Episode description

We reflect on the horrific missile strike on a crowded train station in Kramatorsk. The station in eastern Ukraine is a major evacuation point and the attack has killed at least 50 people.

Also, why does Putin need a victory by the 9th of May? Since 1945 ‘Victory Day’ has been a national celebration in Russia, marking Nazi surrender in the Second World War. Sam de Bendern, a political risks consultant and former NATO Ukraine officer, explains how Putin is feeling the pressure to celebrate a significant ‘victory’ in Ukraine on that day. But with the invasion not going to plan, what does Russia now consider ‘success’ to be? And what happens when Putin gets desperate?

And we catch up with Olga Malchevska from the BBC Ukrainian Service, whose family has now fled Ukraine. But with her nephew still hiding whenever he hears a plane, the psychological impact of war is something that is not easily shaken.

Today's episode was made by Estelle Doyle with Natalie Ktena, Osman Iqbal and Phil Marzouk. The studio director was Emma Crowe. The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.