Jovanni sits down with independent journalist Olesya Orlenko, a Russian historian, who provides on-the-ground perspectives from Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.  They discuss the roots of the conflict tracing back to the 2014 coup in Ukraine, the role of Western media in shaping narratives, and the views from both Russian and Ukrainian sides.

Olesya Orlenko is a Russian historian, researcher, and reporter. She studied at the Institute of Russian and Archive in Russia, History Archive Russia, and at the National Charter School in France. Her interest includes World War II, Nazi genocide and extermination policy, history of the far right movement, and theories in France.

Since 2014, Melissa has been closely following events in the Donbass province and has traveled to the war zone several times to gather facts of crimes committed by the Ukrainian army [00:03:00] against the inhabitants of the UNESCO and Lugansk regions. She became a journalist in 2016 and has been reporting on such facts since.

Olesya is an author, documentarian, and founder of the Russian Society of Friends of L’Humanité, a French left wing newspaper.

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Fortress On A Hill is hosted, written, and produced by Chris ‘Henri’ Henrikson, Keagan Miller, Jovanni Reyes, Shiloh Emelein, and Monisha Rios. https://bit.ly/3yeBaB9

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Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.