Ukrainecast

The deal between Ukraine and Russia should help alleviate the global food crisis. BBC Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse joins Vic and Vitaliy to discuss the deal and whether it’s a promising sign for negotiations in the wider war.

We hear from Ukrainian lorry drivers who are stuck beyond the border in Russia with no means of coming back without abandoning their vehicles and, therefore, their livelihoods.

And Nina Nazarova from the BBC Russian Service tells us all about six Ukrainian children reunited with their parents after five months apart.

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Clare Williamson with Arsenii Sokolov, Phil Marzouk, Ivana Davidovic and planning producer Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Email [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480.

As the Russian president meets leaders of Iran and Turkey, the BBC’s former Moscow and diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall takes us through what this tells about Putin's remaining diplomatic friends.

Vitaliy and Victoria catch up with a young soldier we first met in May who is now taking brief respite from fighting on the front lines in the east to visit injured friends in Kyiv.

And we meet some humanitarian aid workers and hear about why they continue to work day-after-day to get Ukrainians to safety.

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Phil Marzouk, with Ivana Davidovic, Arsenii Sokolov and planning producer Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Email [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480.

Once the richest man in Russia under 35, mobile phone tycoon Evgeny Chichvarkin explains why he needed to sell his company and escape Putin’s Russia in 2008. Settled in London, he’s now personally delivering aid to Ukraine.

Organised crime expert Misha Glenny and the BBC Russian Service’s Anastasia Stognei explore the deep connections between Russia’s president, its wealthiest oligarchs, and the Western countries which readily accepted their money.

Plus, treason in the Ukraine camp? Why has President Zelensky suspended Ukraine’s security chief and his top prosecutor?

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg, with Arsenii Sokolov, Ivana Davidovic and planning producer Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The assistant editor was Alison Gee. And the editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Email [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480.

Running a hotline for victims of abuse. We hear from Alyona Kryvulyak...

Russian missiles have hit the city of Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine, killing at least 23 people. From the scene of the attack, the BBC’s Zhanna Bezpiatchuk gives us the latest on the situation.

Today's Ukrainecast was made by Arsenii Sokolov, Ivana Davidovic and Osman Iqbal. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham.

The BBC Russian’s Olga Ivshina explains how her and her team have been able to estimate the number of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine and buried in Russia by sending volunteers to visit cemeteries.

Also, we hear from Mikhail Benyash, a Russian human rights lawyer who has been advising Russian soldiers who don’t want to fight in Ukraine.

The BBC’s Security correspondent, Frank Gardner explains why he believes Russia is currently militarily winning the war.

And the team discusses the toll the war has also taken on the Russian people.

Under laws that Russia brought in following the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine, a Moscow-based councillor has become the first person to be jailed for speaking out.

The BBC’s Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse joins Victoria for presenting duties, and they take stock of the current situation in Ukraine.

A young soldier from Mariupol tells us how he survived horrific injuries, being taken captive by Russian soldiers, and how he was freed in a prisoner exchange.

Also, investigative reporter for the BBC Russian Service Andrey Zakharov tells us what it’s like to be designated a foreign agent by the Kremlin and be tailed by Russian agents.

And, we get an update on Viktoriia: the woman who is trying to get a visa to come to the UK after fleeing Chernihiv.

The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Osman Iqbal, Arsenii Sokolov and Phil Marzouk. The technical producer is Emma Crowe. And the editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Email [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 0330 1239480.

Fearless paramedic, Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, who filmed the horrors of Mariupol and was then held captive for 3 months by Russian proxy forces. She describes how she was physically and psychologically tortured.

Lyse and Irena discuss why a Ukrainian croissant is named after Boris Johnson – and the wider reactions to the UK’s Prime Minister resignation with Yuriy Sak, adviser to Ukraine's Minister of Defence.

And we find out why drones are playing such an important role in the war in Ukraine, with Anatoliy Tiagur, a drone operator for the army and BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale.

The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Osman Iqbal and Phil Marzouk. The technical producer is Emma Crowe. And the editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. Email [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 0330 1239480

A Ukrainian medic, Olexander, based on Snake Island was captured on the first day of the war. Almost five months later, his mother and fiancée break their silence to make a plea for information on his wellbeing.

The sole survivor of a Russian shooting, who lived by playing dead, has been speaking to Fergal Keane about what happened.

And the BBC’s Olga Ivshina explains how Russia has been sending so-called volunteers to fight in Ukraine - and why for so many of them, this will be a one-way ticket.

The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Phil Marzouk, Arsenii Sokolov and Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer is Emma Crowe. And the assistant editor is Alison Gee.

Email [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 0330 1239480.

Russia has claimed control of the key eastern city Lysychansk and the region around it. The Kremlin said this was one of its main aims. So, what happens next?

Lyse, Vitaly and Irena check in with Maksym, a Ukrainian soldier fighting on the front line. Also, Pavlo Shulga, who works with Ukraine Trust Chain, tells us about his latest trip to the area around Lysychansk where he was attacked as he delivered food and helped evacuate people.

As world leaders meet in Switzerland for the Ukraine Recovery Conference, Timothy Ash talks us through the astronomical cost of rebuilding Ukraine, and who will pay for it.

Today’s podcast was produced by Alison Gee with Osman Iqbal, Ivana Davidovic, Phil Marzouk and Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Email [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 (0) 330 1239480.

Russian forces have detained the mayor of Kherson, Ihor Kolykhayev, after he refused to work with them. The BBC’s Tim Whewell spoke to him a few days before his abduction.

Meanwhile, the BBC Russian service’s Liza Fokt explains to Victoria and Vitaly, how in another occupied city, Severodonestsk, some people do welcome the Russian forces.

And Roman, who helped evacuate dozens of people from Mariupol, tells us why he’s now going back, despite the risk of being arrested once he gets there.

The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers are Ivana Davidovic and Osman Iqbal. The planning producer, Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer, Michael Reegard. And the editor, Jonathan Aspinwall. Email [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 0330 1239480.