News & Politics

What the World Can Learn From Ukraine’s Fight for Democracy | Olesya Khromeychuk | TED

“A flourishing democracy next door is a scary thing for an autocrat,” says Ukrainian historian Olesya Khromeychuk. Detailing the history of Ukraine’s long struggle for sovereignty and freedom — against Russian tsars, communist dictators and now the Kremlin’s army — she shares three lessons anybody can use to join the global fight for democracy. If…

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“A flourishing democracy next door is a scary thing for an autocrat,” says Ukrainian historian Olesya Khromeychuk. Detailing the history of Ukraine’s long struggle for sovereignty and freedom — against Russian tsars, communist dictators and now the Kremlin’s army — she shares three lessons anybody can use to join the global fight for democracy.

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75 Comments

  1. @oikkuoek

    February 20, 2024 at 11:50 am

    What has happened in Ukraine between 2014 and 2020 in a direct insult towards democracy and moral values as a whole. TED should find an actual historian, and not a propagandist to tell the stories of those tens of thousands dead and tortured civilians.

  2. @oksanakis1725

    February 20, 2024 at 12:09 pm

    дуже сильно! дякую

  3. @ShashotoANur

    February 20, 2024 at 12:10 pm

    “Keep fighting and you will prevail…”

  4. @neonennui

    February 20, 2024 at 12:30 pm

    Ukraine is not a democracy. Ask the people in Donbass, bombed and killed by the government. Read something about Odessa’s massacre. Read about Ukrainian neonazism.

  5. @attilazk

    February 20, 2024 at 12:51 pm

    I wonder if she also has sw astika tattoos like her comrades in her (fake) democracy at home. How long has she been living away from ukraine?! I bet much longer when this war was started by ukraine in 2014 against it’s own (Russian) “minority”. It was “such a democracy” from 2014.
    Before taking her words for granted, just seek some facts in Oliver Stone’s: ukraine on fire… documentary.

  6. @dr.tapomoydeb3795

    February 20, 2024 at 12:53 pm

    Only one simple lesson – even by mistake never elect clowns. Otherwise everyone can see where Ukraine is and will be reduced to small territory 😅

    • @1midnightfish

      February 20, 2024 at 7:26 pm

      Actually a comedian was a good choice – they’re good at thinking on their feet and have nerves of steel

  7. @Oscar-xj1xk

    February 20, 2024 at 1:36 pm

    I’m pretty sure she is not from the Donbass area…

    • @usersjsbdl

      February 20, 2024 at 1:41 pm

      what do you know about “Donbass area”?

    • @TariqNation

      February 20, 2024 at 2:43 pm

      ​@@usersjsbdlpeople there have always wanted to be a part of Russia. And yet the warmongers in the west kept attacking them for it.

    • @KsenaTs

      February 20, 2024 at 5:28 pm

      ​@@TariqNationI happily lived in Lugansk which is Donbass till my 26. I have never dreamed of being part of russia, neither my friends or people I know. It’s bullshit to think that.
      Russians occupied Crimea and then came to Donbass.
      Now you tell me, what will any government do if it’s neighbor came with weapon on it’s territory?
      The answer is obvious.
      So stop telling russian propaganda bullshit. Use your brain sometimes at least.

    • @danielk3530

      February 20, 2024 at 6:02 pm

      ​@@KsenaTswhy is everything thats not your point of view propaganda? I know ukrainians that think like you and other like the comment you replied to. There are more opinions to this than in your bubble.

    • @KsenaTs

      February 20, 2024 at 6:14 pm

      @@danielk3530 the main point is: no matter what people in Ukraine want, it’s not your businnes if you’re a president of different state. This is russian propaganda stays for “we came to rescue”. Rescue your own people, this is your job, not to brake internally claimed borders of other country.

  8. @fredzayas1061

    February 20, 2024 at 1:54 pm

    Democracy? Ukraine? No elections, shutting down the church. Yep, that’s the one.

