Real America’s Voice — Human Events with Jack Posobiec

Episode Title: Tales of Regime Change: Shadow Over Ukraine
Air Date: December 31, 2025
Host: Jack Posobiec
Featured Guest: Mike Benz (Foundation for Freedom Online)

Episode Overview

In this episode of Human Events, Jack Posobiec is joined by foreign policy analyst Mike Benz to deliver a sweeping analysis of the roots, mechanisms, and ongoing legacy of regime change operations in Ukraine. Titled “Tales of Regime Change: Shadow Over Ukraine,” the conversation explores the historical context leading to the 2014 Maidan revolution, U.S. and Western involvement in Ukrainian affairs, the geopolitical chessboard between the U.S., NATO, and Russia, and the resulting consequences for global stability. The discussion is framed as a challenge to mainstream narratives, with Posobiec and Benz arguing that the West’s “regime change” strategy in Ukraine backfired, fueling the current deadly conflict and deepening divisions in Europe.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Historical Context: From the Soviet Collapse to NATO Expansion

(13:30–16:28, 35:35–36:30)

• The promised "peace dividend": Posobiec recalls the optimism following the Soviet Union's fall, when the West purportedly promised partnership and peace (13:30).
• Broken Promises: He asserts that promises made to Russia about NATO not expanding eastward were not kept (“James Baker, Bush, senior Secretary of State, told Gorbachev flat out that NATO won’t move 1 inch eastward… but then Clinton came in and boom, NATO expanded.” — Posobiec, 05:35).
• NATO as an agent of globalism: Benz claims that NATO became the military arm for post-Soviet globalism, enforcing a new order on those who resisted, citing Yugoslavia and the Balkans as examples (16:30).

Notable Quote

“The idea that NATO would actually become this new sort of international force for Brussels, for this globalism… any country that didn’t want to go along with this, like the Balkans or Yugoslavia, was basically smashed under NATO force.”
— Jack Posobiec (16:30)

2. The Role of Oligarchs and Western Economic Interests

(18:11–22:05)

• George Soros and the Clintons: Benz and Posobiec discuss George Soros’ emergence as a key figure, describing him as an oligarch who “picked up the pieces” of the collapsing Soviet empire, along with Western-backed privatization efforts enriching U.S.-aligned elites and foundations (18:11–19:03).
• Economic takeover: Benz details how Soviet assets across Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, and Poland were “sold off to the George Soros Management Fund,” aided by U.S. institutions like USAID and Harvard’s HIID (19:03–21:04).

Notable Quote

“George Soros openly bragging that the Soros empire was built out of the ashes of the Soviet empire… the assets of the Soviet government… were quite literally sold off to the George Soros Management Fund.”
— Mike Benz (19:03)

3. Ukraine’s Geopolitical and Economic Significance

(22:05–24:59)

• Ukraine as a ‘crown jewel’: Benz argues Ukraine’s value lies in its natural resources ($14 trillion), status as a transit point for Russian gas, rich agriculture, and its location as Russia’s only warm-water port (22:05).
• The West’s goal: Securing Ukraine, Benz argues, is seen as key to containing Russia and projecting Western power eastward (22:05).

4. The Maidan Revolution as a “Color Revolution”

(28:30–33:00, 39:46–41:42, 41:42–45:34)

• Maidan as regime change: Benz likens the 2014 Maidan protests to the 2020 U.S. George Floyd protests, but argues that in Ukraine, they resulted in the toppling of a democratically elected government (“Imagine if that Black Lives Matter lawless mob… actually toppled the US government… That is what was done in Ukraine in 2014…” — Benz, 29:07).
• Yanukovych’s position: Viktor Yanukovych, seen as a centrist, is portrayed as the victim of great power rivalry—under pressure from both Russia and the EU (29:07–32:27).
• Bipartisan U.S. involvement: Both parties in the U.S. are said to have “invested in taking over Ukraine,” with Victoria Nuland, John McCain, Chris Murphy, and USAID all playing public roles (32:27–33:00).
• Media and NGOs as tools: The role of NGOs and Western funding for media and protest organization—which Benz calls “capacity building”—is emphasized ($5 billion in USAID funding) (33:00–36:14).

