Ukrainecast

Moscow claims Kremlin drones were attempt by Kyiv to kill Putin. Vitaly and BBC Moscow’s Will Vernon discuss what happened when two drones appeared to strike at the Kremlin. Russia called the incident ‘a planned terrorist attack’ and said it constituted ‘an assassination attempt’ on President Putin. Ukraine has denied any involvement. If true, who could be behind it? Today’s episode is presented by Vitaliy Shevchenko and Will Vernon. The technical producer is Dafydd Evans. The series producer is Fiona Leach. The assistant editor is Alison Gee 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

Clubs in Kyiv and Liverpool are linking up for a simultaneous rave this weekend to celebrate Eurovision and show their solidarity. Hot Chip, DJ James Lavelle and experimental Ukrainian DJ Mingulitka will all be performing. Organisers Jez Collins and Vlad Yaremchuk explain how they have to work with the midnight curfew in Kyiv and how the ravers in both locations will be able to see each other on the dancefloor. Also, the BBC’s cyber correspondent Joe Tidy reflects on his recent visit to Ukraine where he met drone pilots in training and hackers. And BBC Ukraine’s Kateryna Khinkulova remembers a former colleague, journalist Oleksandr Bondarenko, who was killed on the front line in Ukraine.Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The series producer is Fiona Leach. The assistant editor is Alison Gee 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 (Music courtesy of Mingulitka)

A three-year-old girl and her mum have been killed in the latest Russian attacks, according to the mayor of Dnipro. Officials said more children were killed in an attack that hit a block of flats in the central city of Uman. James Waterhouse brings us the latest.We also hear from a friend of Evan Gershkovich, the American journalist held in Russia on espionage charges.And Francis Scarr from BBC Monitoring tells us about Russia’s glossy new ads to encourage men to sign up for the military, and answers a listener’s request to explain the background of Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave in the Baltic.Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Luke Radcliff. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Fiona Leach. The assistant editor is Alison Gee 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

How did Russia respond to the world’s worst nuclear accident? As the anniversary looms, and the International Atomic Energy Agency warns of worrying military activity in Ukraine’s current nuclear reactor, Vitaly recalls the Soviet response to the world’s worst nuclear accident.The BBC’s James Waterhouse updates us on the latest military moves in Ukraine. And we hear from musician Brad Paisley about what it was like performing for President Volodymyr Zelensky. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaliy Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Luke Radcliff. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Fiona Leach. The assistant editor is Alison Gee 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.

Explosions, mines and sonar could be harming endangered marine life in the Black Sea, according to scientists at a university in Poland. We speak to Ewa Węgrzyn, a professor of zoology who’s conducted the research. The BBC’s Frank Gardner talks to us about ghost spy ships and whether Russia could be using them to monitor key infrastructure sites in the North Sea for possible sabotage.And we hear from chef Yevhen Klopotenko, the unofficial ‘ambassador’ of Ukrainian cuisine, who delivers the final verdict on the right way to make kutia. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Luke Radcliff. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Fiona Leach. The assistant editor is Alison Gee 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

The BBC has been calculating the number of Russians who have died in the war and civilian recruits make up a third of their frontline losses. Olga Ivshina of BBC Russian and Mark Urban, diplomatic editor at Newsnight, explain what this means for Russian families and the course of the conflict. And we hear from the director of the Kherson regional art museum, Alina Dotsenko, about the moment its treasures were taken away in unmarked vehicles. Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Doucet and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Luke Radcliff. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The series producer is Fiona Leach. The assistant editor is Alison Gee 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

More than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians have been trained as soldiers by the British army here in the UK. Documentary maker Stacey Dooley shares the stories of one cohort who she followed through their intense five-week course. And 21-year-old Jack Teixeira has been charged over the leak of confidential US intelligence documents. He faces up to 15 years in prison. Russia expert, Prof Mark Galeotti talks us through the latest developments, what it could mean for the war and the shadowy figures vying for power in Russia. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Luke Radcliff. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The series producer is Fiona Leach. The assistant editor is Alison Gee 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

Could the leak of secret Pentagon documents affect the course of the war in Ukraine? Defence expert Sam de Bendern gives her analysis of the US national security breach and we hear about another Russian dissident facing 25 years in prison for criticising the war.The BBC Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse has been in Kharkiv to see the de-mining efforts as so-called butterfly bombs continue to injure civilians. And we have an aural treat in the shape of YouTube project: How Does Ukraine Sound? Its producer Yevhen Synelnykov has been collecting unique sounds from cities across Ukraine, such as the sea, factories and churches, and making music from them.Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Luke Radcliff. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The series producer is Fiona Leach. The assistant editor is Alison Gee 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

Elya describes how she took her eight-year-old niece out of Ukraine after a missile hit her home in Kharkiv last year. Elya was just 17 at the time. Now she’s returned to visit her parents and says: “It’s the most times I’ve seen my father cry.”The BBC’s Francis Scarr reports on the assassination of a pro-war blogger in St Petersburg, a defection and suggestions that Ukraine may be willing to negotiate over Crimea. And Ivan Chuvilyaev explains how the group Idite Lesom (Go By the Forest) is helping Russians afraid of mobilisation. And finally Vitaly tells Victoria about the Ukrainian origins of the humble Easter egg. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Luke Radcliff. The technical producer was Jonny Hall. The series producer is Fiona Leach. The assistant editor is Alison Gee 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 1239480Audio credit: The Dossier Center

LONG: BBC Moscow’s Will Vernon gives Lyse and Vitaly the latest on the murder of a pro-war blogger in St Petersburg and a growing spate of people denouncing family, colleagues and strangers.Vitaly speaks to Tetyana Sokolova, a midwife in a Mariupol maternity hospital that kept the wards open while the city lost water, gas and electricity. And as Finland ends 70 years of official strategic neutrality by joining the Nato military alliance, former Finnish PM, Alexander Stubb says Putin only has himself to blame and dismisses Russian talk of counter-measures.Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Doucet and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Luke Radcliff. The technical producer was Jonny Hall. The series producer is Fiona Leach. The assistant editor is Alison Gee 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