logo
episode-header-image
May 2022
37m 4s

What are Russians thinking?

BBC News
About this episode

Why are so many of them avoiding “disturbing information” about Ukraine?

Victoria and Vitaly are joined by Lyse Doucet, who is in Dnipro, where rows of graves are being dug in anticipation of more people being killed in the war.

Grigory Yudin, from the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, tells us more about public opinion in Russia and about what it’s like to publicly speak out against the war while living there.

And Ukraine are through to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. We speak to the country's commentator, Timur Miroshnychenko, who was broadcasting for the semi-final from a temporary studio in a bomb shelter.

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Osman Iqbal and Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham. The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.

Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 0330 1234 220.

Up next
Dec 2025
A Moscow car bomb and Putin’s telethon
There’s lots of news from Moscow where a Russian general died on Monday morning after an explosive device planted under his car was detonated.He is the third military official to be killed in such an attack this year alone, with authorities pointing the finger at Ukraine's intell ... Show More
32m 28s
Dec 2025
Q&A: Is this Europe’s last chance to bankroll Ukraine?
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that his army will struggle to fight on effectively if a crunch European summit ends without a solution to an imminent deficit in Kyiv's finances. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has referred to European leaders as "piglets" as he dismi ... Show More
26 m
Dec 2025
Will Russia accept US-Ukraine peace proposals?
Volodymyr Zelensky has been in Berlin discussing peace proposals with the US, and he says they will be ready to present to Russia ‘within days’.Today, he addressed European leaders The Netherlands' House of Representatives in The Hague.We also discuss why Italy has joined Belgium ... Show More
28m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2022
Ukrainecast: What is Putin thinking?
As fighting continues in Ukraine, Victoria Derbyshire and Gabriel Gatehouse look at how the crisis is being reflected in Russia. They’re joined by Angus Roxburgh, who spent three years as a consultant to the Kremlin, to discuss whether the people closest to Putin will stay loyal ... Show More
44m 29s
Feb 2022
Ukrainecast: The Battle for Kyiv
Ukraine government gives out guns as Russian forces approach... Victoria, Gabriel and Vitaliy talk through how the conflict has unfolded. Olga Malchevska, from the BBC Ukrainian Service in London, tells of how her family home was targeted, and Newsnight’s diplomatic editor Mark U ... Show More
34m 34s
Feb 2022
A phone call from Ukraine
Kurii Vasyl and his niece Yulya try to make sense of Russia’s invasion of their country. And Kyiv Independent reporter Igor Kossov explains the latest from Ukraine’s capital. This episode was produced by Will Reid and Victoria Chamberlin, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered ... Show More
23m 29s
Feb 2023
Ukrainecast: 12 months on
Ukrainians gather for a special broadcast at the BBC Radio Theatre, hosted by Ukrainecast and Newsnight. They share their fears for families at home, feelings of guilt about escaping to safety and the need for justice. Host Victoria Derbyshire, BBC Monitoring’s Russia editor Vita ... Show More
37m 58s
Mar 2022
How Russians See the War in Ukraine
<p>Russians and Ukrainians are deeply connected. Millions of Ukrainians have relatives in Russia. Many have lived in the country.</p><p>But Moscow has taken steps to shield its people from open information about the war, even as its bombing campaign intensifies.</p><p>When Ukrain ... Show More
23m 42s
Feb 2022
Ukrainecast
Russian forces launch a full-scale assault and 100,000 people try to flee... This episode is a special Ukrainecast hosted by BBC's Victoria Derbyshire and Newsnight's Gabriel Gatehouse, alongside Vitaliy Shevchenko, the Russia editor at BBC Monitoring. Today's podcast was produce ... Show More
37m 46s
Mar 2022
Why Ukraine won’t quit
Millions of people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s war begin. We check back in with Kurii Vasyl, who stayed behind, and his niece Yulya, who fled. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard ... Show More
24m 41s