logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
29m 9s

Black Sea Ports Under Attack

BBC News
About this episode

Will the collapse of the UN grain deal and attack on port cities in Ukraine affect food security?

James Waterhouse joins us from a grain processing plant in Poltava and we also hear from Oksana Karabin, who works for Ukraine's biggest grain exporter Kernel. Their terminal was shelled this week destroying 60 tonnes of grain.

And we return to the issue of the forced deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia. We hear from Vice correspondent Isobel Yeung and the BBC’s Kateryna Khinkulova - two journalists who’ve been investigating the story for several months.

Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Lyse Doucet.

The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Tom Smithard. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480.

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
Ukraine targets the Black Sea Fleet, Russian missile strikes hit cities and grain deal in jeopardy
Day 250. Today, we discuss Monday morning’s massive missile strikes against Ukrainian cities that left thousands of people without electricity and water, analyse the impact of Russia’s exit from the Black Sea Grain Deal and report on the Ukrainian attack on the Black Sea Fleet on ... Show More
1h 2m
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
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
Jun 2022
Has the war in Ukraine sparked a global food crisis?
Each year, Ukraine exports enough food to feed 400 million people around the world. But the Russian invasion has disrupted vital trade routes, trapping an estimated 25 million tonnes of grain in silos around the port city of Odesa. The African Union describes the situation as a c ... Show More
22m 58s