logo
episode-header-image
May 2022
30m 24s

Zaporizhzhia under attack

BBC News
About this episode

Vitaly's home town is struck

Two areas of the southern city of Zaporizhzhia have been struck by Russian missiles, leaving one person dead and three others wounded. Whilst Russian forces are centering their offensive on Eastern Ukraine, Russian forces are now in control of much of the big Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine’s South. We hear from Kostyantyn, a factory worker from Zaporizhya who describes waking up to the sound of explosions during the night.

Also, we speak to the mayor of Meritopol Ivan Federov who was abducted and held by Russian forces for five days before being freed in a prisoner swap.

And we answer listener questions on conscription and President Putin’s ambitions as well as getting the latest from Davos.

Vitaly and Lewis are joined by Kateryna Khinkulova from BBC World Service who is from Kyiv.

Today’s Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Osman Iqbal, Louise Hidalgo and Clare Williamson. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The editor was Sam Bonham.

You can email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments or send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 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
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 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
Ukrainecast: The Resistance
Ukrainians, from Kyiv to the UK, answer calls to defend their country. The capital has come under attack, but the residents and their president remain defiant, and Russian forces have so far failed to break through their resistance.Maxim Karaush was at home with family when their ... Show More
36m 42s
May 2023
The latest from eastern Ukraine
Ukrainian forces are now using long range “storm shadow” missiles provided by the UK to strike Russian targets, CNN reports, with the use of these weapons coming just one week after the UK announced it had delivered them to Ukraine. It comes at a moment when the war-torn country ... Show More
56m 17s