Ukrainecast
BBC News
The BBC’s only English language programme entirely dedicated to the war in Ukraine and its fallout, Ukrainecast is your go-to podcast which investigates the biggest issues around the conflict: Could Putin push the nuclear button? How could Donald Trump end the war in 24 hours? What is the price for peace? The podcast is hosted by Newsnight presenter Victoria Derbyshire and BBC Monitoring’s Vitaly Shevchenko. Ukrainecast covers the most important topics around the conflict and speaks to the real people who’ve lived through several years of war. It also brings you agenda-setting interviews with special guests each week such as UK foreign secretary David Cameron, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and pre-eminent Russia expert Fiona Hill.You can fill out our audience questionnaire here: bit.ly/ukrainecastfeedbackGET IN TOUCH: You can join our Ukrainecastonline community here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord Send us a message or voicenote via WhatsApp to +443301239480 Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk
You can listen to the latest episode of Ukrainecast anytime on your smart speaker by saying “Alexa, Ask BBC Sounds for Ukrainecast."
If you enjoy Ukrainecast (and if you’re reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below. The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd The Today Podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r Americast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p07h19zz Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p05299nl
You can listen to the latest episode of Ukrainecast anytime on your smart speaker by saying “Alexa, Ask BBC Sounds for Ukrainecast."
If you enjoy Ukrainecast (and if you’re reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below. The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd The Today Podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r Americast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p07h19zz Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p05299nl
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 22, 2023 • 30min
The Midwife in the Bomb Shelter
One woman’s story of helping to deliver 136 babies in 42 days from a warzone.Midwife Vira Tselyk tells Lucy and Vitaly about the 42 days she spent working from a bunker, helping to deliver over a hundred and thirty babies.We also talk to Emma Mateo, who got caught in the deadly attack in Chernihiv - where a six-year-old girl is among seven people who died after a Russian missile strike on the historic city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine.And, the BBC’s Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse discusses the thousands of men avoiding the draft.Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko.
The producers were Josh Jenkins, Sam McLaren and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Philip Bull. 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 1239480You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord.TOPICS:01:44 - The midwife in the bomb shelter
17:48 - Chernihiv attack
25:12 - The men avoiding the Ukrainian draft
Aug 18, 2023 • 28min
Who is Winning the Drone War?
BBC Security Correspondent, Dr. Marina Miron, and Politico journalist discuss the importance of drones in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, drone warfare, and challenges faced by foreign journalists in Russia.
Aug 15, 2023 • 25min
Viktoria’s Story: Adjusting to UK Life
Eight months in the country after losing her husband and daughter. Ukrainecast catches up with Viktoria Kovalenko, whose story we’ve followed since the early days of the war. In the most tragic of circumstances, her husband and 12-year-old daughter Veronika were killed in front of her when they tried to escape the town of Chernihiv last year.She then spent weeks hiding in bunkers while looking after her baby daughter Varvara, who also survived the attack, and eventually found her way to Poland. Late last year she and Varvara were able to move here to the UK.After eight months of living in the UK, how is she adjusting to life now?Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.Translation was provided by Irena Taranyuk.
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. You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this episode, you can find help and support here https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Aug 11, 2023 • 30min
Brutally Beaten in Chechnya
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
Aug 8, 2023 • 29min
The Russian Fighting For Ukraine
Why one man says he’s turned his back on Moscow to fight with Ukraine. We speak to "Apostle", a member of the Liberty of Russia Legion, one of the groups reportedly responsible for the cross-border raids in the Russian city of Belgorod earlier this year.The FT’s Ukraine correspondent Christopher Miller is in the studio to discuss his new book and reflect on his time in the Pokrovsk, in Ukraine, where at least seven people lost their lives in an overnight attack by Russia. And BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson talks about why Russians are hunting for cheap flats in the occupied city of Mariupol.Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.
The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Ivana Davidovic and Sam McLaren. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editors are Jonathan Aspinwall and 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:01:54 - Pokrovsk attack
06:00 - Mariupol residents
12:33 - Listener questions
16:30 - Russian fighter
Aug 4, 2023 • 28min
Two families torn apart by war
Why going back home to Ukraine is so heart breaking.Fergal Keane returns to Ukraine with a refugee family to be reunited with their husband and father; they last saw each other 18 months ago. Vitaly and Victoria catch up with Olga who has returned to Kherson after six weeks in the safety and calm of her children's home in Norway. She now faces constant shelling and her life is in danger, so why has she gone back?And James Waterhouse talks us through today’s drone attack on the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
The producers were Clare Williamson and Arsenii Sokolov. 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
Aug 1, 2023 • 30min
Moscow Under Attack
One woman's story of life in the Russian capital.Moscow resident Masha describes life in the Russian capital, and security correspondent Frank Gardner examines whether, as President Zelensky suggests, war is coming back to the country.Also, we check in on how the UK’s Homes for Ukraine scheme is going. Ukrainian national Marina and her former sponsor Francis reflect on their year living together.Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko.
The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Phil Bull. 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.
Jul 28, 2023 • 30min
Aiden Aslin: Life after a Death Sentence
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
Jul 25, 2023 • 31min
Odesa: A Week of Missile Strikes
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
Jul 21, 2023 • 29min
Black Sea Ports Under Attack
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.