Notable Quotes

“$5 billion, which goes a very long way in the low GDP country like Ukraine towards being able to bribe people, towards being able to mobilize people to take action.”
— Mike Benz (33:00)

“They were showing the operation because they were celebrating it. But of course, if we call it out and are critical of it, they will claim that we are conspiracy theorists.”
— Jack Posobiec (36:14)

5. Intelligence Agency Involvement and the Rise of “Right Sector”

(41:42–44:07)

• Post-coup intelligence partnership: Benz describes the reconstruction of Ukraine’s intelligence services as a direct CIA/MI6 operation immediately following Yanukovych’s ouster (41:42).
• “Right Sector” and neo-Nazi factions: When asked, Benz confirms that hard-right nationalist groups—sometimes with openly neo-Nazi links—were used as shock troops in the protests, paralleling U.S. alliances with jihadi groups elsewhere (“…the U.S. government also supported factions like the Azov Battalion and hard right Right Sector in Ukraine, because they were so virulently anti-Soviet…” — Benz, 44:13).
• Use of proxies: Posobiec emphasizes the U.S. tradition of using extreme groups for short-term goals without considering long-term consequences, comparing Ukraine to Syria and Libya (45:34).

6. Media Manipulation and the “Peaceful Protest” Narrative

(47:43–50:30)

• Media psy-ops: Benz alleges 90% of Ukrainian media was funded by USAID, pushing the line that the anti-government Maidan protests were “mostly peaceful,” creating justification for Western intervention when force was used against protesters (47:43).
• Sanctions as leverage: Framing violence as “peaceful protest” allowed the U.S. to sanction Ukraine’s government for “human rights violations” if it resisted, according to Benz (47:43–50:30).
• Hostile coup framing: Both Posobiec and Benz repeatedly refer to Maidan as a “hostile coup” against a democratically-elected leader (50:30).

7. Breaking Down Modern Outcomes and Negotiations

(53:43–62:42)

• Tragedy of ongoing conflict: They note the immense human and economic cost since 2022: “over 1 million lives have been lost” and “trillions wasted” (53:52).
• The Russian perspective: Posobiec stresses the need to understand Russian security concerns and historical trauma, offering analogies to U.S. reactions if, say, Texas became a vassal to China or Mexico (56:48–60:16).
• Calls for U.S. accountability: Benz proposes that as part of any peace settlement, the U.S. should apologize for its role in the 2014 coup (“There should be a formal apology by the Trump administration to the Russians as part of this peace process for the actions undertaken by the Obama government…” — Benz, 61:43)—and dismantle regime-change infrastructure.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Posobiec on U.S. foreign policy:
  “This was bipartisan. Democrats, Republicans prolonged the slaughter. It was not inevitable… perhaps there was a way to end the bleeding and stop poking the bear.” (09:18)

• Benz on Western ‘Open Societies’:
  “There’s nothing open about the open society concept. When you dissent, look how fast the system snaps shut around you… It just means open to our control.” (22:05)

• Analogy to U.S. politics:
  “If Black Lives Matter toppled the US Government and installed, like, Letitia James… and then Florida and Texas broke away—imagine how Americans would react!” (56:48)

• Prescriptions for peace:
  “There should be a formal apology by the Trump administration… for the actions undertaken by the Obama government. That was a mistake not to be repeated.” (61:43)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Theme Framing: 03:10–05:35
• Post-Soviet Promises & NATO Expansion: 05:35–16:28
• Role of Soros and Economic Takeover: 18:11–22:05
• Ukraine’s Geopolitical Importance: 22:05–24:59
• The Maidan Revolution as a Coup: 28:30–33:00
• Bipartisan U.S. Influence, Media Manipulation: 32:27–36:14, 47:43–50:30
• Post-Coup Intelligence Control: 41:42–44:07
• Right Sector and Use of Proxies: 44:07–47:43
• Parallel to Syrian Conflict: 45:34–47:43
• Current War / Calls for Peace: 53:43–62:42

Conclusion & Takeaways

Posobiec and Benz argue that Western-sponsored regime change in Ukraine—framed as a push for freedom—resulted in instability, violence, and the risk of wider war. They draw direct lines between U.S. and European intervention, the cultivation of proxies, and the tragic escalation in Ukraine since 2014. The episode ends with a call for greater honesty and accountability from U.S. leadership and the dismantling of what they see as the infrastructure of “regime change” operations.

Further Content & References:
Mike Benz can be found on X (@MikeBenzCyber), YouTube, and Rumble for more in-depth analysis.
(62:53)

Summary composed in the language and style of Jack Posobiec and Mike Benz, prioritizing accuracy, attribution, and context for listeners unfamiliar with the episode.