Russia plays down hopes of a breakthrough... Victoria, Vitaly and the BBC’s Diplomatic Correspondent, James Landale, talk through the latest in Ukraine. Julia Friedlander, Senior Fellow and Director of Economic Statecraft at the Atlantic Council, talks about the dangers of imposing tougher economic sanctions on Russia. And we catch up with 19-year-old student, Vitalii, about life in Lutsk, the city where thousands of Ukrainian refugees are waiting to see what will happen next. This episode of Uk...
Mar 30, 2022•30 min
Russia has promised to reduce attacks around Ukraine’s capital at face-to-face talks in Turkey. Victoria, Vitaly and Newsnight’s Lewis Goodall ask if that’s a hopeful sign or just empty words. After reports about the poisoning of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian peace negotiators, we speak to Max Colchester, one of the journalists who uncovered the news, and former Soviet intelligence officer, Dr Boris Volodarsky, a spy expert who himself was poisoned in 2005. And we get an updat...
Mar 29, 2022•29 min
Hussain, who we’ve been following since the start of the war in Ukraine, tells us how he finally managed to get his family out of a Russian-controlled area to freedom. The Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian peace negotiators have had symptoms of suspected poisoning, according to people close to them. Also, Victoria, Vitaly and Frank Gardner talk to a Ukrainian pilot who flies MiG-29 fighter jets and goes by the name Moonfish. Today’s Ukrainecast was made by Alison Gee, Phil ...
Mar 28, 2022•36 min
As Ukraine recaptures some of its towns, Victoria, Vitaly and Gabriel give an on-the-ground update and explain why Vladimir Putin has been talking about JK Rowling. Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun speaks to us from Kyiv to discuss the first official investigation into rape allegations of a Ukrainian woman by a Russian soldier. And Unicef spokesperson James Elder joins us from Lviv where air raid sirens continue to signal the horrors facing Ukrainian children. But first... we have some good news from Hu...
Mar 25, 2022•34 min
One month since war broke out... Victoria, Gabriel and Vitaly reflect on the first weeks of a devastating conflict they never expected to happen. We explore where the war might go and how long for. We also look back over the past month with the voices of some of the people affected who have given us their testimony, including updates about Vitaly’s own family. And the BBC’s specialist disinformation reporter, Marianna Spring, tells us how online propaganda was used to try and justify Russia’s bo...
Mar 24, 2022•34 min
We answer more of your questions about Ukraine... Nearly a month since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are collaborating with the Global News Podcast again. Jackie Leonard (from the GNP), alongside Gabriel Gatehouse and Vitaliy Shevchenko (from UC), guide us through questions about civilian life in the country, military tactics, and the international response to the invasion. BBC Chief International correspondent, Lyse Doucet, joins us from Kyiv to talk through what’s happening on the ground...
Mar 23, 2022•34 min
Even as Russia’s advance into Ukraine leaves cities in ruins, many Ukrainians feel they have no choice but to fight on. We speak to Maxim, a street artist from Nova Kakhovka in the Russian-controlled region of Kherson, who’s been graffitiing enemy tanks. After President Biden warned that Russia has the capability to launch cyber attacks in response to sanctions, the Oxford Internet Institute’s Mariarosaria Taddeo joins Gabriel, Vitaly and Victoria to explain why the digital risk goes beyond Ukra...
Mar 22, 2022•31 min
As hundreds of thousands of civilians flee Mariupol as it lies in ruins, the world looks on in shock as the Russian advance into Ukraine continues. We hear from Roman Kruglyakov, a resident of Mariupol who fled to a nearby village at the beginning of the war. He tells us how he’s been travelling to and from the city in his car to get family members and whoever he can out of the city, detailing the horrific conditions that those left behind have to live with. As president Zelensky makes a speech ...
Mar 21, 2022•33 min
Eight years after Crimea was annexed, Vladimir Putin has given a speech to a packed stadium in Moscow, praising Russia’s soldiers in Ukraine. Victoria, Gabriel and Vitaly speak to the BBC Ukrainian Service’s Anastasia Gribanova. War has caused the breakdown of her relationship with her pro-Russian parents in eastern Ukraine and with her cousin who’s fighting for the other side. She's in Lviv, which was targeted for the first time today and is also where Vitaly’s mum and aunt have just arrived. A...
Mar 18, 2022•35 min
Ukraine has accused Russian forces of bombing a theatre filled with sheltering civilians in the city of Mariupol. Gabriel and Vitaly speak to Dmytro Gurin, a Ukrainian MP from Mariupol, to find out what happened. They’re also joined by Bridget Kendall, former BBC Moscow correspondent and diplomatic correspondent, to understand how we got to the point where Joe Biden is calling Vladimir Putin a war criminal. And we get an update on Vitaliy’s mum, who we last heard was attempting to leave his home...
