logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2022
35m 21s

The 19-year-old soldier

BBC News
About this episode

Victoria and Vitaly speak to 19-year-old Maksym Lutskyi, a Ukrainian soldier who is preparing to return to the front line after being wounded and losing his commander who died saving his life.

Andrey Stavnitser, one of the richest businessmen in Ukraine, and co-owner of the major shipping terminals near Odessa, describes the impact the blockade is having on the country’s economy. He also explains why he asked the army to shell his own home after it became occupied by Russians.

And we hear from Kees Haiziinga, a farmer from central Ukraine, who says he is worried he’ll only be able to get a fraction of his harvest out.

This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Estelle Doyle with Osman Iqbal and Arsenii Sokolov. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The planning producer is Louise Hidalgo. The editor is 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 1239480.

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 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 2024
Ukraine desperately needs new soldiers
Stories are spreading from the front lines about lack of basic training for Ukrainian troops sent into battle. This is just one of the challenges Ukraine faces as it tries to address a critical shortage of soldiers amid a Russian offensive. In this episode:  Mansur Mirovalev (@mi ... Show More
19m 8s
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: 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
Aug 2022
EP42: What now for Ilyas, Seva, Oksana & Ukraine? (Aug 15-19)
It’s almost six months to the day since Russia invaded Ukraine. Throughout that time, Seva, Oksana and Ilyas have been documenting the dramatic changes in their lives, brought about by war. In this special edition of Ukraine War Diaries we ask each to answer the same question – w ... Show More
11m 57s
Feb 2023
One year of war in Ukraine
Tommy and Ben look back on a year of war in Ukraine and discuss what people got wrong, lessons learned, and where things stand today. Then, Ben and Tommy talk to reporters and Ukrainians about the war including FT reporter and longtime Ukraine resident Christopher Miller, 18-year ... Show More
1h 37m
Apr 2023
Guerre en Ukraine : blessé à Dmytrivka, soigné à Minneapolis... le périple du soldat Danyl Melnyk
Il n’est plus le même depuis le début de la guerre en Ukraine, mais Danyl Melnyk, soldat ukrainien de 19 ans, se tient de nouveau sur ses jambes. Amputé des pieds et d’une main après avoir été blessé sur le front, il peut de nouveau courir grâce à des prothèses dernier cri, offer ... Show More
18m 48s
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
Feb 2023
EP68 - One year, three lives & our stories of war (Feb 25)
In an extended episode to mark one year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ilyas, Oksana and Seva come together for the first time as a group, to share just some of what impacted them most in the last 12 months and to consider what the future holds? OUR DIARISTS Oksana, 35, w ... Show More
22m 56s