Kyiv brawl: Ukraine’s top general fired

About this episode

<p>Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has fired the <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/07/20/ukraines-top-general-could-be-on-the-way-out?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">commander-in-chief</a> of the armed forces, Oleksandr Syrsky. That follows days of protests at his sacking of the defence minister. Our correspondent analyses the fallout. America’s murder rate is falling, so why are <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/06/21/american-police-killings-are-rising-even-as-murder-rates-fall?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cops killing</a> more people? And a shift in the <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/07/14/haunted-houses-are-in-demand-in-japan?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Japanese taboo</a> on living in homes where people have died.</p><br><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>Shashank Joshi, defence editor</li><li>Daniel Knowles, US Midwest correspondent</li><li>Moeka Iida, East Asia reporter</li><li>Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered: </p><ul><li>Fedorov, Syrsky, Zelensky, Ukraine</li><li>Police killings, gun crime, murder</li><li>Japan, haunted houses, jiko bukken</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—<a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">subscribe to <em>The Economist</em></a>.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>