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
Yesterday
Q&A: Proxy wars, drone walls, and Russian supply lines
How might Russia respond to the potential delivery of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine? What can Europe do to win round Hungary's Viktor Orbán? And what would a drone wall to protect Europe actually look like?To answer your questions, Jamie and Vitaly are joined by Ukraine correspond ... Show More
30m 37s
Oct 7
Is Russia using my childhood home as a military base?
Vitaly’s home village of Verkhnya Krynytsya in the Zaporizhzhia region was occupied by Russia shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Now, in a Ukrainecast exclusive, he tells Victoria why it’s likely his childhood home is being used as a base by the ... Show More
20m 5s
Oct 2
Q&A: Russia's veto power, Nato's Article 5, and Putin's succession plan
Is Ukraine seeing an exodus of young men? Why does Russia have veto power over UN resolutions? And would Moscow defend Minsk if Nato allies invoked Article 5 in response to an attack by Belarus?To answer your questions, Lucy Hockings is joined by senior digital journalist Laura G ... Show More
29m 38s
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
Mar 2022
Newscast + Ukrainecast
As talks between Russia and Ukraine fail again, the human toll of the war is escalating. Laura, Chris and Adam are joined by Gabriel Gatehouse of Ukrainecast, to discuss the latest developments in both countries, and try to work out what President Putin and his small circle of “s ... Show More
31m 59s
Mar 2022
Special: Global News Ukrainecast part 2
A month since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are collaborating with Ukrainecast again. We answer more of your questions.Jackie Leonard, presenter of the Global News Podcast, alongside Gabriel Gatehouse and Vitaliy Shevchenko from Ukrainecast, guide us through questions about ... Show More
32m 49s
Oct 2022
Strikes Across Ukraine
Russian missiles hit Ukrainian cities as Putin threatens "harsh" action.We get the latest on Monday’s deadly blasts with the BBC’s International Editor, Jeremy Bowen, and Ukrainecast host, Vitaliy Shevchenko. They discuss President Putin’s motivation, the risk of further "escalat ... Show More
32m 28s
Feb 2023
How Does Ukraine Continue to Beat Back Russia?
February 24 marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin believed the country’s military would be defeated quickly and Kyiv, the capital, would fall. Instead, Ukraine’s clever, nimble — and motivated — military has fought back Russia’s forces desp ... Show More
31m 31s
Apr 2022
Ukraine : les Russes se replient, les exactions se multiplient
Le 2 avril, l’armée ukrainienne reprend le contrôle de toute la région de Kiev, après le retrait des troupes russes de cette zone, annoncée le 24 mars par le Kremlin.  La reconquête de la capitale met plus que jamais en lumière l’horreur de ce conflit. À Boutcha, une commune en r ... Show More
22m 50s
Mar 2022
Ukraine's Foreign Legion
When President Zelensky put a call out for fighters to join the defence of Ukraine against the Russian assault, an estimated 20,000 answered - including Shane Matthew, a former member of the British Army. As we mark a month since the start of the war in Ukraine, what is life like ... Show More
27m 58s
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
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister On What His Country Needs To Combat Russia
Fareed gets the latest in a report from CNN’s Clarissa Ward on the ground in Kyiv. Then, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tells Fareed why NATO should declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and how individuals and companies all over the world can help the Ukrainian cause. Plu ... Show More
40m 13s