50. Ukraine War, 3 years: Mariia Makarovych (Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine)

Mariia Makarovych is Head of the East Asian Office of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine. Today, we discuss the on-going peace negotiations, the role of civil society organizations the past three years, society preparedness prior to 2022, Russian propaganda since 2014, and today, the role of China. 

Makarovych is an economic and policy analyst with a background in CSO throughout Ukraine and in European think tanks. She had worked to strengthen democratic tools among communities in Donetsk and implemented projects on education, land management, and funding. She was an Information Defense Analyst at the European Values Center for Security Policy. Since 2022, she has shifted her focus to researching Ukrainian economic policy and Russia propaganda.

She moved to Taiwan from Ukraine in August 2023.

This conversation was recorded on March 10, 2025.

Makarovych reflects on the on-going peace agreements led by U.S. President Trump. She warns of the dangers of signing a mineral deal without security guarantees and emphasizes the risk of Russia regaining strength and attacking Ukraine again: a peace agreement without fair conditions could set a dangerous precedent for aggressive regimes worldwide.

Drawing from her own experience growing up in Eastern Ukraine and at the onset of the full-scale invasion in 2022, we discuss society's response to pressure, civil defense, and the differences between preparedness for natural disasters versus active hostilities.

Liberal Democratic League is a Ukrainian NGO established in 2014 by students in Kyiv as a response to the Revolution of Dignity (Maidan Revolution.)

It’s been three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For our retrospectives on year one and two, please the following podcast interviews:

Alex Khomenko (Taiwan Stands with Ukraine): https://ghostisland.media/en/shows/taiwan-take/ukraine-war-two-years-taiwan-aid-alex-khomenko

Oleksandr Shyn (Ukrainian Voices): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87mQDj9X8rs&list=PLOV_JV4K99T5UF76rRj9z5WUNztzIk0Fi&index=10&t=23s

Dmytro Burtsev (political scientist), in Mandarin: https://ghostisland.media/en/shows/5-star-nation/ukraine-dmytro-burtsev

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