Ukrainecast BBC News

While Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was being handed a 16 year jail term last week, another Russian court was sentencing Radio Free Europe editor Alsu Kurmasheva to 6.5 years in prison.

From marines to ballerinas and journalists, it’s believed that around thirty US citizens are currently incarcerated in Russian. So are they being arrested and how do the families of those detained manage, often without regular contact with their loved ones?

Ukrainecast speaks to Alsu Kurmasheva’s husband Pavel Butorin, professor Angela Stent from Georgetown University and the BBCs Steve Rosenberg.
Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.

The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Di Richardson. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Richard Fenton-Smith.

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

Ukraine’s athletes are preparing to represent their country at the Olympics - we speak to 400m hurdler Victoriya Tkachuk about the difficulties of training in a warzone as her brother fights on the frontline.
Greco-Roman wrestler Zhan Beleniuk won Ukraine’s only gold medal in Tokyo, and will be trying to retain it in Paris. He’s also a Ukrainian MP and told us about his opposition to the limited inclusion of Russian athletes at this year’s games.
And to discuss how the Olympics finds itself stuck in the middle of a global diplomatic row, we’re joined by Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at Skema Business School in Paris.
Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.
The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Nathan Gower. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The editor is Richard Fenton-Smith.

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

On Friday's episode we spoke to BBC political editor Chris Mason about his exclusive interview with President Zelensky. We thought that you might like to hear the whole of that - so in this episode you can hear the Ukrainian leader's conversation in full...

The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Richard Fenton-Smith.

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

At the end of a week in which fears were raised across Ukraine about the future of American and European aid towards the war effort, we ask Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, whether the West could be growing tired of supporting Kyiv.
And what’s it like to interview President Zelensky? The BBC's political editor, Chris Mason, joins Ukrainecast to reflect on his chat with the Ukrainian leader.
Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Doucet and Vitaly Shevchenko.

The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Cordelia Hemming. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Richard Fenton-Smith.

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

Last week at the Nato summit, leaders called China a ‘decisive enabler’ of the war in Ukraine - a statement that Beijing denies.
So what is China’s role in this conflict?
We’re joined by historian Rana Mitter and Spectator journalist Cindy Yu to try and make sense of it all.
Today’s episode is presented by James Coomarasamy and Vitaly Shevchenko.

The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Cordelia Hemming. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Richard Fenton-Smith.

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

As the dust settles on the Nato summit in Washington, we decode the diplomatic agreements and ask how much help it offers Ukraine. Matthew Savill from the London-based defence think-tank RUSI breaks down what the commitments might mean for Ukraine on the battlefield, as well as the geopolitical implications of Joe Biden’s continuing stumbles.
Kyiv has now suffered its worst week this year with 33 killed and 125 injured following the devastating set of strikes across Ukraine, including on a children’s hospital in the capital. We hear one young mother’s search for her daughter, who she feared had been buried under the rubble.
Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.
The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Cordelia Hemming, Sanjana Idnani and Nathan Gower. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas.
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