logo
episode-header-image
May 2022
37m 35s

The Battle for the Donbas

BBC News
About this episode

Vitaly and Victoria hear from 19 year old Maksym Lutskyi, a soldier fighting in the Donbas where the Ukrainian army is under increasing pressure. He’s aware Russian forces might encircle him any time soon, but says he will fight on regardless.

Also, a listener based in Moscow explains how he’s been trying to bring Russians with opposite views of the conflict together and engage in a meaningful dialogue.

And another listener sends us a picture of a literal Ukraine-cast…

Today’s Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Alix Pickles, Osman Iqbal and Louise Hidalgo. 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
Oct 9
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: 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
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
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: 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 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
Jun 2022
Ukraine: The fight for the Donbas
The fight for Ukraine has become a Battle for the Donbas, as Putin's army concentrates its forces in the southeast. The fiercest fighting is being waged for the city of Severodonetsk. So why is this city so important to both sides? And how will the outcome change the course of th ... Show More
31m 58s
Jan 2022
Rhetoric and reality in the fight for Ukraine
Today, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after a week of escalation over the future of Ukraine. Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly was in Ukraine earlier this week, expressing Canada's support for the country. But Ottawa Citizen ... Show More
23m 18s
Feb 2022
"Full tonto"
The UK Defence Secretary says Putin has made a mistake... Simon Smith, former British Ambassador to Ukraine (when Russia annexed Crimea and Russian-backed rebels took over parts of the Donbas region), and the BBC’s Carrie Davies in Rostov-on-Don (near the Ukrainian border) join A ... Show More
28m 32s
Jan 2023
Tanksgiving
Is the West’s supply of tanks to Ukraine a game-changer?Adam is joined by Ukrainecast’s Vitaly Shevchenko and BBC Europe editor Katya Adler to discuss whether the delivery of battle tanks from Washington and Berlin to Kyiv will make any kind of difference in the war against Russi ... Show More
29m 39s