Ukrainecast

Aiden Aslin, the British prisoner released by Russia, discusses his time behind bars, receiving the death sentence and his plans to return to Ukraine.Also, Africa correspondent Andrew Harding and Beverly Ochieng from BBC Monitoring in Nairobi discuss the Russia-Africa summit and the continent’s relationship with the Kremlin.And what does Yevgeny Prigozhin’s reappearance in St Petersburg tell us about President Putin’s position of strength?Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Clare Williamson. 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

Why is Russia targeting the historic port city after it withdrew from the grain deal?We hear from James Waterhouse, who has spent the weekend in Odesa and visited the landmark Transfiguration Cathedral, which was hit by strikes. And opera singer Katerina Tsymbaliuk tells us what it was like to perform in the cathedral and why her city’s residents are so resilient.Also, Nick Sturdee has been speaking to contacts in Donbas about life in this Russian-annexed part of Eastern Ukraine.Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Clare Williamson. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The series producer is Tim Walklate and the 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

Will the collapse of the UN grain deal and attack on port cities in Ukraine affect food security?James Waterhouse joins us from a grain processing plant in Poltava and we also hear from Oksana Karabin, who works for Ukraine's biggest grain exporter Kernel. Their terminal was shelled this week destroying 60 tonnes of grain.And we return to the issue of the forced deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia. We hear from Vice correspondent Isobel Yeung and the BBC’s Kateryna Khinkulova - two journalists who’ve been investigating the story for several months.Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Lyse Doucet.The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Tom Smithard. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. 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.

We find out more about the bombing of the Kerch bridge between occupied Crimea and Russia. How much damage has been done and by whom? Olga Robinson from BBC Verify talks through the evidence.And is Vladimir Putin’s homophobia driving LGBT acceptance amongst Ukrainians? Mikhail Zygar, the Russian journalist, writer and film maker tells us why he hopes his own marriage will strike a blow for gay equality in Russia, while Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun talks about passing a law to allow same-sex partnerships in Ukraine.Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Lyse Doucet. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Tom Smithard. The technical producer was Frank McWeeny. The series producer is Tim Walklate and 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

Should Ukraine be more grateful to the West for its military and financial support? After the UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said "people want to see gratitude" from Kyiv, BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera and Politico’s Lara Seligman look at the big talking point from this week’s Nato summit — and assess whether Ukraine should be pleased or disappointed by the commitments made.And we hear from Dalia Stasevska, the Ukrainian-Finnish conductor at the first night of the BBC Proms, about why Russian musicians need to be pressured into using their platforms to criticise the war. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Gabriel Gatehouse. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson, Ivana Davidovic and Tom Smithard. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. 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

What to expect from this week’s Nato summit. BBC Europe editor Katya Adler and former US general John Allen discuss what Ukraine can realistically hope for (when it comes to joining the alliance) at the two day gathering in Vilnius.Also, Russia editor Steve Rosenberg is back with the latest on the whereabouts of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and what life is like in Moscow weeks after his failed mutiny. Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Clare Williamson 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.

It’s nearly 500 days since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began and it seems nowhere is safe. The western city of Lviv, a haven for refugees far away from the front line, has been hit by Russian missiles killing ten civilians. We hear from Olga Pona, a local journalist, about her night of terror sheltering in a basement car park.We catch up with student and friend of the podcast Vitalii Pashchenko on his graduation day. He tells us about his plans for the future. And as US journalist Evan Gershkovich spends his 100th day in a Russian jail, we speak to his good friend Polina Ivanova about his wellbeing and the campaign to free him.Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaliy Shevchenko with Frank Gardner. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson, Ivana Davidovic and Tom Smithard. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Tim Walklate and the 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

Assessing the damage caused by the Kherson floods.The BBC’s Andrew Harding updates us on the environmental, social and emotional impact caused by the Kakhovka dam breach, and we catch up again with Kherson resident Olga.Also, we find out more about the attack on independent Russian journalist Elena Milashina in Chechnya, who appeared on last week’s Ukrainecast, with the BBC’s Sarah Rainsford and Tanya Lokshina from Human Rights Watch.Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaliy Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. 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.

And is Wagner setting up a camp in Belarus?The BBC’s international editor Jeremy Bowen has hotfooted back from a whistle-stop trip to Kyiv to update us on what President Zelensky’s military advisers are thinking. Artyom Shraibman, from the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, explains how Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko stands to benefit from harbouring some of Putin’s nuclear warheads.And we hear from independent Russian journalist Elena Milashina on the role Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov might play as Vladimir Putin seeks to shore up his position within the Kremlin.Today’s episode is hosted by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaliy Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Ivana Davidovic, Stephanie Mitcalf, Jack Taylor, Drew Hyndman and Tom Smithard. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Tim Walklate and 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.

After a dramatic weekend, we are joined by BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner to answer your questions on the failed rebellion.We discuss what comes next for Prigozhin and his mercenaries with Lou Osborn, from the monitoring group All Eyes on Wagner. Also, we explore Vladimir Putin’s future with Jade McGlynn, a research fellow at King’s College London and author of ‘Russia’s War’ and ‘Memory Makers: The Politics of the Past in Putin’s Russia’. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaliy Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Ivana Davidovic, Stephanie Mitcalf and Drew Hyndman. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Tim Walklate and the 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