Russian forces withdraw from key eastern towns. Ukrainian officials say troops have entered Kupiansk, a vital eastern supply hub for Russian forces. In an extra episode of Ukrainecast, Vitaly and Victoria discuss the significance of the Ukrainian gains and analyse the Russian reaction. The Ukrainian advances - if held - would be the most significant since Russia withdrew from areas around Kyiv in April. Ukrainecast was made by Sam Bonham. The Senior News Editor is Jonathan Aspinwall....
Sep 10, 2022•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Zelensky sends a message of condolence to Britain's Royal Family. Ukraine has been celebrating "good news" about the recapture of several settlements from Russia in the eastern Kharkiv region and gains of more than 1,000 square km of territory in the last week, that’s according to the President. Victoria and the BBC's Katya Khinkulova speak to Justin Bronk, Senior Research Fellow and editor at the defence and security think tank RUSI about Ukraine’s counter-offensive. And as EU leaders...
Sep 09, 2022•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Journalist Konstantin Ryzhenko lived through months of fear and terror in Russian-occupied Kherson. He escaped two weeks ago and tells Vitaliy about what life is like in the city, and the role he played in providing intelligence to the Ukrainian military and resistance fighters. Also, Victoria talks to Russian oligarch and Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky – he explains why he believes force is the only thing that the Russian president understands. The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The produ...
Sep 07, 2022•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vitaliy and Lucy Hockings talk to Gogol Bordello’s frontman Eugene Hütz about the band’s recent secret gig for Ukrainian soldiers. Frank Gardner brings us up to date on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant inspection and the offensive in Kherson. And Irpin resident Oleksandr describes what it is like to have your home bombed then occupied by Russian forces, and how he’s going about rebuilding. The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Clare Williamson and Arsenii Sokolov. The technical p...
Sep 05, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump, some top secret documents and the FBI. Welcome to episode one of the new-look Americast (we thought, as listeners of Ukrainecast, you might enjoy Americast). Classified documents stored at former President's Florida home were likely concealed as part of an effort to obstruct an FBI investigation, says the US Department of Justice officials. Justin, Sarah and the Zurch chat to former FBI special agent Asha Rangappa, about how attempts to retrieve the documents went down and what cou...
Sep 03, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast The boss of Lukoil, a Russian oil company, died on Thursday, the latest in a string of deaths of key Russian business people. Vitaly and Victoria unpick the rumours with Russian expert and author Mark Galeotti. We get the latest on the inspection of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant with James Waterhouse. And Maria Korenyuk has been investigating the re-writing of history books for schools in Russian occupied areas of Ukraine. The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Clare Williamson...
Sep 02, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast He contributed to Ukraine's independence. So why do they not remember him more fondly? Victoria and Vitaliy reflect on the Gorbachev years, the demise of the Soviet Union and what he thought about Ukrainian independence with former BBC Moscow correspondent, Bridget Kendall. Justin Bronk a defence analyst from RUSI brings us up to speed with the Ukrainian offensive in Kherson. And we discuss the return to school for Ukrainian children with James Elder who is a spokesperson for UNICEF currently ba...
Aug 31, 2022•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russian investigative journalist Ekaterina Fomina speaks to the team about her headline-making interviews with Russian soldiers, one of which admitted committing a war crime. Vitaly, James, and Victoria also talk about how disaster was avoided despite the electricity needed to cool reactors at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant being cut. And, as the football season in Ukraine starts again, we speak to a player who would be playing for FC Mariupol, if not for the war. The series producer is Estell...
Aug 26, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast We mark the anniversary of Russia's war in Ukraine and follow the stories of Max, Anna, Hussain, Maksym and Viktoria, none of whom will ever be the same again. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Chris Fynn, Philip Marzouk, Arsenii Sokolov and Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer and sound designer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham.
Aug 24, 2022•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russia has opened a murder investigation after a journalist, Darya Dugina, died in a suspected car bombing not far from Moscow. Was she the target? Or was it her father, the ultra-nationalist philosopher Alexander Dugin? Victoria, Vitaly and Gabriel Gatehouse, who interviewed Alexander after the annexation of Crimea, profile the man said to be one of Putin’s inspirations. They also talk about who might be behind the murder and what consequences there might be in Ukraine, where Independence Day c...
