Advertisement

Is Ukraine Finally Boiling Over?

45:03
Download Audio
Resume

Deadly clashes and downed helicopters. We’ll look at the latest in Ukraine and what can – and should – the U.S., NATO, do.

With guest host Dina Temple-Raston.

People gather around the coffin of 17 year-old Vadim Papura during a religious service outside the apartment block he lived in, in Odessa, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 6, 2014. Papura died after jumping out of the burning trade union building in an attempt to escape Friday's fire that killed most of the 40 people that died after riots erupted last Friday. (AP)
People gather around the coffin of 17 year-old Vadim Papura during a religious service outside the apartment block he lived in, in Odessa, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 6, 2014. Papura died after jumping out of the burning trade union building in an attempt to escape Friday's fire that killed most of the 40 people that died after riots erupted last Friday. (AP)

The violence in Ukraine is ramping up as pro-Russian forces clash with the Ukrainian military in the eastern and southern part of the country. Are we seeing the beginnings of a civil war? Or, will leaders step back from the brink? What is Russia’s role in all of this? We hear the latest from the ground in Kiev. Try to assess whether sanctions are having any effect at all. And we’ll talk about whether the Russians have torn a page from the Jihadist playbook, using assymetric warfare to set the US and Europe back on their heels. This hour, On Point: the latest in Ukraine.

Guests

Sabra Ayres, Ukraine, Russia and Afghanistan corespondent for the Christian Science Monitor. (@babraham)

Angela Stent, director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University. Former national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National intelligence Council. Author of "The Limits of Partnership: U.S. - Russian Relations in the Twenty-First Century." (@angelastent)

John Kornblum, senior counselor at Noerr LLC. Former U.S ambassador to Germany and former assistant secretary of state for European Affairs. Senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

From The Reading List

Washington Post: Ukrainians call for volunteers to help quell separatist uprising — "Ukrainian political and military leaders called for volunteers Tuesday to help restore order ahead of elections that are increasingly threatened by a pro-Russian separatist uprising in the eastern part of the country. With the nation on alert for more violence, former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko urged the creation of a 'volunteer army' because neither Ukraine’s army nor its security services has been effective so far in handling outbreaks of rebellion, the Russian news service Interfax reported Tuesday."

NPR: Ukraine Reports Dozens Killed In Slovyansk Fighting -- "Ukraine says its military has killed 30 pro-Russian separatists as government forces try to retake Slovyansk and other cities near the border with Russia. At least four Ukrainian soldiers have died, and separatists shot down a helicopter in eastern Ukraine."

Quartz: Ukrainians must beware of what joining Europe could actually mean — "Despite the heavy price they have already paid, a large percentage of the Ukrainian people persist in their quest for a European future. While admirable, Ukrainians’ struggle to be part of Europe poses a simple, yet crucial question—do they know what they are fighting for?"

This program aired on May 7, 2014.

Advertisement

More from On Point

Listen Live
Close