Ukrainecast

BBC News

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Apr 8, 2022 • 35min

The Station

We reflect on the horrific missile strike on a crowded train station in Kramatorsk. The station in eastern Ukraine is a major evacuation point and the attack has killed at least 50 people. Also, why does Putin need a victory by the 9th of May? Since 1945 ‘Victory Day’ has been a national celebration in Russia, marking Nazi surrender in the Second World War. Sam de Bendern, a political risks consultant and former NATO Ukraine officer, explains how Putin is feeling the pressure to celebrate a significant ‘victory’ in Ukraine on that day. But with the invasion not going to plan, what does Russia now consider ‘success’ to be? And what happens when Putin gets desperate?And we catch up with Olga Malchevska from the BBC Ukrainian Service, whose family has now fled Ukraine. But with her nephew still hiding whenever he hears a plane, the psychological impact of war is something that is not easily shaken.Today's episode was made by Estelle Doyle with Natalie Ktena, Osman Iqbal and Phil Marzouk. The studio director was Emma Crowe. The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.
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Apr 7, 2022 • 34min

Cold-calling Russia

As footage emerges that appears to show war crimes being committed by Ukrainian soldiers we speak to one of the BBC’s team of journalists working to establish if the material is authentic.We hear from a man who’s made the decision to go home to Kyiv after having fled when war broke.A Lithuanian man explains how he’s trying to tell Russian people what’s really happening in Ukraine, by cold-calling and talking to them.Victoria Derbyshire, Vitaly Shevchenko, and Frank Gardner present this episode, and answer questions that have been sent in.This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Chris Flynn and Phil Marzouk. The studio director was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
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Apr 6, 2022 • 26min

Road block 15

A woman from Mariupol describes the humiliation her mother and father faced as they travelled through checkpoints out of the city.Also, Irena Taranyuk from the BBC’s Ukrainian service tells Vitaly and Lewis how she’s been accused of not being pro-Ukrainian enough.And on the day that Putin’s daughters are sanctioned, we dig into the secrecy around his family with journalist Farida Rustamova who dared to ask the Russian president about it.This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Chris Flynn and Osman Iqbal. The studio director was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
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Apr 5, 2022 • 39min

Verifying Violence

As scenes of civilian corpses strewn on the streets are repeated across Ukraine, Victoria, Vitaly and Lewis take stock of a watershed in how we are seeing the war.Kay Devlin from BBC Monitoring’s anti-disinformation unit talks us through the clues and sources they look for when verifying whether what we’re viewing is valid.We hear the first-hand account of Halyna Tovkach, who was shot, and her husband and neighbours killed, while they tried to flee the town of Bucha by car.And the BBC Russian Service’s legendary presenter, Seva Novgorodsev, who played a key role promoting democracy in Russia, tells us how much of his work he feels has been undone by Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric.This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Osman Iqbal, Phil Marzouk and Miranda Slade. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
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Apr 4, 2022 • 32min

Horror in Bucha

Unarmed civilians massacred near Kyiv. As images of bodies in the streets of towns near the capital lead to an outpouring of condemnation around the world, Human Rights Watch tells us about their investigation into the alleged atrocities.We hear from Tatyana, who was travelling in a convoy of vehicles escaping the city when two fleeing residents stepped out of their car and were shot dead, while their six-year-old remained in the car.Meanwhile, Vitaly’s dad, Alexander Shevchenko, has made it to the UK. He joins us in the studio to share his story and swap perspectives on the war with his 22-year-old student, Elizaveta, who has chosen to stay in Ukraine.This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Ben Cooper, Phil Marzouk and Osman Iqbal. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
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Apr 1, 2022 • 35min

Bodies on the Highway

Grim signs of potential war crimes on the road to Kyiv. The BBC’s Jeremy Bowen joins us from near Ukraine’s capital, where he has seen the burnt remains of civilians, shot dead as they tried to flee Russian soldiers.We also discuss reports of a Ukrainian attack on an oil depot in Russia and the latest plan to evacuate residents of occupied Mariupol.Fergal Keane discusses the trauma many in Ukraine will be left with, long after the fighting stops, and introduces us to Valeriy, who was first evacuated from the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster in 1986, and now for a second time as a result of the war.And we talk about Vladimir Putin’s ploy to demand oil and gas payments in roubles with political risk and geopolitics expert Dr Otilia Dhand.This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Chris Flynn, Phil Marzouk and Miranda Slade. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
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Mar 31, 2022 • 28min

Russia's Threat to Stop Gas Supplies

Putin says the West must pay for their energy with Russian currency...Newscast’s Adam Fleming and the BBC’s Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner, sit in for Victoria and Gabriel, alongside Vitaly. They talk energy supplies, security intel and the latest from Mariupol. They also catch up with Anastasiya Gribanova from the BBC's Ukrainian Service, who's in Lviv. She explains why she'd like to take her pro-Russian relatives to see the destruction caused by the war with their own eyes.Today’s Ukrainecast was made by Phil Marzouk, Alix Pickles and Miranda Slade. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham.
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Mar 30, 2022 • 30min

Peace Talk Problems

Russia plays down hopes of a breakthrough...Victoria, Vitaly and the BBC’s Diplomatic Correspondent, James Landale, talk through the latest in Ukraine. Julia Friedlander, Senior Fellow and Director of Economic Statecraft at the Atlantic Council, talks about the dangers of imposing tougher economic sanctions on Russia.  And we catch up with 19-year-old student, Vitalii, about life in Lutsk, the city where thousands of Ukrainian refugees are waiting to see what will happen next.This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Emma Forde, Alix Pickles and Miranda Slade. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham and the editor was Jonathan Aspinwall
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Mar 29, 2022 • 29min

Peace Talk Promises

Russia has promised to reduce attacks around Ukraine’s capital at face-to-face talks in Turkey. Victoria, Vitaly and Newsnight’s Lewis Goodall ask if that’s a hopeful sign or just empty words.After reports about the poisoning of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian peace negotiators, we speak to Max Colchester, one of the journalists who uncovered the news, and former Soviet intelligence officer, Dr Boris Volodarsky, a spy expert who himself was poisoned in 2005.And we get an update on the situation in Russian-occupied Mariupol, where the mayor has pleaded for all remaining residents to be evacuated, with Ukrainian MP Dmytro Gurin, who is from the besieged port city.This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Phil Marzouk, Emma Forde and Miranda Slade. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.
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Mar 28, 2022 • 36min

Hussain: Escape from Kherson

Hussain, who we’ve been following since the start of the war in Ukraine, tells us how he finally managed to get his family out of a Russian-controlled area to freedom. The Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian peace negotiators have had symptoms of suspected poisoning, according to people close to them. Also, Victoria, Vitaly and Frank Gardner talk to a Ukrainian pilot who flies MiG-29 fighter jets and goes by the name Moonfish. Today’s Ukrainecast was made by Alison Gee, Phil Marzouk, Emma Forde and Miranda Slade. The technical director is Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

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