Ukrainecast

Russia has opened a murder investigation after a journalist, Darya Dugina, died in a suspected car bombing not far from Moscow. Was she the target? Or was it her father, the ultra-nationalist philosopher Alexander Dugin?Victoria, Vitaly and Gabriel Gatehouse, who interviewed Alexander after the annexation of Crimea, profile the man said to be one of Putin’s inspirations.They also talk about who might be behind the murder and what consequences there might be in Ukraine, where Independence Day celebrations planned for Wednesday have already been curtailed.   And we hear from Brian Ennis, the father of Adam Ennis. Adam is a mechanic from Scotland. But, without first telling his parents, he’s now fighting on the frontline in Ukraine.   This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Ivana Davidovic, Arsenii Sokolov and Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. With thanks to Sky Sports.   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.

Ukrainian wife desperate for news. Natalia wants to know where her husband, a civilian mechanic, is being held prisoner in Russia. He was captured in March and the Red Cross confirm that he's in a Russian jail but hasn't heard anything since; she tells Victoria and Vitaly about how she is coping. We get an update about the nuclear standoff in Zaporizhzhia and we hear from BBC video journalist, Abdujalil Abdurasulov, about the use of drones in military strikes on Ukraine’s southern front line. Today's episode was produced by Clare Williamson, Alix Pickles, Ivana Davidovic and Louise Hidalgo. Emma Crowe is the technical producer and the Assistant Editor, 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 is it like living under Russian rule? We hear from Hannah (not her real name) in Crimea. She tells us how she’s coping living through the recent explosions. And acclaimed Ukrainian author, Andriy Kurkov, explains how art has helped him process the conflict in Ukraine. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Phil Marzouk with Ivana Davidovic and Arsenii Sokolov. The planning producer was Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was 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.

From performing with Ed Sheeran to becoming an army paramedic. We hear from Taras Topolia, lead singer in the Ukrainian band Antytila, about his transformation from frontman to physician.   BBC Russian’s Liza Fokht discusses what her sources in the Kremlin are saying about what Vladimir Putin is up to at the moment. Is there any hope of the war ending at the negotiating table?   And the BBC’s Kyiv correspondent, James Waterhouse, takes us onto the streets of the capital to describe the mood.   This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Ivana Davidovic and Arsenii Sokolov. The planning producer was Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was 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.UK listeners can watch 'Frontline Frontmen' on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0cs677h/frontline-frontmen.

As the nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia is attacked again, we hear from workers inside about what it’s like to work in such fear as soldiers hold them at gunpoint. Victoria and Vitaliy are joined by medical students who worked to save people in the bunkers of Kharkiv who are now in the UK studying at Cambridge University.The BBC’s defence correspondent Jonathan Beale details his interview with leading UK military commander Jim Hockenhull and the state of play in the war.The lawyer of detained US basketball star Brittney Griner, speaks to us about the verdict that saw her client sentenced to nine years in Russian prison for drug possession. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Phil Marzouk with Ivana Davidovic and Arsenii Sokolov. The planning producer was Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on +44 330 1239480 with your questions and comments.

Life inside a detention centre. We hear from Anna Vorosheva, about what it was like when she was held in a Russian detention centre in Eastern Ukraine. Victoria, Vitaly and the BBC’s Ukraine correspondent, James Waterhouse, discuss the details of the explosion at a military airfield in Crimea. And the BBC’s Chloe Hadjimatheou talks through her investigation into Graham Philips, a British freelance journalist and YouTuber who has been sanctioned by the British government for promoting misinformation that supports Russian aggression against Ukraine. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Ivana Davidovic and Arsenii Sokolov. The planning producer was Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor is Sam Bonham. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on +44 330 1239480 with your questions and comments.

Part of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been damaged by Russian rockets. Vitaly brings us up to date on his home city of Zaporizhzhia, where part of its nuclear plant has been damaged by Russian rockets, in an attack the United Nations called “suicidal”. We hear from Yeva (not her real name), who worries for the safety of her family members working on the site.   And the BBC’s security correspondent, Frank Gardner, talks us through new evidence that Russia is using technology from Western companies in its military equipment.This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Ivana Davidovic and Arsenii Sokolov. The planning producer was Louise Hidalgo and the technical producer was Gareth Jones. The series editor is Estelle Doyle.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.

BBC correspondent Andrew Harding describes how sleep has been near impossible in the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, which has been under almost constant Russian bombardment since the start of the war. Together with Vitaly and Irena, he also discusses a report by Amnesty International, which accuses Ukraine of endangering the lives of its own citizens by setting up military bases in residential areas, such as in schools and hospitals.We also hear from Jixian Wang, a Chinese vlogger based in Odessa, who explains how Chinese state media echoes Russian propaganda. And former China correspondent for the BBC, John Sudworth describes how the war in Ukraine is playing out in Taiwan, and the ways in which the crises in the two places are linked. The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producer is Arsenii Sokolov. Planning producer is Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer is Emma Crowe. 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.

Vitaly, Frank and Irena are looking into the Wagner Group, Russia’s private army that is allegedly involved in the Ukraine war. The group has been active over the past eight years in Ukraine, Syria and several African countries, and has repeatedly been accused of war crimes.We hear from ex Wagner fighter Marat Gabidullin about his experience and why Russia is relying on a private army.And Vitaly talks to Vladimir Osechkin, a former prisoner and now a human rights activist whose organisation, Gulagu.net, alleges that the Wagner Group and Russian security services are actively recruiting in Russian prisons for the Ukraine war.The BBC’s Tim Whewell discusses his up-coming documentary on people living in the Ukrainian port city of Kherson under Russian occupation. The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Clare Williamson, Arsenii Sokolov and Ivana Davidovic. Planning producer is Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer is Emma Crowe 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.

16-year-old Vladislav Buryak was held captive for 90 days by Russian proxy forces. He says he was kept in solitary confinement and witnessed other prisoners being tortured during that time. Also, after months of Russian blockade, a Ukraine grain shipment is allowed to set sail. Vitaly and Irena are joined by the BBC’s Ukraine correspondent, James Waterhouse, who is at the port of Odesa where the mood is both celebratory and apprehensive. And Vitaly chats to BBC Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg about what Russians really think of the war, whether they’re feeling the pinch of the sanctions – and how playing the piano helps him relax. The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Arsenii Sokolov and Ivana Davidovic. 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.