Ukrainecast

President Putin has held his first televised news conference since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Russia editor Steve Rosenberg gives his verdict on the annual show. And after a long night of intense talks, Ukraine is one step closer to joining the European Union - although long-term Putin ally Viktor Orban, of Hungary, vetoed a €50bn aid package to Kyiv. Europe corresp...

President Zelensky is facing a challenging time. At home, his rule is becoming increasingly autocratic says the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitaly Klitckhko, and his Commander in Chief, General Zaluzhny, has also been openly critical. As he heads to the US to secure a much needed funding package worth $61billion, Victoria and Vitaly talk to Lara Seligman, Pentagon Correspondent for Politico, and Samantha de Be...

What’s life like for the women left behind following the capture of the Mariupol defenders? During the siege of Mariupol, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers held out for several months inside the Azov steel works, until they were eventually instructed to surrender in May 2022. Now prisoners of war, many have not been heard of for months. We’re joined by two women who haven’t seen their husband and br...

Ukraine has again accused Russia of committing war crimes, as a viral video appears to show two unarmed Ukrainian soldiers being shot dead as they attempt to surrender. We look at whether a war crime has been committed, with Kateryna Stepanenko from the Institute for the Study of War, which has been closely monitoring the conflict since day one. And six months on from the Kakhovka Dam explosion, w...

Geolocation, misinformation, verification… we answer your questions on how the BBC monitors and reports on the most important events of the war in Ukraine. Olga Robinson, an editor at BBC Monitoring and Verify specialising in Russian disinformation, and Francis Scarr, a journalist at BBC Monitoring, join Vitaly in the Ukrainecast studio and reveal all. Today’s episode is presented by Vitaly Shevch...

As Ukraine and Russia are hit by “the storm of the century,” how does winter weather affect troops on the front line? The BBC’s Security correspondent, Frank Gardner, and Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse discuss who stands to benefit from bad weather - and Russia’s biggest drone attack on Kyiv yet. And Ukrainian journalist Maria Romanenko, who fled Kyiv in March 2022, joins us from Mancheste...

Last week Sonya’s girlfriend, artist Sasha Skochilenko, was convicted of spreading "false information" about the Russian army for putting anti-war stickers on grocery products. The same day she was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony, Putin pardoned a convicted murderer. Dr Jade McGlynn, Research Fellow, The Department of War Studies at King's College, reflects on what this development mean...

What’s life like inside the Russian-occupied city? We’re joined in the studio by Ukrainian journalist and writer, Mstyslav Chernov, who made the film '20 Days in Mariupol’. He describes what it was like to shoot the documentary from inside Mariupol, which chronicles the Russian invasion of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol in 2022. And Zhanna Bezpiatchuk from the BBC Ukrainian service gives us a...

Thousands of men have fled Ukraine to avoid conscription, according to a BBC investigation. The BBC’s Kateryna Khinkulova joins us in the studio to explore why, as well as the moral dilemma facing those who attempt to escape the draft. Sam Cranny-Evans from the London-based security think-tank, the Royal United Services Institute, examines how the war might pan out in the coming years. And what do...

A new investigation claims a Ukrainian military officer coordinated the attack on Russia's Nord Stream pipelines. But was he acting as a maverick? Or on behalf of Ukraine? We hear from James Waterhouse in Kyiv and Newsnight’s diplomatic editor Mark Urban, and get the latest update on the "stalemate" war. And we catch up with Olga, a teacher from Kherson, who has lived through Russian occupation, c...

In February, Ukrainecast collaborated with BBC Newsnight on a live show to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One of the guests was Elya, who was just 17 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After two weeks hiding with her family in their building’s basement, a missile strike on another floor prompted her to flee. She reunites with Victoria a...

After Ukraine’s commander-in-chief described the war as being at a stalemate, and President Zelensky’s subsequent denial that his country’s efforts are faltering, how is the counter-offensive progressing? We’re joined by military analyst Justin Crump, Catherine Sendak from the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington DC and hear from a soldier on the frontline. Today’s episode is presente...

