Episode description

Russia has revealed it will boost its defence spending by a quarter to $145 billion in 2025. But is Putin’s war economy sustainable? What does all this mean for life in the country? And how could it impact the war?

The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg joins us from a Moscow supermarket, Russian citizen ‘Gleb’ explains why there are dozens of types of cola in shops, and Bloomberg’s Stephanie Baker joins Carnegie’s Alexander Gabuev to discuss whether Russians are feeling the pinch.

Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Cordelia Hemming and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sarah Wadeson. 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

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