The Fourcast

Just a few weeks back, Mariupol was a bustling city in south-eastern Ukraine, overlooking the Sea of Azov. Home to just under half a million people.

Now, it is basically no more.

Most people’s homes have been destroyed. Half the city has fled and even those who have managed to leave have faced a treacherous journey to some form of safety.

Our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum has spoken to dozens of survivors from Mariupol, to tell their story and provide evidence of atrocities that many believe are war crimes.

We've all seen the horror of this Russian invasion of Ukraine. We know the truth of the situation, the lies of the Kremlin.

But what about in Russia itself, where Vladimir Putin's version of reality reigns supreme?

What is the reality that Russians are being fed and who is still taking the risk to speak out?

Today, we speak to the investigative journalist Yevgenia Albats, who's seen many of her outlets shut down or blocked, but continues to report the truth from inside Russia. 

Sources: France 24, CNN, MSNBC, BBC News

When Vladimir Putin announced the start of this war, he said that one of his aims was to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine.

What is he talking about, given that Ukraine is run by a popularly elected Jewish President whose grandfather’s three brothers and parents were all shot dead by the Nazis.

In today’s episode of the Fourcast, we speak to Professor Jason Stanley, the author of How Fascism Works and How Propaganda Works. He explains the offensive, illogical and dangerous thinking of Vladimir Putin.

Sources: Bloomberg

Today, daily Covid cases are far higher than back then as we deal with another wave of infections. Yet all restrictions in England have gone, with some remaining in the rest of the UK.

Vaccines have made our lives safer and more normal, but what lessons have we really learnt from this pandemic?

Our Health and Social Care Editor Victoria Macdonald looks at what living with Covid looks like here in the UK. We also discuss why Hong Kong, China and New Zealand are seeing such sharp rises in Covid cases now, after two years of pursuing zero-Covid policies.

Sources: AP, Telegraph

Modern warfare is defined not just by military advancements, it’s defined by rolling news coverage on TV, on radio, online, on our phones.

And in this current 24/7 theatre of war, journalists and reporters have been criticised for the way they are framing this conflict.

On this podcast, Marcus Ryder from the Sir Lenny Henry Centre of Media Diversity tells us about what he thinks has been wrong with the media’s coverage of Ukraine and what can be done to change it.

Sources: UNTV, NBC News, BBC News, ITV News, CBS News

Since the start of this war in Ukraine, our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum has been across the country. She is now in Kyiv, where residential buildings are being hit and those who remain are making their city a fortress to repel any Russian invasion.

In today’s episode, Lindsey calls us from her hotel in Ukraine’s capital to reflect on the past weeks of war, the devastation she has witnessed, the pain she has seen, and the unrelenting determination and patriotism of the Ukrainian people.

Six years since her arrest in Tehran. Six years away from her husband Richard and young daughter, Gabriella. But now Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is finally home.

But how did we get here?

How was a charity worker from Hampstead, northwest London, detained for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Iranian government? And why did it take so long to get her out?

We speak to Rebecca Ratcliffe, Nazanin’s sister-in-law about what is next for Nazanin and her family as they look ahead to a brighter future. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the TV comedian turned Ukrainianleader, standing up to Putin.

But the man who’s become the face of Ukraine’s resistance against Russian invasion came to power in 2019 with little political experience other than playing a fictional president on Ukrainian TV.

Today, we speak to the Economist’s correspondent Oliver Carroll, who has been charting the rise of Zelenskyy, as we delve into the wartime leader’s history, psychology and ask what will he do next?

Sources: KvartaL 95, Politico, StudioCanal/Hayday Films, CBS News, Sky News 

It’s been three weeks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. 

As people in Ukraine call for more help, and the West imposes sanctions on Russia, how might this all play out?

On today’s episode of The Fourcast, Georgina Lee from our FactCheck team talks through four possible ways the war in Ukraine might end. 

Russia is at war with Ukraine, with cities under siege, civilians being killed, and millions fleeing the country. 

While western allies have provided some military aid to Ukraine, they have mainly responded with a different type of weapon. An economic war. Sanctions on Russia.

Our business and global trade correspondent Paul McNamara explains those sanctions and asks if that will be enough to stop Putin.