Ukrainecast

As Ukraine recaptures some of its towns, Victoria, Vitaly and Gabriel give an on-the-ground update and explain why Vladimir Putin has been talking about JK Rowling.

Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun speaks to us from Kyiv to discuss the first official investigation into rape allegations of a Ukrainian woman by a Russian soldier.

And Unicef spokesperson James Elder joins us from Lviv where air raid sirens continue to signal the horrors facing Ukrainian children.

But first... we have some good news from Hussain as he sends us a voice note from the road to Odessa: he has finally fled Kherson.

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Phil Marzouk, Nat Ktena and Michele Theil. The technical producer was Hannah Montgomery. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

One month since war broke out... Victoria, Gabriel and Vitaly reflect on the first weeks of a devastating conflict they never expected to happen. We explore where the war might go and how long for.

We also look back over the past month with the voices of some of the people affected who have given us their testimony, including updates about Vitaly’s own family.

And the BBC’s specialist disinformation reporter, Marianna Spring, tells us how online propaganda was used to try and justify Russia’s bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol.

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Phil Marzouk with Daniel Wittenberg and Alix Pickles. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

We answer more of your questions about Ukraine...

Nearly a month since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are collaborating with the Global News Podcast again.

Even as Russia’s advance into Ukraine leaves cities in ruins, many Ukrainians feel they have no choice but to fight on. We speak to Maxim, a street artist from Nova Kakhovka in the Russian-controlled region of Kherson, who’s been graffitiing enemy tanks.

After President Biden warned that Russia has the capability to launch cyber attacks in response to sanctions, the Oxford Internet Institute’s Mariarosaria Taddeo joins Gabriel, Vitaly and Victoria to explain why the digital risk goes beyond Ukraine.

We also catch up with Anna to hear how she and her family are feeling after fleeing Kharkiv and whether they might make it to Canada.

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Phil Marzouk, Chris Flynn and Michele Theil. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

As hundreds of thousands of civilians flee Mariupol as it lies in ruins, the world looks on in shock as the Russian advance into Ukraine continues.

We hear from Roman Kruglyakov, a resident of Mariupol who fled to a nearby village at the beginning of the war. He tells us how he’s been travelling to and from the city in his car to get family members and whoever he can out of the city, detailing the horrific conditions that those left behind have to live with.

As president Zelensky makes a speech to Israel’s Knesset, he draws comparisons between Russia now and the actions of the Nazis in the Holocaust, BBC security correspondent Frank Garner tells us about the escalation in Russian aggression and the warning their destruction of Mariupol sends to other Ukrainian cities.

But as the devastation continues we hear more stories of those who got out, including the little girl who was filmed singing Let It Go from Frozen in a Kyiv bunker. She and her family have found safety in Poland where she took to a much larger stage in support of Ukraine…

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Chris Flynn, Michele Theil and Phil Marzouk. The studio director was Emma Crowe. The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.

Eight years after Crimea was annexed, Vladimir Putin has given a speech to a packed stadium in Moscow, praising Russia’s soldiers in Ukraine.

Victoria, Gabriel and Vitaly speak to the BBC Ukrainian Service’s Anastasia Gribanova. War has caused the breakdown of her relationship with her pro-Russian parents in eastern Ukraine and with her cousin who’s fighting for the other side. She's in Lviv, which was targeted for the first time today and is also where Vitaly’s mum and aunt have just arrived.

And the BBC’s World Affairs Editor, John Simpson, gives us a special insight into the one of the latest rounds of diplomatic calls – this time between President Putin and Turkey's leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan – and what it suggests about Putin’s state of mind.

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Natalie Ktena, Alix Pickles, and Phil Marzouk. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Ukraine has accused Russian forces of bombing a theatre filled with sheltering civilians in the city of Mariupol. Gabriel and Vitaly speak to Dmytro Gurin, a Ukrainian MP from Mariupol, to find out what happened.

They’re also joined by Bridget Kendall, former BBC Moscow correspondent and diplomatic correspondent, to understand how we got to the point where Joe Biden is calling Vladimir Putin a war criminal.

And we get an update on Vitaliy’s mum, who we last heard was attempting to leave his home town of Zaporizhzhia, and new information from Hussain and his family in Kherson.

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle, with Chris Flynn, Phil Marzouk, and Michele Theil. The studio director is Emma Crowe. The assistant editor is Sam Bonham.

Shortly after Ukraine’s president’s historic address to the US Congress, Gabriel And Victoria talk to Nina Khruscheva, Professor of International Affairs at the New School in New York – and the granddaughter of former Soviet ruler Nikita Khrushchev - for her insight into Russia’s exit strategy.

20,000 people have been evacuated from the city of Mariupol, which has been under siege for the last two weeks. Residents are without water, food, and electricity, and the authorities claim there have been over 2,500 deaths in the city since the conflict began. We hear from Roman Skliarov, who is from Mariupol and has seen many leaving the city in an effort to secure their safety, while Vitaly gives us an update on his family and the situation in Kyiv.

And Anthony Zurcher, from Americast, joins us to describe the US reaction to President Zelensky’s address to Congress and whether he will get the sanctions and weapons he has asked for.

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle, with Emma Forde, Alix Pickles, Chris Flynn, and Michele Theil. The studio director is Hannah Montgomery. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

More Russian strikes have hit residential buildings in Kyiv. As tower blocks burn, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko has announced a 35-hour curfew, warning of “a difficult and dangerous moment”. Victoria, Gabriel and Vitaly get the latest on the ground and hear from surgeon Dr Andrey Vysotskyi, who has hardly stopped working since we last spoke to him.

Meanwhile, with a Russian journalist facing a fine for interrupting a live TV news bulletin to protest against the war, the BBC Russian Service’s Liza Fokht tells us about her decision to leave Moscow for Latvia.

And we hear from the BBC’s Eastern Europe Correspondent, Sarah Rainsford, on what she’s learned from sheltering with residents in eastern Ukraine while covering the conflict.

Today’s Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Phil Marzouk, Alix Pickles and Emma Forde. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

A new attack at the border of Poland sparks fears of further escalation by Russian forces, as Vitaly updates us on what’s happened over the weekend. Meanwhile, footage from Mariupol shows the effects of being under siege for the past ten days, with Ukrainian authorities claiming over 2,500 deaths in the city.

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle, with Emma Forde, Phil Marzouk, Chris Flynn, and Michele Theil. The studio director is Emma Crowe. The editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.