiers, but it’s also destroying civilians,” he says. “The tragedy that is being unleashed on Ukraine is just outrageous.”

“Living out of a suitcase now for a couple of weeks has not been fun by any means,” Mefford says about being forced to leave Kyiv.


Related: Ukrainian-Americans share perspective on Russia invasion


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