Episode description

Does Ukraine’s cross-border offensive mark a new chapter in the conflict?

Reports suggest that Ukrainian troops are operating more than 10km inside Russian territory - the deepest cross-border advance by Kyiv since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The BBC’s Ukraine Correspondent James Waterhouse discusses what might be the reasons behind this new direction for Ukraine? And how do Ukraine’s Western allies see it?

Plus, Lucy and Vitaly talk to Michael ‘Mickey’ Bergman who helped negotiate the release of many high profile American prisoners and hostages.

Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Cordelia Hemming and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Richard Fenton-Smith. 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

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord