Ukrainecast

BBC News

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Jun 15, 2022 • 35min

The 19-year-old soldier

Victoria and Vitaly speak to 19-year-old Maksym Lutskyi, a Ukrainian soldier who is preparing to return to the front line after being wounded and losing his commander who died saving his life. Andrey Stavnitser, one of the richest businessmen in Ukraine, and co-owner of the major shipping terminals near Odessa, describes the impact the blockade is having on the country’s economy. He also explains why he asked the army to shell his own home after it became occupied by Russians. And we hear from Kees Haiziinga, a farmer from central Ukraine, who says he is worried he’ll only be able to get a fraction of his harvest out. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Osman Iqbal and Arsenii Sokolov. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The planning producer is Louise Hidalgo. 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 to +44 0330 1239480.
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Jun 13, 2022 • 36min

Viktoria's story

Viktoria Kovalenko tells us about the day her husband Petro and 12-year-old daughter Veronika were killed when the road they were travelling on to find safety was bombed.She explains to Victoria and Vitaly how taking care of her one-year-old baby is the only thing that keeps her sane. And how she's now been waiting for nearly 50 days for a visa to the UK. They also speak to Derek Edwards from https://homesforukraine.org, an organisation he set up to help Ukrainians, including Viktoria, seek refuge in the UK. With him, is 17 year old Anna Merchuk, who talks about resettling in England and her hopes for the future. And we talk through the latest in the conflict as new research from Amnesty International shows Russia has killed hundreds of civilians using indiscriminate shelling and widely-banned cluster munitions. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Ivana Davidovic, Chris Flynn and Osman Iqbal. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The planning producer is Louise Hidalgo. 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 to +44 0330 1239480.
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Jun 10, 2022 • 33min

Life in a Russian prison

The Kremlin defends the death sentences for three captured soldiers. Fergal and Vitaliy are joined by BBC Russian Service’s Olga Ivshina to understand more about what is happening in Ukraine. They speak to former US Army medic, Brennan Phillips, and the Mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, who was kidnapped and imprisoned by Russian soldiers.This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Alix Pickles and Natalie Ktena. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham.
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Jun 9, 2022 • 30min

Sentenced to death

Three men are convicted by a Russian proxy court in eastern Ukraine. We speak to Tim Whewell, a BBC reporter who has been investigating the fate of more than a million Ukrainian refugees who have ended up in Russia. Have they been rescued? Or illegally deported?And we check-in with Natalia, whose husband fought during the siege of the Azovstal steelworks. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Osman Iqbal and Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Michael Regaard. The assistant 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 to +44 0330 1239480.
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Jun 8, 2022 • 33min

The woman in a red coat

Victoria and Vitaly are joined by Zhanna Bezpiatchuk from the BBC Ukrainian service, who travelled to Irpin to investigate allegations of war crimes. There she heard accounts of violence against civilians, of shootings and summary executions - including the killing of a young woman in a red coat. Her body remained in the street for four weeks - lying where she had been trampled not once, but over and over again, under the wheels of Russian armoured vehicles. A food shopping list was found in her coat pocket.UNICEF’s James Elder explains how over one hundred days of war have ‘wrought devastating consequences for children at a scale not seen since World War II’. The agency says 70% of Ukrainian children are displaced by fighting. And, Mykola Bielieskov, from the National Institute for Strategic Studies in Kyiv, explains why he believes the long-range rocket artillery promised by the US and the UK won’t be enough to stabilise the front line, even less to push the Russian troops back. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Osman Iqbal and Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Michael Regaard. 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 to +44 0330 1239480.
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Jun 7, 2022 • 26min

‘Dead Cities’

Why some Ukrainians choose to flee whilst others stay.Thousands of Ukrainians, from the heavily bombed East, don’t want to leave - it turns out that some don’t believe that Russia is bombing them.We hear from a listener who has not had contact with her father in Severodonetsk, described by President Zelensky as a 'Dead City', since May 22nd.And the Kyiv residents raising money to repair their bombed apartment block. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Clare Williamson with Osman Iqbal and Philip Marzouk. 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 to +44 0330 1239480.
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Jun 6, 2022 • 27min

Missiles Return to Kyiv

Russia targets Ukraine’s capital with missiles for the first time in weeks. Vitaly and Frank talk to Nataliia, who recently returned to Kyiv with her young son – they were woken up by the blasts. Also, the UK says it will send its first long-range missiles to Ukraine. And Col Bob Seddon, who was once in charge of bomb disposal for the British army, tells us how he’s helping Ukrainians deal with mines.This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Clare Williamson with Osman Iqbal and Philip Marzouk. The assistant editor was Alison Gee. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. You can email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 0330 123 9480 – and start your message with the word Ukrainecast.
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Jun 3, 2022 • 60min

100 Days

One hundred days on from February 24th, a date that will be remembered for decades, we take you through the story of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In this special episode, we listen back to some of the key moments from hours of testimony and analysis on the war. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Phil Marzouk. The technical producer was Emma Crowe and the exec producer, Estelle Doyle. The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall. For 100 days Ukrainecast has been made by Daniel Wittenberg, Osman Iqbal, Chris Flynn, Alix Pickles, Sam Bonham, Natalie Ktena, Alison Gee, Clare Forde, Michele Thiel, Miranda Slade and Clare Williamson. You can email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments or send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 1234 220.
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Jun 1, 2022 • 29min

A boost to Kyiv’s firepower

Ukraine gets long-sought US long-range missile systems. BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner explains why Kyiv hopes this will be a gamechanger. Maria Chashka, a Deputy Commander of a battalion in Kharkiv, confirms she believes this will help her country win the war. The acting war time mayor of Severodonetsk, Oleksandr Stryuk, tells Victoria and Vitaly about the recent strike on a chemical plant in his city, which has already seen over 90% of its population leave for a safer place. And, as Ukraine and Scotland face each other in a World Cup play-off, we hear from Tetiana Lukianenko a refugee from Kyiv, now based in Aberfeldy, Scotland. She says she will cheer whoever wins. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Osman Iqbal and Alix Pickles. 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 to +44 0330 1234 220.
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May 31, 2022 • 31min

Rouble Rumblings

What does Europe’s partial oil ban mean for Russia’s economy? After the EU agreed a compromise plan to stop its members importing Russian oil by sea, economist Timothy Ash tells Victoria who might be most hurt by the sanctions.And BBC reporter Chloe Hajimatheou uncovers increasingly sophisticated disinformation tactics being deployed and spread globally.This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Osman Iqbal and Daniel Wittenberg. 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 to +44 0330 1234 220.

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