Mar 17, 2022•35 min
Shortly after Ukraine’s president’s historic address to the US Congress, Gabriel And Victoria talk to Nina Khruscheva, Professor of International Affairs at the New School in New York – and the granddaughter of former Soviet ruler Nikita Khrushchev - for her insight into Russia’s exit strategy. 20,000 people have been evacuated from the city of Mariupol, which has been under siege for the last two weeks. Residents are without water, food, and electricity, and the authorities claim there have bee...
Mar 16, 2022•38 min
More Russian strikes have hit residential buildings in Kyiv. As tower blocks burn, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has announced a 35-hour curfew, warning of “a difficult and dangerous moment”. Victoria, Gabriel and Vitaly get the latest on the ground and hear from surgeon Dr Andrey Vysotskyi, who has hardly stopped working since we last spoke to him. Meanwhile, with a Russian journalist facing a fine for interrupting a live TV news bulletin to protest against the war, the BBC Russian Service’s Liza Fokh...
Mar 15, 2022•38 min
A new attack at the border of Poland sparks fears of further escalation by Russian forces, as Vitaly updates us on what’s happened over the weekend. Meanwhile, footage from Mariupol shows the effects of being under siege for the past ten days, with Ukrainian authorities claiming over 2,500 deaths in the city. As many flee, the remaining residents are unable to be contacted due to regular power outages. Victoria speaks to a Ukrainian MP who grew up in Mariupol, and whose parents are still in the ...
Mar 14, 2022•31 min
The BBC’s Fergal Keane presents today’s episode of Ukrainecast from Lviv in western Ukraine – thousands of refugees are flowing through the city as they try to leave the country. He’s joined by the BBC's Abdujalil Abdurasulov, who’s in Kyiv as Russian forces continue to slowly advance, and Kevin Connolly, former Moscow BBC correspondent. They discuss Russia’s strategy to take Kyiv and who Putin’s allies are. The Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who’s living in exile, also explai...
Mar 12, 2022•34 min
"There's no safe place in Ukraine anymore." Ukraine’s western cities of Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk have been hit. There are scenes of destruction too in Dnipro, a strategic centre, as Russian forces widen their attacks across the country. Military expert Justin Bronk talks Victoria, Gabriel and Vitaly through Russia’s progress. We also hear from a 19-year-old student in Lutsk who thought he was safe after fleeing the capital but overnight was woken up for the first time by the sound of war. This ...
Mar 11, 2022•37 min
Fact vs. propaganda... Vic, Gabriel and Vitaliy discuss the peace talks in Turkey, the aftermath of the bombing in Mariupol, and why every bit of info coming out of the conflict needs to be treated with scepticism. The White House have expressed concerns that Russia might use chemical weapons to speed up the invasion of Ukraine. But where does their intelligence come from? Chemical weapons expert, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, weighs up the evidence... And we catch up with Anna, who made it out of K...
Mar 10, 2022•36 min
A maternity ward and children’s ward at a hospital in Mariupol have been destroyed in a Russian air strike, according to officials there. At the moment we don’t know how many people have died. Russia editor at BBC Monitoring Vitaly Shevchenko and Abdujalil Abdurasulov, who’s a video journalist with the BBC in Kyiv, join Victoria and Gabriel to discuss which cities are being targeted. Also, BBC World News’ Kasia Madera tell us some of the personal stories she’s been hearing from people fleeing Uk...
Mar 09, 2022•40 min
We link up with the BBC World Service... On the 13th day of the Russian invasion into Ukraine we collaborate with the Global News Podcast to answer your questions. Jackie Leonard (from the GNP), alongside Gabriel Gatehouse and Vitaliy Shevchenko (from UC), guide us through questions about the historical context of the war, the nuclear threat, and the information war. BBC Chief International correspondent, Lyse Doucet, joins us from Kyiv, to explain what could happen if Ukraine doesn't manage to ...
Mar 08, 2022•38 min
In the north of Ukraine, a convoy of Russian vehicles appears to be stalling as it attempts to advance on the capital Kyiv. Russian military expert at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies Dr Katarzyna Zysk tells Victoria and Gabriel why that may be and how it is impacting Russia’s strategy. Last Thursday, we spoke to Hussein, a Pakistani man who lives in Kherson in the south with his wife and three-year-old daughter. He tells us how the occupation of the city is affecting local people as ...
Mar 07, 2022•39 min
Victoria catches up with Fergal Keane, who is in Lviv in the West of Ukraine, where thousands of refugees are at the station trying to get out of the country. Despite a planned ceasefire in two southern cities, Fergal explains why evacuations had to be halted because of continued Russian shelling. They are joined by Kevin Connolly, former BBC correspondent in Moscow and Patricia Lewis, Director of the International Security programme at Chatham House. Together they discuss comparisons with the C...