  9. @diskycn

    February 20, 2024 at 2:18 pm

    politically correct, yet nothing insightful.

  10. @aldovalkovich755

    February 20, 2024 at 2:35 pm

    👏👏👏✌

  11. @RTL2L

    February 20, 2024 at 2:35 pm

    It’s not 2022, your pathetic propaganda is not working.

  12. @user-dt5nj3uk2s

    February 20, 2024 at 2:39 pm

    Love to Ukraine ❤️🇺🇦

    • @viriathus2802

      February 20, 2024 at 4:11 pm

      😁

  13. @TariqNation

    February 20, 2024 at 2:42 pm

    Bullshit. The west provoked Russia by using Ukraine as a puppet! WHY DID NATO EXPAND!??

  14. @djameldini5967

    February 20, 2024 at 3:40 pm

    What can the world lean from the genocide in Gaza???????
    Save kids they are starving 😢

    • @danielk3530

      February 20, 2024 at 5:58 pm

      There is none

  15. @markwawrinchuk1816

    February 20, 2024 at 3:45 pm

    Fools. What the world learned was Senator Lindsay Graham started it. Watch the video from 2014.

  16. @DontFearTruth

    February 20, 2024 at 3:49 pm

    Ukraine is NOT A DEMOCRACY!!

  17. @Itscooorn

    February 20, 2024 at 4:04 pm

    Thank you for speech! I’m from Donetska oblast and I know what really happened 10 years ago. And now Ukrainian people shoos keep fighting. Because if russia will stop fighting — war will the end. But if Ukraine stop — Ukraine will the end.

    • @zaheeruddinbaberkhan2972

      February 20, 2024 at 7:18 pm

      You should ask USA, why they took 7,000/ atomic warheads from Ukraine, if ukraine would have got those warheads, russia would not have balls to attack ukraine, why did they brought nato to ukraine, because they knew that ruasia will attack, & the war mafia will earn money by selling fear, arms, ammunition, europe will suffer, more fear in europe , more business for arms dealers mafia…

  18. @viriathus2802

    February 20, 2024 at 4:14 pm

    Nothing says “democracy” quite like the freedom fighters of Azov Battalion, Right Sector, Aidar, etc. 🙄

    • @1midnightfish

      February 20, 2024 at 7:31 pm

      ???

  19. @M.i.L.F_and_Coffee

    February 20, 2024 at 5:20 pm

    She catches you by a very friendly & empathic way – of this trash talk.

    By the way, what can we realy learn from ukraine, how to solve & avoid money laundry before being a part of european member ?

    Her eyes, her gesture, her smile, her words – sneaky sympathy begging

    • @1midnightfish

      February 20, 2024 at 7:35 pm

      Of all the troll comments here, yours is probably the most revolting of all

  20. @user-sl2zw4gt7l

    February 20, 2024 at 5:47 pm

    🙏🙏🙏🙏

  21. @helenqin6668

    February 20, 2024 at 6:03 pm

    They are not fighting for democracy, they are fighting with their low intelligence.

  22. @chico-te

    February 20, 2024 at 6:14 pm

    1:10 “from the Russian tsars to communist dictators”. You forgot about the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (Khmelnytsky Uprising). As a historian, you should know this. Because this is your history.

    • @1midnightfish

      February 20, 2024 at 6:44 pm

      I really don’t think she forgot… there’s only so much that can be said in such a short talk, and she had a lot to say

    • @chico-te

      February 20, 2024 at 7:39 pm

      ​@@1midnightfish Maybe. Or maybe she decided not to talk about it. Because the Tsars and the USSR are the bad guys, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth is not the bad guys. If you say that the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth oppressed the Ukrainians, the Poles may be offended. And the Poles are now allies of Ukraine. Just politics. I understand it. But why say you’re free if you can’t tell the truth? I support Ukraine. I believe that Russia is the aggressor country in this situation. But I believe that we must tell the truth. Otherwise, we turn into Putin the historian from Tucker’s interview. He told half-truths.

