What you (probably) don’t know about Ukraine

There is so much writing about Ukraine these days. For good reasons. The threats from Putin’s Russia could lead to war.

I asked myself what I could add to help understand that conflict. Thinking about it, I realised that I know very little about the basics and Ukraine’s history. Maybe you feel the same.

So I’ve put together some facts I hadn’t known before delving into preparing for writing this post. Even if the following points have nothing to do directly with the current situation, they might be a bit enlightening. Because as always: knowing the past helps to understand the present.

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EVN 60th anniversary

The Eurovision News Exchange, the first one of its kind, was agreed upon by European broadcasters and started on 28 September 1961.
The EVN has been operating continuously for the last 60 years, meeting every challenge since that day, as it continues doing it now, in a news environment moving ever faster. The Eurovision News Exchange linking since 1961 the newsrooms of public TV members, exchanges on average 120 news items a day and operates three channels for live news transmissions, covering events around Europe and the world.

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Athens as an “illiberal democracy” – populist governance during antiquity

By Vladan Lausevic

Something many people can recognise from history lessons in primary schools: The case of Athens as a democratic city-state is recognised as the first institutionalised democracy in human history.

However, Athens was also an example of a populist government without ruleoflaw and human rights.

What are the similarities and differences when compared to modern liberal/constitutional democracies as in the EU ?

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