Ukraine’s information battlefield: How a government spokesperson chooses which secrets to keep

Ukraine’s information battlefield: How a government spokesperson chooses which secrets to keep

Today’s episode is a New Years special. Tanya and Tim revisit a debaucherous night out on the town and their favorite achievements of 2025. Then we get the inside scoop from the US-Ukraine peace negotiations with Heorhiy Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gosha, as his friends know him, is fighting on Ukraine’s information front: Pitching the government’s views to the world while battling a deluge of disinformation and propaganda from Russia. Gosha spills on how he got to run Ukraine’s official Twitter feed, what information to keep secret, and whether Zelensky is getting better at navigating his relationship with Trump. This is our last issue of Season One — thank you so much to all of our listeners who joined us so far! We’ll be back next month with more! Now we have an Instagram page, subscribe and get a chance to win our sexy brand hat: https://www.instagram.com/dontpushthehorses_pod/ Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/DontPushTheHorses

Howard Buffett has a bone to pick with the White House and fellow philanthropists

The billionaire son of legendary investor Warren Buffett is many things: A farmer, philanthropist, business executive, and former sheriff. He’s also among the top foreign donors to Ukraine and has visited the country two dozen times since 2022, often spending time on the front line (including a few close calls with FPVs). In today’s episode, Buffett joins us on his birthday to share his strategy for acting as the “risk capital of the philanthropy world,” what he wishes fellow donors would do differently, and why he thinks the Trump administration’s approach to peace talks so far has been “really pretty disgusting.” We promise to get him a bigger birthday cake. Now we have Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dontpushthehorses_pod/ Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/DontPushTheHorses

How to keep the lights on in Ukraine's schools and hospitals

Blackouts reaching ten or more hours a day are a fact of life across Ukraine these days, as Russia continues to use attacks on the electric grid as a key weapon in its hybrid war. One of the people fighting back is today's guest, Yuliana Onishchuk, who made a risky career change to focus on solar power at a time many people thought it wasn't needed - only to prove, 33 schools and hospitals later, that renewable energy is essential for Ukraine's security. Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/DontPushTheHorses

War is about People: Stories from the Washington Post Kyiv bureau

We’re in love, literally, with today’s guest: Siobhán O’Grady, the Washington Post’s Ukraine bureau chief, who also happens to be Tim’s wife. Siobhán shares her experiences navigating cancelled nail salon appointments and incoming shelling. We also hear from our doggie Babette. Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/DontPushTheHorses

How the Invasion Influenced “Star Wars”: Hollywood Fiction Meets War

In today’s episode, top Hollywood screenwriter Beau Willimon — whose credits include House of Cards, Severance, and Andor — and award-winning filmmaker Noaz Deshe tell the story of how they rushed to Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale invasion with no clear plan of what they would find — and, in Willimon’s case, without permission from his employer — but managed to produce a captivating new film that “penetrates the veneer of private life” during wartime. Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/DontPushTheHorses