logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
28m 29s

BBC investigation: Russian soldiers trea...

BBC News
About this episode

A new investigation by BBC Eye, using just open source material and social media posts, follows the journey of a young Russian solider - from his conscription and training to his disappearance on the bloody Ukrainian front-line. Journalist Ned Davies reveals how they produced the shocking documentary.

And despite still being at war, Ukraine has started to re-build damaged cities like Bucha - often with large sums of money. BBC Radio 4 reporter Tim Whewell visited the city to meet the people behind the projects and spoke to some of those who are making allegations of corruption.

Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Olga Robinson. The producers were Keiligh Baker, Arsenii Sokolov and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Lucy Boast. 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

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord

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
Mar 2024
Hidden reality of frontline combat through the eyes of Ukraine's soldiers
In a new BBC documentary, a single Ukrainian infantry company find themselves in a life or death battle to defend the eastern front against intense Russian attacks.Jamie Roberts tells us how he managed to get such rare access and what the fate of these men tells us about the real ... Show More
26m 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
Feb 2023
Ukraine War: From Our Own Correspondents
The BBC’s foreign reporters assemble and discuss the war. Adam is joined by Lyse Doucet and Jeremy Bowen in Kyiv, John Simpson in Lviv, Sarah Smith in Warsaw and Steve Rosenberg in Moscow, following two high-stakes speeches from Presidents Putin and Biden.Clive Myrie also "dials ... Show More
32m 24s
Feb 2024
Ukraine frontline: ordinary lives in extraordinary times
A surgeon in a wheelchair, an indomitable grandmother, and a man taking care of eight cats in a bombed-out flat: just some of people the BBC’s Andrew Harding has met on repeat trips to Ukraine’s front lines. He and the BBC’s Olga Robinson, who has family in Russia and Ukraine, ta ... Show More
26m 45s
Oct 2022
Ukraine recaptures settlements, we're live in Kharkiv & what motivates Russians to join Putin's conscript army
Day 224Today, we discuss the latest updates from the battlefront as fierce fighting rages across Ukraine. We also hear about the situation in the north as our Senior Foreign Correspondent Roland Oliphant calls in from Kharkiv. And we discuss our Russia Correspondent Nataliya Vasi ... Show More
1h 1m
Mar 2022
Ukraine latest and tackling 'Londongrad'
<p>Russia’s invasion of Ukraine became more brutal this week, with urban bombardment of civilians. We discuss what is likely&nbsp;to happen next and the west’s response. Plus, we explore whether the UK is doing enough to tackle dodgy Russian money in London and what further sanct ... Show More
34m 39s
Jun 2024
Ukraine's children: Growing up under fire
The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 changed the lives of students, shop keepers and nurses who unexpectedly found themselves fighting for their country. It has also transformed childhood, with many young people seeing fathers, brothers and sisters head to the front ... Show More
28m 8s