    • @1midnightfish

      February 20, 2024 at 7:47 pm

      @@chico-te putin told half-truths…?? As opposed to a long stream of demented fantasies and downright lies?

  23. @ammarchetta

    February 20, 2024 at 6:49 pm

    How do you circle back and explain that Zelensky has cancelled elections (“vote/voice”)?

    • @1midnightfish

      February 20, 2024 at 7:20 pm

      The Ukrainian constitution forbids holding elections under martial law. Ukraine has been under martial law for the past two years because, if you haven’t noticed, it has been invaded by a much larger country intent on wiping if off the face of the Earth.

      Besides, millions of Ukrainians are living under occupation or have been abducted and deported, while millions more have been forced to move abroad and would only be able to vote electronically. It would be Ukraine’s first online election, which would be a challenge for a country at peace, let alone for one fighting off a genocidal invader that happens to be very skilled at cyberhacking. So it wouldn’t be a free and fair election, and Ukraine is demonstrating it is a democracy by *postponing* the election until it can be carried out properly. A show election is what dictatorships do.

  24. @MaleAdaptor

    February 20, 2024 at 6:57 pm

    Great. Now help me translate a few sentences:
    Arrest that reporter,
    Shut down that church,
    Don’t speak Russian.
    I am sure not all Ukrainian do not lie so fluently!

  25. @1midnightfish

    February 20, 2024 at 7:44 pm

    I’ve been lucky to hear this woman speak several times and exchange a few words with her. Recently I read her book, The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister, and I highly recommend it. One of the points she touches on in this talk is developed in her brilliant article Why the West underestimated Ukraine, published in December 2022 in the New Statesman (it looks like there’s a paywall but it’s free to access – I’d post the link but YT doesn’t seem to like people doing that).

  26. @ivankapitonov8249

    February 21, 2024 at 9:59 am

    Beautifully put and delivered. Thank you

  27. @user-xt9ru7lm8s

    February 21, 2024 at 10:05 am

    It was a wonderful speech. The moment with the voice is especially important. The voice is the most important thing we have. There are a lot of russian trolls in the comments who are making nonsense. As a Ukrainian, I find funny to read this. But I wonder how foreigners react to such nonsense. Obviously, these trolls are not aimed at me, because my reaction when I read the comments “Selensky imprisoned the opposition and canceled the elections” was something like this 🥴. But this is how I react because I live in Ukraine, what about people who are far from Ukraine and read this. Even if they are skeptical, these messages that russian propaganda puts in their heads remain in their minds. That’s why Ukrainian voices are so important, to reconstruct russian propaganda, to make people closer to Ukraine, so that they recognize for themselves that what trolls (and not only trolls) say is nonsense.

  28. @dariamelnychuk9873

    February 21, 2024 at 10:14 am

    Thank you very much for this speech 🩵💛

  29. @ziltoidinvader162

    February 21, 2024 at 11:08 am

    Thank you for your speech!❤

  30. @vergil7185

    February 21, 2024 at 11:26 am

    Such a great and insightful speech! Ukraine will definitely become part of the West, EU, and NATO!

  31. @richardmcknight3650

    February 21, 2024 at 1:08 pm

    I rarely make comments on these programmes but feel compelled to give a comment of “well done, well presented, so clear & precise”.

  32. @hokkaido5632

    February 21, 2024 at 2:31 pm

    Keep figting and you will prevail

  33. @dimadimov382

    February 21, 2024 at 3:57 pm

    thanks

  34. @overushka

    February 21, 2024 at 10:43 pm

    Thank you Olesya❤

  35. @bldontmatter5319

    February 21, 2024 at 11:59 pm

    All these uкraine bots LOL

  36. @eaintkyiphyu9004

    February 22, 2024 at 1:49 am

    Thanks a lot ,Olesya❤
    Such a amazing speech🎉
    I love the line “Boritesia-poborete”
    “Keep fighting and you will prevail”
    We , Myanmarians are fighting for democracy too🔥
    Your speech gives us motivation to keep fighting
    We have perseverance, and get united and looking forward to seeing the beautiful vision of our country
    We , Myanmar (Burma)🇲🇲🇲🇲❤ love Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦

  37. @dnhart13

    February 22, 2024 at 3:02 am

    dont pick commedian as a president

    • @SurfbyShootin

      February 23, 2024 at 12:04 am

      He is a fine Ashkenazi man.

