Since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February of this year, Ukrainian academic Dr Vlad Mykhnenko has been personally and professionally absorbed by the conflict. In a profile for the University of Oxford, he recounts his story of evacuating his parents to Lithuania and describes the impact of the war on his family. In another article for the University of Oxford, he applies his expertise in economic geography and political economy to the origins of the war.
On 19 June, he appeared on the BBC World Service podcast, The Documentary. In the episode, ‘The Night Ukraine Gave Up Its Nuclear Weapons', Dr Mykhnenko recounts his personal experience of Ukraine’s nuclear disarmament, which took place when he was a teenager in Ukraine. His interview includes a remarkable account of his debate about nuclear disarmament with President Kravchuk on live TV when he was just 16. The episode can be streamed here.
The episode originally aired on BBC Radio 4 as 'Ukraine's Nuclear Gamble'. Dr Mykhnenko’s other recent appearances on the BBC include a 21 March BBC News at 9 interview and a 22 March BBC Radio 5 interview.
Dr Mykhnenko is Associate Professor of Sustainable Urban Development and the St Peter’s College Research Fellow in Sustainable Urban Development. His research focuses on geographical political economy. He is the author of The Political Economy of Post-Communism: The Donbas and Upper Silesia in Transition (2011).