Episode description

With little progress being made on either side of the front line, Ukraine is also facing a challenge when it comes to the recruitment of new soldiers. A bill to increase the number of people who would be eligible to be conscripted recently stalled in the Ukrainian parliament. Victoria and Vitaly speak to Lily, who hasn’t seen her husband for nearly two years, after he volunteered to fight at the start of the war. She’s calling on the government to put a much shorter time limit on how long soldiers can serve. And Veronika Melkozerova, from Politico Ukraine, explains how many more soldiers are needed in Ukraine and what the situation is with the Russian army.

Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. It was made by Keiligh Baker. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Matt Hewitt. The series producer is Lucy Boast. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480

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