Aug 22, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ukrainian wife desperate for news. Natalia wants to know where her husband, a civilian mechanic, is being held prisoner in Russia. He was captured in March and the Red Cross confirm that he's in a Russian jail but hasn't heard anything since; she tells Victoria and Vitaly about how she is coping. We get an update about the nuclear standoff in Zaporizhzhia and we hear from BBC video journalist, Abdujalil Abdurasulov, about the use of drones in military strikes on Ukraine’s southern front line. To...
Aug 19, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast What is it like living under Russian rule? We hear from Hannah (not her real name) in Crimea. She tells us how she’s coping living through the recent explosions. And acclaimed Ukrainian author, Andriy Kurkov, explains how art has helped him process the conflict in Ukraine. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Phil Marzouk with Ivana Davidovic and Arsenii Sokolov. The planning producer was Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham. Email Ukraine...
Aug 17, 2022•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast From performing with Ed Sheeran to becoming an army paramedic. We hear from Taras Topolia, lead singer in the Ukrainian band Antytila, about his transformation from frontman to physician. BBC Russian’s Liza Fokht discusses what her sources in the Kremlin are saying about what Vladimir Putin is up to at the moment. Is there any hope of the war ending at the negotiating table? And the BBC’s Kyiv correspondent, James Waterhouse, takes us onto the streets of the capital to describe the mood. This ep...
Aug 15, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia is attacked again, we hear from workers inside about what it’s like to work in such fear as soldiers hold them at gunpoint. Victoria and Vitaliy are joined by medical students who worked to save people in the bunkers of Kharkiv who are now in the UK studying at Cambridge University. The BBC’s defence correspondent Jonathan Beale details his interview with leading UK military commander Jim Hockenhull and the state of play in the war. The lawyer of detained US ...
Aug 12, 2022•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Life inside a detention centre. We hear from Anna Vorosheva, about what it was like when she was held in a Russian detention centre in Eastern Ukraine. Victoria, Vitaly and the BBC’s Ukraine correspondent, James Waterhouse, discuss the details of the explosion at a military airfield in Crimea. And the BBC’s Chloe Hadjimatheou talks through her investigation into Graham Philips, a British freelance journalist and YouTuber who has been sanctioned by the British government for promoting misinformat...
Aug 10, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Part of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been damaged by Russian rockets. Vitaly brings us up to date on his home city of Zaporizhzhia, where part of its nuclear plant has been damaged by Russian rockets, in an attack the United Nations called “suicidal”. We hear from Yeva (not her real name), who worries for the safety of her family members working on the site. And the BBC’s security correspondent, Frank Gardner, talks us through new evidence that Russia is using technology from Western...
Aug 08, 2022•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast BBC correspondent Andrew Harding describes how sleep has been near impossible in the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, which has been under almost constant Russian bombardment since the start of the war. Together with Vitaly and Irena, he also discusses a report by Amnesty International, which accuses Ukraine of endangering the lives of its own citizens by setting up military bases in residential areas, such as in schools and hospitals. We also hear from Jixian Wang, a Chinese vlogger based in Odessa,...
Aug 05, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vitaly, Frank and Irena are looking into the Wagner Group, Russia’s private army that is allegedly involved in the Ukraine war. The group has been active over the past eight years in Ukraine, Syria and several African countries, and has repeatedly been accused of war crimes. We hear from ex Wagner fighter Marat Gabidullin about his experience and why Russia is relying on a private army. And Vitaly talks to Vladimir Osechkin, a former prisoner and now a human rights activist whose organisation, G...
Aug 03, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast 16-year-old Vladislav Buryak was held captive for 90 days by Russian proxy forces. He says he was kept in solitary confinement and witnessed other prisoners being tortured during that time. Also, after months of Russian blockade, a Ukraine grain shipment is allowed to set sail. Vitaly and Irena are joined by the BBC’s Ukraine correspondent, James Waterhouse, who is at the port of Odesa where the mood is both celebratory and apprehensive. And Vitaly chats to BBC Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenbe...
Aug 01, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast YouTube, which is owned by Google, is one of the rare Western social media platforms that is not banned by Russia. Neal Mohan, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, discusses the fine line between disinformation and censorship – and explains why banning fake news channels isn’t always the best way forward. Lucy and Vitaly are joined by the BBC's disinformation reporter Marianna Spring. Together, they speak to Sergei Buntman, from the independent Russian radio station, Ekho Moskvy. The station was tak...
