THIS PODCAST WAS CREATED PRIOR TO THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE ON FEBRUARY 24, 2022. Ukraine is a much-discussed country in the media, especially because of its infamous problems with its Russian neighbor. However, their conflict cannot be evaluated in black and white. For a better understanding and knowledge of independent Ukraine, its history and future direction, we invited Dr. Petar Kalina, a Ukrainian scholar and guarantor of the Ukrainian Studies study program at Masaryk University in Brno. We covered the development of Ukraine in the 1990s and the sharp increase in crime, corruption and oligarchic rule. The subject of the podcast was also Ukrainian-Russian relations, from which the stability of Ukraine as a country depends. Peter Kalina's narrative will allow you to get to know Ukraine from the inside, with all the internal discrepancies that it carries with it and that make it difficult for it to integrate more closely with Europe and the West. But in order not to stay only with politics, you will also learn something about the locals, their culture and interesting places in Ukraine. What's more, you will find out whether we managed to solve the question of why there are so many pharmacies in Ukraine. And what is the rarest souvenir you can bring back from Ukraine these days? You will learn this and much more in today's episode of the WORLD podcast. Pleasant listening! Have an idea for an interesting guest or topic? Let us know! Invite us to virtual tea and support our work at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/svetovi Rate our travel podcast THE WORLD at https://ceskepodcasty.cz/podcasty/sve... You can find our documentary about Ukraine here: • Ukraine - everyday life through the eyes of the bowls... The largest Czech travel portal HedvábnáStezka.cz: https://www.hedvabnastezka.cz/ Instagram: / svetovi.cz Facebook: / svetovi You want to have your podcast too? Take a look at: https://www.megapecka.cz/ Intro: / sz_producti. . 3D render of the environment: / berry.bsoul 0:00 Intro 0:44 How many times has Petr Kalina been to Ukraine? 1:16 Why are there so many pharmacies in Ukraine? 3:17 Absence of health insurance in Ukraine 5:41 Transformation of the Ukrainian economy after the collapse of the USSR 10:09 Crime and corruption in the 1990s 16:49 Forgery of university diplomas in Ukraine 18:37 Rise of Ukrainian oligarchs 20:24 Why Ukrainians elected Petro Poroshenko 24:16 Reaction of Ukrainians to politicians' unfulfilled promises 25:21 An expert's view of Russian intervention in 2014 28:04 Could the Association Agreement and the EU help Ukraine? 30:13 Euromaidan as a reflection of the social mood in Ukraine 32:31 Western perception of Ukraine after the events of 2014 35:38 Is a Western Ukrainian the same as an Eastern Ukrainian? 37:55 Historical tendencies to bring Ukraine under Russian domination 38:54 Development of Russian-Ukrainian relations after the collapse of the USSR 43:09 Does its large area harm Ukraine? 46:10 The annexation of Crimea to Ukraine in 1954 49:59 Access of ethnic Russians to Crimea as part of Ukraine 50:45 The view of the Crimean Tatars 51:14 Is there a solution to the situation in Crimea? 52:05 Separatist tendencies in Crimea before 2014 53:05 Can we travel to Crimea today? 54:35 Bribery in Ukraine and the countries of the former USSR 1:00:43 Ukraine's chances for closer integration into Europe 1:01:52 Rhetoric of Ukrainian nationalists 1:10:27 Hospitality of Eastern people 1:13:56 History of Czech-Ukrainian relations 1: 17:45 The quality of Ukrainian culture and folklore 1:19:22 The attitude of young Ukrainians to own culture 1:20:29 The role of Ukrainian cuisine in Ukrainian culture 1:24:03 Do Ukrainians go to the opera and theaters? 1:26:37 State of Ukrainian roads 1:28:27 Favorite places in Ukraine according to Petr Kalina 1:30:29 Compatibility between Ukrainian and Russian 1:32:27 Ukrainian studies and employment of graduates 1:36:37 Outro