Frontline fighters on the Russian threat and the prospects for peace… Victoria and James are joined by Yaryna, who’s been serving in Ukraine’s armed forces since 2020, and a recent recruit who goes by the call-sign ‘Logan’. They discuss the current situation on the battle field, whether a new mobilisation law is enough and the prospect of Ukraine failing to win this war. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and James Waterhouse. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Hanna Chornous, ...
Apr 16, 2024•29 min
On today’s Ukrainecast we’re answering your questions on our recent David Cameron interview, Kyiv’s attempts to boost its troop numbers and the continued hold-up of the US military aid package in Congress. To help do this, we’re joined by Patricia Lewis from Chatham House and BBC Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner. Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Cordelia Hemming, Miranda Slade, Elliot Ryder and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer wa...
Apr 12, 2024•26 min
Why is Russia targeting Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv? It’s suffered extensive damage from months of Russian bombardment since the full-scale invasion and Ukrainian officials have said the city might be the target of a future Russian offensive. We hear from a resident and speak to the city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov. The BBC’s Sarah Rainsford tells us what life is like in Kharkiv, and Dara Massicot from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discusses the likelihood of any future Russian ...
Apr 09, 2024•24 min
The British Foreign Secretary, Lord David Cameron, speaks exclusively to Ukrainecast. He says he has ruled out western boots on the ground in Ukraine, but acknowledged that the "war will be lost if the allies don't step up". Today’s episode is hosted by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Cordelia Hemming, Elliot Ryder, Arsenii Sokolov, and Rosie Strawbridge. The production crew was Lee Durant and Xavier Vanpevenaege. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news edito...
Apr 04, 2024•24 min
Last week the Russian Orthodox Church approved a document that branded the full-scale invasion of Ukraine a “holy war.” So what role does religion play in the Ukraine war? The BBC’s Harry Farley and Lucy Ash, the author of the upcoming book "The Baton and the Cross: Russia's church from Pagans to Putin", try to make sense of it all. We also hear from Father Andriy Zelinskyy, chief military chaplain for the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church about how he offers spiritual guidance and comfort on the ...
Apr 02, 2024•28 min
Top Russian officials have directly accused Ukraine and the West of being involved in the deadly Moscow concert hall attack, after it was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. We speak to one woman, Valentina, who lives in Russia, about how safe she feels in the country and whether she’s taking the Kremlin’s line. And two Kremlinologists, Angela Stent from Georgetown and Hanne Notte from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, discuss whether this could result in an escalation i...
Mar 26, 2024•26 min
A wave of Russian strikes have hammered Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving at least five dead. We speak to Kharkiv resident Nataliya, who joins us from a special bunker in the city, where officials say 700 000 were left with no electricity. Also, we hear from one eyewitness who lives next door to one of the targets - Ukraine's largest dam, the DniproHES, which was hit eight times according to Ukrainian officials And we get the latest from the BBC’s Sarah Rainsford in Kyiv where officials a...
Mar 22, 2024•21 min
There’s been a spike in drone attacks by both Ukraine and Russia. Ukrainians have recently targeted Russian oil refineries, while Russians have used drones to target the port of Odesa. So could drones change the course of the war? Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse and drone expert Samuel Bendett unpick the strategies and technologies behind drone warfare. And we hear from drone operator Ruda, a mother-of-two, who trains Ukrainians how to pilot drones. Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Do...
Mar 19, 2024•28 min
President Putin has claimed a landslide victory in an election that featured no genuine competition. The last day of voting was marked by silent protests at polling stations. But how does his expected victory matter? And what might securing a fifth term mean for the war in Ukraine? Lyse and Vitaly are joined by the BBC’s Russia editor Steve Rosenberg. Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Doucet and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producer was Arsenii Sokolov. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The...
Mar 18, 2024•22 min
Russia’s elections have kicked off and bizarre scenes have already begun to unfold at polling stations across the country - including live pop performances, free pancakes, a bride and groom and a life-sized cardboard cut-out of Tucker Carlson. President Putin is considered very likely to win, despite having already served four terms - the ex-KGB spy, 71, is already Russia’s longest-serving leader since Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Valerie Hopkins, international correspondent for The New York Tim...
