Wagner Mercenaries Released Early From Prison to Fight in Ukraine

How one Russian reporter is risking her life for journalism.

We catch up with prominent investigative reporter Yelena Milashina who was severely attacked moments after flying in to the Russian republic of Chechnya.

We’re also joined by the BBC’s Sarah Rainsford who’s in Poland, where there is growing concern over the Wagner Group’s presence in neighbouring Belarus.

And the BBC’s Arsenii Sokolov has been investigating the Russian convicts released to fight with the mercenary group, who’ve been accused of new crimes, including murder.

Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Sam McLaren, Paige Neal-Holder, and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. 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.

TOPICS:

02:27 - Yelena Milashina 14:11 - Belarus-Poland tensions 19:35 - Wagner reoffenders