No place in Europe has been more at the center of the confrontation between western liberal democracy and Russian totalitarianism than what is now known as the Czech Republic. And today, with nearby neighbor Ukraine engulfed in a deadly war with Russia fighting to keep its sovereignty as a free nation, this confrontation is front and center in the minds of the Czech people. In this two-episode CITIZENARTS podcast, we provide their insights about the up and down history of the Czechs as a democratic people; tormented experience as subjects in a Soviet puppet state; and views about Russia’s war in Ukraine and the role of NATO.Joining us for this discussion are knowledgeable, accomplished, and thoughtful Czechs, some of whom lived through the Soviet Union’s oppression, others who have known only freedom, and all of whom live with the echoing threats and aggression toward their country in the actions of Russia today.