Ukrainecast

Gabriel Gatehouse joins Victoria and Vitaly to discuss the reactions in Russia to the recent setbacks in Ukraine. While some are calling for the Kremlin to take more drastic action, others appear to question the war itself. On the ground in Kharkiv, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo explains us how the city went through a complete power outage after Russian forces shelled the second biggest Ukrainian thermal power plant.We catch up with Maksym Lutskyi, a 19 year old Ukrainian fighter, who describes the celebratory mood among fighters. And, Illia Ponomarenko from the Kyiv Independent shares his assessment of where the war will go next.The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Ivana Davidovic and Arsenii Sokolov. The planning producer is Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer is Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. 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.

Russian forces withdraw from key eastern towns. Ukrainian officials say troops have entered Kupiansk, a vital eastern supply hub for Russian forces. In an extra episode of Ukrainecast, Vitaly and Victoria discuss the significance of the Ukrainian gains and analyse the Russian reaction. The Ukrainian advances - if held - would be the most significant since Russia withdrew from areas around Kyiv in April. Ukrainecast was made by Sam Bonham. The Senior News Editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

President Zelensky sends a message of condolence to Britain's Royal Family.Ukraine has been celebrating "good news" about the recapture of several settlements from Russia in the eastern Kharkiv region and gains of more than 1,000 square km of territory in the last week, that’s according to the President. Victoria and the BBC's Katya Khinkulova speak to Justin Bronk, Senior Research Fellow and editor at the defence and security think tank RUSI about Ukraine’s counter-offensive. And as EU leaders meet in Brussels to discuss the energy crisis, we hear from Svitlana Zalischuk, from Ukraine’s biggest gas company Naftogaz, about how the country is preparing to face a cold winter with reduced gas supplies. The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Clare Williamson, Arsenii Sokolov and Alix Pickles. The technical producer is Hannah Montgomery. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. 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.

Journalist Konstantin Ryzhenko lived through months of fear and terror in Russian-occupied Kherson. He escaped two weeks ago and tells Vitaliy about what life is like in the city, and the role he played in providing intelligence to the Ukrainian military and resistance fighters.Also, Victoria talks to Russian oligarch and Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky – he explains why he believes force is the only thing that the Russian president understands. The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Clare Williamson and Arsenii Sokolov. The technical producer is Emma Crowe. The assistant editor is Alison Gee and the editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. 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.

Vitaliy and Lucy Hockings talk to Gogol Bordello’s frontman Eugene Hütz about the band’s recent secret gig for Ukrainian soldiers.Frank Gardner brings us up to date on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant inspection and the offensive in Kherson.And Irpin resident Oleksandr describes what it is like to have your home bombed then occupied by Russian forces, and how he’s going about rebuilding.The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Clare Williamson and Arsenii Sokolov. The technical producer is Emma Crowe and the editor Jonathan Aspinwall. The assistant editor is Alison Gee. 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.

Donald Trump, some top secret documents and the FBI.Welcome to episode one of the new-look Americast (we thought, as listeners of Ukrainecast, you might enjoy Americast). Classified documents stored at former President's Florida home were likely concealed as part of an effort to obstruct an FBI investigation, says the US Department of Justice officials. Justin, Sarah and the Zurch chat to former FBI special agent Asha Rangappa, about how attempts to retrieve the documents went down and what could happen next.And Marianna introduces our undercover voters…If you like Americast, please subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds. Americast will be publishing every Wednesday. Americast is made by Phil Marzouk and Alix Pickles. The studio director is Emma Crowe. The assistant editor is Sam Bonham. The senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

The boss of Lukoil, a Russian oil company, died on Thursday, the latest in a string of deaths of key Russian business people. Vitaly and Victoria unpick the rumours with Russian expert and author Mark Galeotti.We get the latest on the inspection of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant with James Waterhouse. And Maria Korenyuk has been investigating the re-writing of history books for schools in Russian occupied areas of Ukraine. The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Clare Williamson and Arsenii Sokolov. The technical producer is Emma Crowe and the editor Jonathan Aspinwall. 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.

He contributed to Ukraine's independence. So why do they not remember him more fondly?Victoria and Vitaliy reflect on the Gorbachev years, the demise of the Soviet Union and what he thought about Ukrainian independence with former BBC Moscow correspondent, Bridget Kendall.Justin Bronk a defence analyst from RUSI brings us up to speed with the Ukrainian offensive in Kherson.And we discuss the return to school for Ukrainian children with James Elder who is a spokesperson for UNICEF currently based in Kyiv. The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Clare Williamson and Arsenii Sokolov. The technical producer is Emma Crowe and the editor Jonathan Aspinwall. 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.

Russian investigative journalist Ekaterina Fomina speaks to the team about her headline-making interviews with Russian soldiers, one of which admitted committing a war crime.Vitaly, James, and Victoria also talk about how disaster was avoided despite the electricity needed to cool reactors at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant being cut.And, as the football season in Ukraine starts again, we speak to a player who would be playing for FC Mariupol, if not for the war.The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Arsenii Sokolov, Louise Hidalgo, and Chris Flynn. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.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 mark the anniversary of Russia's war in Ukraine and follow the stories of Max, Anna, Hussain, Maksym and Viktoria, none of whom will ever be the same again. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Chris Fynn, Philip Marzouk, Arsenii Sokolov and Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer and sound designer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham.