S8 Ep436: Michael Vlahos as Germanicus argues the Russo-Ukrainian war has transcended material goals to become a mythic struggle like the Iliad, with Ukraine cast as Troy creating heroic sacrifice narratives while Russia achieves false transcendence through a phoen
S8 Ep436: Michael Vlahos as Germanicus argues the Russo-Ukrainian war has transcended material goals to become a mythic struggle like the Iliad, with Ukraine cast as Troy creating heroic sacrifice narratives while Russia achieves false transcendence through a phoen  
Podcast: The John Batchelor Show
Published On: Mon Feb 09 2026
Description: Michael Vlahos as Germanicus argues the Russo-Ukrainian war has transcended material goals to become a mythic struggle like the Iliad, with Ukraine cast as Troy creating heroic sacrifice narratives while Russia achieves false transcendence through a phoenix-like resurrection story, as the United States fails to grasp the existential dimensions that transformed both societies.1940