Putin's War on Christmas
Plus: Scenes from horrific Kyiv attack
KYIV–Good morning from the Ukrainian capital as all-clear alarms ring out. I still hear the echoes of those intense missile strikes from Friday, but soon those sounds will be replaced with the resonance of Christmastime Lviv. With guest co-host Brett Hill, a Ohio musician often in Ukraine, we take a look into Christmas in Ukraine:
"Ukraine's most uniquely and authentically powerful manifestation of itself is during Christmas time,” says Brett. Scroll down to read, watch, or listen …
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RADIO WAR DAY 1,031: Putin’s War on Ukraine is a War on Christmas
**SUPPORT BRETT HILL'S WORK IN UKRAINE HERE.
KYIV and KRAKOW––Joe Lindsley in Ukraine is joined by folk musician-humanitarian Brett Hill in Poland, hours after a brutal Russian attack upon Kyiv that among other things hit a restaurant where Joe, Brett, and a delegation of Americans had just recently gathered.
Brett describes a program he created for wounded warriors in the Carpathian mountains, and he gives us insights into the richness of the Christmas rituals in western Ukraine, especially the city of Lviv: "Christmas is a time period in which Ukrainian tradition and spirit is at its most fervent, and probably its most uniquely and authentically powerful time period of itself of this is Ukraine is during Christmas time. So of course Russians are going to be up in the ante to keep attacking further and further at a time like this."
🎙️ The only American show reporting live from Ukraine every weekday of Russia's full-scale war. | Friday 20 December 2024
With Usyk’s Victory, Let’s Take a Look at the Meaning of the Word for ‘Victory’ in Ukrainian
Do You Hear the People Sing?
Witness what is happening in the country called Georgia, whose real name is Sakartvelo. The Kremlin deep state has taken control of the parliament, but for weeks now, tens of thousands of people are resisting together, including the 72-year-old woman president, against tyranny.
Last night, the protestors, of all ages, performed an ancient Georgian war dance in the heart of Tbilisi. I hope that those who love liberty in the USA will realize that people in Ukraine and Georgia also really insist on being free—and they’re willing to stand for that principle:
How War Can Fix Your Brain, Part 4
How War Can Fix Your Brain, Episode 4: Lessons from a Quixotic Reporter in Ukraine
In a world drowning in images, perhaps the clearest way to share the truth is through the simple spoken word. 🎥 Watch the story below ⤵️
KYIV—For more 1,000 days—nearly three years—I delivered a daily 10-minute live report from wartime Ukraine on Chicago’s @WGNRadio. Every single day. Live. From a war zone. To one of America’s most respected radio stations. At first it was some pressure!
Before this, I had rarely spoken on radio. But I grew to love it—especially live broadcasts, where there’s no hiding your emotions. Listeners could hear when I was energized, exhausted, broken, or hopeful. In those unfiltered moments, they caught a glimpse of the real mood in Ukraine.
Without photographs to rely on, I worked hard to set the scene with words alone. Often, I’d finish my broadcast drenched in sweat, exhausted—because I poured everything I had into it.
I write in the past tense but after three years of daily reporting, just three days before one of the most intense attacks upon Kyiv ever, my daily reports were cancelled on WGN, because some executive suddenly became aware that yes, we were still reporting after all these years. So, at least we lasted that long. And I’ve developed a better mechanism for sharing the truth around me.
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