  38. @alla2204

    February 22, 2024 at 4:38 am

    This is an immensely powerful speech! I’m so happy Ukrainian voices are finally heard on the international platforms after hundreds of years of russian oppression. They were trying to silence and erase us as a nation for centuries, but we’ve survived and preserved our language, culture and democratic values💪

  39. @user-mz7hq6yg2l

    February 22, 2024 at 5:24 am

  40. @atekuna4905

    February 22, 2024 at 6:03 am

    Thank you for your speech 🇺🇦

  41. @glasshaven.

    February 22, 2024 at 7:58 am

    Valour and honour are empty where victory is dissonant, especially where citizens lives are at risk. Subservience does not always equate to vacant morality, in some cases transcendence is the wiser course.

  42. @matobasenji1181

    February 22, 2024 at 8:26 am

    Her smile and types of expression is really attractive..love it😢

  43. @markwawrinchuk1816

    February 22, 2024 at 10:22 am

    Liars! USA started this war. Lindsay Graham to be specific.

  44. @markwawrinchuk1816

    February 22, 2024 at 10:23 am

    It has nothing to do with a fight for democracy Liars!

  45. @presssubok1711

    February 22, 2024 at 10:43 am

    Ukrainian abandoned their history, and identity,or at least they better be a neutral country in the competition between RS and NATO

  46. @presssubok1711

    February 22, 2024 at 10:47 am

    As a Vietnamese, I will never forget the support and friendship between Vietnam and Soviet Union, they gave us a hand when we were struggling to fight for our respective country in the 1960s

    • @DimaChernogod

      February 22, 2024 at 3:50 pm

      Soviet Union doesn’t equal russia. Ukraine also helped you.

  47. @yuriyseredin

    February 22, 2024 at 11:14 am

    Brilliant! Thank you ❤

  48. @onealphabet3397

    February 22, 2024 at 1:07 pm

    Slava ukraini

  49. @vasylkinzhybalo1900

    February 22, 2024 at 2:48 pm

    Well done, Olesya! Thank you!!!

  50. @user-wi6bl4pb3r

    February 22, 2024 at 5:20 pm

    Very beautiful indeed

  51. @mansiupadhyay9296

    February 23, 2024 at 4:09 am

    People and bots in the comment section think they know more about Ukraine than the Ukrainians themselves. These are the same people who don’t have the guts to confront someone in real life so they come here and become “keyboard warriors”.

  52. @4knaturerelaxing164

    February 23, 2024 at 4:44 am

    Thank you for your work. Ukraine is an ancient and strong nation, with a wonderful culture and a beautiful language. The democratic traditions of Ukraine stretch for thousands of years; this is a unique phenomenon in the world

  53. @ivanmeen742

    February 23, 2024 at 10:46 am

    Thank you for sharing people values.

  54. @nataliia3500

    February 23, 2024 at 10:56 am

    Great speech! Thank you!

  55. @user-pq8pd6vb6q

    February 23, 2024 at 5:05 pm

    Boritesia Poborete!💙💛

  56. @rodent569

    February 24, 2024 at 5:37 am

    Ukraine is not a democracy. If you read news about Ukrainian politics five years ago, most articles talk about the abundance of neo-Nazis in their political system. All of a sudden, all those neo-Nazis disappeared.

  57. @anna_fadeeva

    February 24, 2024 at 4:37 pm

    Great speech! Thank you! “Those who have ears – let them hear” 💙💛

  58. @taraskucher6782

    February 24, 2024 at 7:47 pm

    Wow!
    Amazing speech.
    Thank you!
    Слава Україні 🇺🇦

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