How serious a threat are landmines to Ukraine? Jasmine Dann from the Halo Trust in Mykolaiv and Paul Heslop at the UN Development Programme in Ukraine answer listener questions about the huge challenge of clearing the millions of landmines in Ukraine. And we hear from the Economist’s Arkady Ostrovsky about his interview with the commander of Ukraine's armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny. Today’s episode...

An antisemitic mob stormed Makhachkala airport in Dagestan over the weekend, looking for Jewish passengers arriving from Israel. What could this violence mean for the Kremlin? To answer this - and more - Victoria and Vitaly chat with author and journalist Oliver Bullough and Nina Khrushcheva, a professor of International Affairs at The New School in New York. Today’s episode is presented by Victor...

Is private military group Redut taking the place of Wagner? Since the death of Russian mercenary leader and oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, a number of groups have been vying to take the place of the Wagner mercenary group he built up. So who are they, what is the difference between them, and who are they recruiting? The BBC’s Lisa Fokht has been investigating... And we hear from Ukrainian composer Ir...

A Ukrainian mother from Kherson whose teenage son was taken to a 'summer camp' by Russian soldiers talks about her epic journey to bring him home. And award-winning film maker Shahida Tulaganova tells us about her new documentary, Ukraine’s Stolen Children. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Keiligh Baker, Clare Williamson, Arsenii Sokolov...

An exiled journalist’s tale of pain and love of Russia… Elena Kostyuchenko speaks to Victoria and Vitaly about reporting on the war in Ukraine, having a hit put out on her and German authorities launching an investigation into her attempted murder after she experienced a sudden - and debilitating - mysterious illness. Also, Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg discusses what a trip to the hairdresser rev...

What winter and new weaponry means for the war… Professor Michael Clarke and Russia analyst Anna Borshchevskaya discuss the importance of the eastern town of Avdiivka, President Putin’s visit to China and how a change in seasons might influence events on the battlefield. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Keiligh Baker, Arsenii Sokolov and...

One woman’s tale of adversity, bravery and hope. Hanna Berezynets gave birth to triplets on February 24, 2022, the same day Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Just a few short hours after the three baby girls were safely delivered at a hospital in Chernihiv, the entire family had to flee to the medical facility’s bomb shelter. Hanna joins Victoria to tell her story. Today’s episode i...

Could Russia use conflict in the Middle East to its advantage? The BBC’s Frank Gardner joins Hanna Notte, a Berlin-based analyst on Russian policy in the Middle East, to discuss what’s been happening in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Today’s episode is presented by James Waterhouse and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Keiligh Baker, Yulia Volovik, Arsenii Sokolov and Ivana Davidovic. The technical...

Vitaly is in a Red Cross humanitarian aid centre in Przemysl, on the Polish-Ukrainian border, finding out what aid workers are doing to help Ukrainian refugees. The BBC’s Kasia Madera, in North Macedonia, explains the up-coming Polish elections and attitudes towards the conflict in the rest of the region. Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Doucet and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Keiligh...

President Zelensky says a Russian strike in the village of Hroza, in eastern Ukraine, has killed at least 51 people, including a six-year-old boy. In this extra episode of Ukrainecast, Victoria is joined by James Waterhouse in Kyiv to find out what we know about the attack. The producers were Keiligh Baker, Arsenii Sokolov and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. The series pro...

Former soldier Shaun Pinner was captured and imprisoned by Russian-backed forces in April 2022 while fighting in the Ukrainian military. In that time, he says he was given electric shocks, tasered and stabbed in the leg. He was also sentenced to death - but almost exactly one year ago, he and four other Britons were released after spending five months in a prison in eastern Ukraine. And US Special...

It’s been six months since the Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich was detained by Russian authorities in March. We’re joined by his friend, Eliot Brown, and his boss, Deborah Ball. And Newsnight’s diplomatic editor, Mark Urban, is in the studio to talk about his experiences on the front-line of the conflict, where he joined the 24th Mechanised Brigade. His producer, Louis Harris-White is also...

Following recent the Ukrainian attack on the HQ of Russia's Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol, is Kyiv getting ready to retake the peninsula? The BBC’s James Waterhouse and defence and security analyst Michael Clarke assess the significance of the Sevastopol strike and discuss the reported death the commander of the Black Sea Fleet. And Maria Tomak, from the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the...