Hromadske’s Sunday Show Returns With A New Season (And, Yes, Saakashvili)

After a short summer break, Hromadske International’s weekly Sunday Show returns today with a new season of live broadcasts. Tune in at 9 p.m Kyiv time for the latest news and analysis from Ukraine and the broader Eastern European region — including former Georgian President and former Odesa Region Governor Mikheil Saakashvili’s return to Ukraine.

And tune in next week and the week after that. The point is: Hromadske’s Sunday Show is back and we’re ready to rumble.

✅ Saakashvili Returns: Will They Let Him In?

In July, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stripped Mikheil Saakashvili of Ukrainian citizenship while he was visiting the United States. This left the former Georgian president and governor of Ukraine’s Odesa regionformally stateless — he had previously renounced his Georgian passport — and unable to come back to Ukraine. But Saakashvili vowed to return. On September 10, he attempted to cross the Polish border into Ukraine. Here’s what happened.

Sebastian Gober
RFI correspondent in Ukraine

✅ Where Does Ukraine’s NATO Path Lead?

Earlier this week, during his annual address before the Ukrainian parliament, President Petro Poroshenko said Ukraine’s goal is eventually joining the European Union and NATO. Is Ukraine truly on this path? And how likely is the country to achieve this goal?

Vadym Prystaiko
First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

✅ Honey Trap: How Russia Lured A Ukrainian Teen To Prison

He thought he was going to meet a girl he had long been chatting with online. Instead, 19-year-old Pavlo Gryb disappeared. This week, he resurfaced in a Russian security services detention center, facing terrorism charges. Watch Hromadske’s exclusive interview with Pavlo’s father, Ihor Gryb, about the search for his son and the possible reasons for his disappearance.

Ihor Gryb
Father of disppear Ukrainian Pavlo Gryb

✅ Back To Work: What To Expect From Parliament This Season

Ukraine’s MPs have returned to parliament. Earlier this week, President Petro Poroshenko gave his annual address before the legislature. What’s on the agenda this political “season?” And what can Ukrainians expect?

Olena Shkarpova
Editor and project leader at VoxCheck

Prof. Olexiy Haran, Kyiv Mohyla Academy
Research Director, Democratic Initiatives Foundation

✅ How To Spot A Propaganda Bot on Twitter

Automated social media accounts — also known as “bots” — are playing an increasingly significant role in politics. Such bots have been used to amplify fringe political views online and even influence election outcomes. Ben Nimmo, an Atlantic Council fellow and researcher on disinformation, recently faced a wave of online harassment by Twitter bots. He explains to Hromadske what he learned from the encounter and provides simple advice for identifying propaganda bots.

Ben Nimmo
Atlantic Council Information Defense Fellow