The Three Things--the plight of Navalny... and more (episode 4, week of Aug. 15, 2023)

Welcome back to The Three Things with Preston Smith, which covers politics, current affairs, crime, spy/intrigue and all things in between in Central Europe. Each section of the Three Things runs approximately 15-20 minutes, and we have provided markers to help you get where you need to go. This week’s topics include: The first thing: Alexei Navalny--the imprisoned opposition leader received an additional 19 years on Aug. 4, yet still he stands defiant. In this segment we take a hard look at his past controversies and current plight as a political prisoner. The second thing: an interview with Michael Houlehan, president of , an NGO doing big things in Ukraine. Houlehan spent the past seven weeks in Ukraine, and his take when it comes to Ukrainian morale and the counteroffensive is noticeably more optimistic than that of many US news teams. The third thing: the Ukrainian war update. The Russian offensive toward Kupiansk continues, but Ukraine has made progress in the