Mar 15, 2024•23 min
How seriously should we take Putin’s nuclear weapons threats? During his last address to the nation, the Russian president reiterated his threat of nuclear action against the West - so how worried should we be? Dr Patricia Lewis, a nuclear physicist and arms control expert joins Boris Bondarev, a former Russian diplomat who quit following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, to give their take. And why has the Pope caused uproar in Ukraine? Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and ...
Mar 12, 2024•26 min
With one week to go until Russia’s presidential elections, former Trump adviser and foreign affairs specialist Fiona Hill tells Ukrainecast why Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is also about the future security of Europe. She also gives her take on the implications of another potential Trump White House. And, how she ate dinner with Vladimir Putin, served by the late Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers wer...
Mar 08, 2024•33 min
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has been subject to thousands of sanctions from the West - but despite this, Russia’s economy is thriving. So how is the world’s most sanctioned country getting around them? And what does this tell us about how effective sanctions are? Nataliia Shapoval, Vice President for Policy Research at Kyiv School of Economics and the BBC’s economics editor, Faisal Islam, unpack whether sanctions against Russia are having the desired impact. Also...
Mar 05, 2024•27 min
There were unprecedented scenes at Alexei Navalny’s funeral in Moscow on Friday, as thousands turned out to pay their respects to the dead opposition leader. But will there be consequences? And can people meaningfully protest in modern-day Russia? We hear from one woman who’s previously been arrested for protesting against the war and why she won’t stop. And Dan Storyev from the monitoring group OVD-info English discusses the challenges facing what’s left of democracy in Russia. Today’s episode ...
Mar 01, 2024•26 min
How significant are Russia’s recent gains on the battlefront? Karolina Hird, from the Institute for the Study of War, explains the current situation on the “dynamic” front-line, what a good year would look like for Ukraine and why the fall of Avdiivka isn’t as strategically important for Russia as it may seem. And we hear from one Ukrainian soldier on why he decided to sign up to fight just six months ago. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers w...
Feb 27, 2024•25 min
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its third year. This is today's episode from The Global Story, and we thought you might want to listen to it. A surgeon in a wheelchair, an indomitable grandmother, and a man taking care of eight cats in a bombed-out flat: just some of people the BBC’s Andrew Harding has met on repeat trips to Ukraine’s front lines. He and the BBC’s Olga Robinson, who has family in Russia and Ukraine, talk to Katya Adler about the power of individual stories, two ye...
Feb 25, 2024•28 min
Today marks exactly two years since Russia launched it’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In this episode, Victoria and Vitaly are joined by Serhiy, a Ukrainian soldier who experienced catastrophic injuries when his vehicle was blown up by an anti-tank landmine in November 2022. Along with his wife Valeriia, he reflects on the reality of life after the front-line - and his big plans to make Ukraine a more disability-friendly country for injured veterans like himself once the war is over. Today’s ...
Feb 24, 2024•14 min
Saturday marks exactly two years of this conflict. On today’s special episode, recorded in collaboration with the Global News Podcast, BBC experts from across the world answer YOUR questions on the war. Today’s episode is presented by Oliver Conway and Vitaly Shevchenko, with the BBC’s chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, in Kyiv, Russia editor Steve Rosenberg in Moscow and BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson. It was made in collaboration with the Global News Podcast team. The producers were K...
Feb 23, 2024•30 min
In today’s Ukrainecast, the latest in our week of daily episodes to mark two years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Vitaly speaks to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the UN. They discuss what America can realistically do to help bring the war to an end, if - and when - the $60bn of promised aid will actually get to Ukraine and what a Donald Trump presidency could mean for Ukraine. Today’s episode is presented by Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, I...
Feb 22, 2024•15 min
For this special episode, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, tells us what it was like sitting at the UN table as news of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine broke. He also talks to Victoria and Vitaly about how much power the UN has, whether it can stop the war and if accusations that it’s just a ‘talking shop’ hold any weight. They also look to the future and how peace might be achieved. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. Th...
Feb 21, 2024•19 min
Russia's election commission has disqualified anti-war challenger Boris Nadezhdin from standing as a candidate in next month's presidential vote. He joins Victoria and Vitaly to discuss why he was barred, why he won’t stop campaigning for peace and his vow to follow in the footsteps of fierce Putin critic Alexei Navalny following his death. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. It was made by Keiligh Baker. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Ivana Davidov...
