DW Russian debuts vodcast highlighting women's stories
The vodcast, co-hosted by DW journalists Natalia Smolentceva and Kseniya Safronova, addresses central questions amid current pressures on women's rights in Russia. Designed for Russian-speaking women aged 25 to 40, the show features insightful discussions with female leaders and experts. By comparing their experiences in Russia and Germany, the vodcast explores how cultural, social and political contexts shape women’s lives and opportunities.
Each 44-minute episode centers on a theme and a personal story, followed by expert analysis. Notable guests include German politician of Russian origin Anastasia Vishnevskaya-Mann, Russian political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann, and feminist activist and journalist Zalina Marshenkulova, among others.
Topics range from navigating successful careers and parental leave policies in Germany to sex education in German schools and parents’ opinions on it, and their intersection with feminism. Listener questions are also featured and discussed on the show.
Christian F. Trippe, DW Director of Programs for Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe, says: "Frau, vui kuda? fills a significant gap in our programming. The vodcast introduces a truly new journalistic format to our Russian-speaking audience. I am particularly pleased with how the hosts succeed in presenting complex, and sometimes difficult, topics in a conversational tone – always serious, but never overly grave."
Discussing their motivation behind the vodcast, co-hosts Natalia and Kseniya explain: "We both moved from Russia to Germany nearly ten years ago. Comparing the ways women live and behave here made us reflect on gender roles and equality - from questions like who pays on a date to women's access to politics. We made this podcast to share our reflections and invite others to this conversation. Our aim is to both entertain and empower - especially our audience in Russia, where women's rights are under pressure nowadays."
Episodes will be released once a month, starting July 15, with the second episode airing on August 1. The vodcast is available via DW Russian YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Short videos will also be posted on DW Russian Instagram account DW Новости.
Watch Episode 1: 'Women and Politics: Who might become the first female president of Russia? And what about Germany?'with German politician Anastasia Vishnevskava-Mann, gender studies expert Natalia Baranova, and Russian political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann.