Power Lines: From Ukraine to the World is a brand-new podcast that masterfully maps out the reverberations of the war in Ukraine on the global stage by the team at The Kyiv Independent - Ukraine’s biggest independent English-language media outlet, which serves as the independent voice of the country - and Message Heard.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed the world. The war’s significance in the 21st century is unparalleled: its reverberations can be felt not just in Kyiv and Moscow, but from Beijing to Washington DC.

But how did this country come to play such a significant role in geopolitical events? What does it mean to be a citizen of Ukraine, a country whose enemies claim has no right to exist? What role does it play in the contentious struggle between the world’s old and new power structures? What is the war’s impact on global food security, and could cutting the Russian energy lifeline rewrite the global economic order? Is the war bringing about the fall of global oligarchies? And what does Russia's possible terrorist status mean for the future of international relations?

Over 12 comprehensive episodes, the podcast explores all the answers to these questions with unique insights from historians, foreign policy academics and ministers, and Ukrainian civilians who are currently living and fighting through the war.

The Kyiv Independent and Message Heard came together for an audio partnership, of which Power Lines is the first show to go live.

The Kyiv Independent was founded as an act of resistance by the former team of The Kyiv Post to defend editorial independence, and they have been leading the coverage of the war in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. This audio partnership will allow The Kyiv Independent, together with Message Heard, to showcase everything from Ukraine’s stories of defiance from the frontlines to human-interest perspectives told through original journalism and unique access.

Support The Kyiv Independent on Patreon and subscribe to Power Lines + on Apple and Spotify to continue helping us make the show possible.

The Hosts

Jakub Parusinski is the CFO of the Kyiv Independent. Jakub is a former CEO of Kyiv Post. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and spent 3 years at McKinsey’s London office, where he managed the EMEA hub for Advanced Analytics. Jakub works a media consultant and lecturer on media business at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga.

Anastasiia Lapatina is a national reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has mostly covered politics and human rights. For her contributions, Forbes has placed her on its 30 Under 30 Europe 2022 list in the “Media and Marketing” category.

Power Lines + Subscription

Power Lines + launches alongside the main podcast and provides subscriber-only bonus episodes featuring extended and behind-the-scenes guest interviews.

Power Lines + is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for £1.99/month.