Feb 20, 2024•21 min
Last November we were joined in the studio by Ukrainian journalist and writer, Mstyslav Chernov, who made the film '20 Days in Mariupol’. It’s just won the Oscar for Best Documentary feature, so we thought it would be a good opportunity to remind you of the episode. He described what it was like to shoot the documentary from inside Mariupol, and chronicles the Russian invasion of the Ukrainian port city in 2022. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The techn...
Feb 19, 2024•20 min
Putin’s main rival, opposition politician Alexei Navalny, is dead according to the Russian prison service. An outspoken critic of the Russian leader, Navalny, 47, was serving a 19-year sentence in a Siberian jail when his death was announced on Friday morning. BBC correspondent Sarah Rainsford, who was herself expelled from Russia, explains what we know so far - and if the Kremlin could face any consequences. And Georgian-Russian writer Boris Akunin, a long-standing critic of Putin and personal ...
Feb 16, 2024•20 min
Sashko and his mum were separated after being captured by Russian soldiers in Mariupol. Now 13, Sashko hasn’t seen or heard from his mother for almost two years. Along with his grandmother, he tells Victoria and Irena their story and how they’ve not given up on their search for her. And are Nato members pulling their weight when it comes to defence spending? Donald Trump claims he’d encourage hostile states to attack Nato countries who he says aren’t paying enough. Victoria and Irena discuss thi...
Feb 13, 2024•25 min
In his first interview with a Western reporter since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Russian president Vladimir Putin sat down with former Fox News host-turned-online commentator Tucker Carlson. Over the course of a two-hour long, sometimes rambling, interview, Putin gave a 30-minute history lesson and said that ending the war is “simple” - the West just needs to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine. BBC’s Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg and Professor Angela Stent, an expert specialising in...
Feb 09, 2024•25 min
Ten years ago this month Crimea was occupied and then annexed by Russia. We find out what it’s like to live there now. We also speak to journalist, film-maker and Russia specialist, Nick Sturdee. He’s interviewed families who have relatives currently being held prisoner in Crimea. Victoria and Vitaly also chat to Maria Tomak, head of the Crimea Platform, which is based in Ukraine and tries to raise awareness of the situation in Crimea. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vita...
Feb 06, 2024•27 min
As Ukraine’s much discussed mobilisation bill returns to parliament, we catch up with friend of the podcast and student Vitalii Pashchenko, to find out how he and his friends feel about the conscription age being lowered from 27 to 25. He tells us about life in Kyiv, and why his family have decided to return to Ukraine after fleeing to Poland at the start of the war. Vitaly also speaks to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, Andriy Kostin, and his UK counterpart, Victoria Prentis. They reveal how Ukrai...
Feb 02, 2024•30 min
The latest series of the award-winning BBC documentary Putin vs The West delves into the first year of the war through the eyes of some of its key figures - including President Zelensky, then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Director Tim Stirzaker explains the challenges of documenting a war when it’s very much on-going, and how the team managed to get the Russian ambassador to the UN to speak candidly on camera. A...
Jan 30, 2024•26 min
After the downing of the Russian plane on Wednesday, Vitaly speaks to Petro Yatsenko, the Ukrainian spokesman for the coordination for the treatment of prisoners of war. Victoria and Vitaly also discuss the successes of his team’s ‘I want to live’ hotline that helps Russian soldiers defect. And they’re joined by author and Time correspondent, Simon Shuster, to talk about his new book ‘The Showman’. It follows President Zelensky and his team in the lead up to the full scale invasion of Ukraine in...
Jan 26, 2024•33 min
A Russian plane has been shot down near the Russian-Ukraine border. Russia claims it was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war, who were on their way to a prisoner swap. Ukraine claims it wasn’t told to secure airspace around Belgorod for the transportation of PoWs, as has happened in previous prisoner swaps. Earlier, Ukraine had claimed the plane had been carrying Russian weapons. So, who is to blame and what was on the plane? Victoria and Vitaly are joined by Olga Robinson of BBC Verify to discu...
Jan 24, 2024•17 min
