Russia has crushed open defiance in occupied Ukraine. Scholar Jade McGlynn explains how the resistance went underground to survive.

As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, resistance to Russian occupation has undergone a radical transformation. The public displays of defiance that defined the war’s early days — with civilians blocking tanks and holding street protests — have long been crushed by the Kremlin’s ruthless occupation regime. By blending systematic brutality, bureaucracy, and pervasive surveillance, Russia has sought to extinguish dissent and erase Ukrainian identity in occupied regions. But this has only forced the resistance deeper underground.

In this episode of The Naked Pravda, deputy editor Eilish Hart sits down with Dr. Jade McGlynn, the head of the Ukraine and Russia program at the Center for Statecraft and National Security at King’s College London, to discuss this shift. Drawing on her extensive field research and recent report for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Dr. McGlynn analyzes how resistance efforts have adapted to survive life behind the front lines.

Time stamps for this episode:

• (2:36) Early resistance and public defiance in occupied Ukraine
• (10:43) Organized resistance and intelligence
• (14:23) Differences across Ukraine’s occupied territories
• (24:20) The challenges of researching Ukrainian resistance
• (30:08) Diplomatic efforts and perceptions in Ukraine

Catch new episodes of The Naked Pravda by subscribing through Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or Spotify. If you have a question or comment about the podcast, please write to Kevin Rothrock at [email protected] with the subject line: “The Naked Pravda.”