Jul 29, 2022•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast A special episode to hear Ukraine’s first lady talking to Ukrainecast’s Lucy Hockings. President Zelensky’s wife, Olena Zelenska, spoke about trauma, dealing with the spotlight and that Vogue cover. Vitaly and the Ukrainian Service’s Irena join Lucy to share their thoughts and impressions of the interview with Ukraine’s first lady. The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The technical producer Emma Crowe. And the editor Jonathan Aspinwall. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and commen...
Jul 28, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Long before Russia invaded Ukraine, the country was dealing with a problem: the abandoning of disabled people to institutions that weren’t fit for purpose. The BBC’s Dan Johnson and producer Ruth Clegg tell us about these institutions. In the news, Russia continues to weaponise its gas supplies as a way of wielding leverage over Western nations. Dr Aura Sabadus, energy specialist at International Commodity Intelligence Service, takes us through how this is playing out. But back in Ukraine, a 10-...
Jul 27, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russian missile strikes have hit the port of Odessa, just one day after Ukraine and Russia agreed a landmark deal to resume Ukraine's grain exports. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is on a tour of Africa to counter accusations that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has started a global food crisis. Murithi Mutiga, Programme Director for Africa at the International Crisis Group, explains where African loyalties lie and why. Also, the BBC’s security correspondent Frank Gardner tells us that ...
Jul 25, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast The deal between Ukraine and Russia should help alleviate the global food crisis. BBC Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse joins Vic and Vitaliy to discuss the deal and whether it’s a promising sign for negotiations in the wider war. We hear from Ukrainian lorry drivers who are stuck beyond the border in Russia with no means of coming back without abandoning their vehicles and, therefore, their livelihoods. And Nina Nazarova from the BBC Russian Service tells us all about six Ukrainian childre...
Jul 22, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the Russian president meets leaders of Iran and Turkey, the BBC’s former Moscow and diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall takes us through what this tells about Putin's remaining diplomatic friends. Vitaliy and Victoria catch up with a young soldier we first met in May who is now taking brief respite from fighting on the front lines in the east to visit injured friends in Kyiv. And we meet some humanitarian aid workers and hear about why they continue to work day-after-day to get Ukrainian...
Jul 20, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Once the richest man in Russia under 35, mobile phone tycoon Evgeny Chichvarkin explains why he needed to sell his company and escape Putin’s Russia in 2008. Settled in London, he’s now personally delivering aid to Ukraine. Organised crime expert Misha Glenny and the BBC Russian Service’s Anastasia Stognei explore the deep connections between Russia’s president, its wealthiest oligarchs, and the Western countries which readily accepted their money. Plus, treason in the Ukraine camp? Why has Pres...
Jul 18, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Running a hotline for victims of abuse. We hear from Alyona Kryvulyak... Russian missiles have hit the city of Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine, killing at least 23 people. From the scene of the attack, the BBC’s Zhanna Bezpiatchuk gives us the latest on the situation. And we talk to Wayne Jordash, who has been investigating war crimes in Ukraine. He explains how his team collects evidence. Today's Ukrainecast was made by Arsenii Sokolov, Ivana Davidovic and Osman Iqbal. The technical producer was ...
Jul 15, 2022•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The BBC Russian’s Olga Ivshina explains how her and her team have been able to estimate the number of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine and buried in Russia by sending volunteers to visit cemeteries. Also, we hear from Mikhail Benyash, a Russian human rights lawyer who has been advising Russian soldiers who don’t want to fight in Ukraine. The BBC’s Security correspondent, Frank Gardner explains why he believes Russia is currently militarily winning the war. And the team discusses the toll the w...
Jul 13, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Under laws that Russia brought in following the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine, a Moscow-based councillor has become the first person to be jailed for speaking out. The BBC’s Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse joins Victoria for presenting duties, and they take stock of the current situation in Ukraine. A young soldier from Mariupol tells us how he survived horrific injuries, being taken captive by Russian soldiers, and how he was freed in a prisoner exchange. Also, investigative repor...
Jul 11, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fearless paramedic, Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, who filmed the horrors of Mariupol and was then held captive for 3 months by Russian proxy forces. She describes how she was physically and psychologically tortured. Lyse and Irena discuss why a Ukrainian croissant is named after Boris Johnson – and the wider reactions to the UK’s Prime Minister resignation with Yuriy Sak, adviser to Ukraine's Minister of Defence. And we find out why drones are playing such an important role in the war in Ukraine, wit...
Jul 08, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