Mar 05, 2022•29 min
Europe’s biggest nuclear powerplant is hit by shelling, but a nuclear disaster is avoided. We hear from BBC Monitoring’s Vitaly Shevchenko, whose mother’s balcony in Zaporizhzhia looks out on the facility. Meanwhile in Kyiv, after a difficult night of air strikes, Max sends us a voice memo about his plans to leave the capital with his family. Also, Victoria speaks to Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet, who is reminded of the destruction she saw in Allepo. And BBC international corresp...
Mar 04, 2022•29 min
Russian forces have taken control of the key port city of Kherson. And at another port, Mariupol, people are now trapped by intense bombardments. Victoria speaks to a Kherson resident about what it’s like suddenly living under Russian rule. Jonah Fisher, who until recently was the BBC’s Kyiv correspondent, charts the rise of Volodymyr Zelensky from Paddington Bear actor to wartime president, and we hear from his former spokeswoman, Julia Mendel. And what’s the mood like in Moscow? Liza Fokht fro...
Mar 03, 2022•35 min
Ukraine’s key cities of Kherson, Kharkiv and Mariupol have come under intense attack. Victoria and Vitaly speak to a young woman in Kharkiv, Anna, who’s afraid her home could be bombed. Journalist and author Gavin Esler says some anti-war critics in Russia have been arrested, and explains which other countries are worried about being targeted. Today’s Ukrainecast was made by Phil Marzouk and Natalie Ktena. The technical producer is Emma Crowe. The assistant editor is Alison Gee. The editor is Jo...
Mar 02, 2022•29 min
As violence looks set to escalate in Kyiv, Victoria, Gabriel and Vitaliy talk through how the conflict is unfolding across Ukraine. Dr Andrey Vysotskyi from Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv describes how two children were brought in with injuries today sustained in an air strike which killed their mum, while children with cancer are being cared for in the basement. Newsnight’s diplomatic editor Mark Urban joins us to explain what the convoy approaching Kyiv tells us about Putin's latest mil...
Mar 01, 2022•48 min
As fighting continues in Ukraine, Victoria Derbyshire and Gabriel Gatehouse look at how the crisis is being reflected in Russia. They’re joined by Angus Roxburgh, who spent three years as a consultant to the Kremlin, to discuss whether the people closest to Putin will stay loyal to him though this conflict. And the BBC’s Liza Fokht in Moscow has been asking Russians what they think about the invasion. Back in Ukraine, we catch up with Max, whose son and wife were injured when a missile hit their...
Feb 28, 2022•44 min
Putin moves Russia's nuclear forces to "special alert”, in response to what he described as “aggression” from Nato countries. Meanwhile as fighting continues in the streets across Ukraine’s biggest cities, President Zelensky says his delegation will meet with Russia at the Belarus border for talks. Is President Putin using his nuclear arsenal as a conflict deterrent or as a threat to the West? Victoria and Gabriel are joined by the director of the International Security Programme at Chatham Hous...
Feb 27, 2022•39 min
Ukrainians, from Kyiv to the UK, answer calls to defend their country. The capital has come under attack, but the residents and their president remain defiant, and Russian forces have so far failed to break through their resistance. Maxim Karaush was at home with family when their apartment building in Kyiv was hit by a missile. He tells Victoria and Gabriel why, after his wife and son were injured and his home destroyed, he asked to speak to us. We aim to explain a fast-moving conflict and answ...
Feb 26, 2022•36 min
Ukraine government gives out guns as Russian forces approach... Victoria, Gabriel and Vitaliy talk through how the conflict has unfolded. Olga Malchevska, from the BBC Ukrainian Service in London, tells of how her family home was targeted, and Newsnight’s diplomatic editor Mark Urban joins us to explain what's going on with Putin's military strategy. Today's Ukrainecast was produced by Estelle Doyle, Natalie Ktena, Tim Walklate, Phil Marzouk, Sally Abrahams and Molly Lynch. Emma Crowe was the te...
Feb 25, 2022•34 min
... and Ukraine vows to fight back. Victoria Derbyshire and Gabriel Gatehouse reflect on this historic day... How did we get here? How did it all happen? And where could it be going? We also speak to Vitaliy Shevchenko, the Russia editor at BBC Monitoring, and Askold Krushelnycky, a journalist in Ukraine. Today's Ukrainecast was produced by Danny Wittenberg and Natalie Ktena. Emma Crowe was the technical producer. Sam Bonham was the assistant editor and Jonathan Aspinwall was the editor....
Feb 24, 2022•37 min
