BACK STORY with DANA LEWIS Dana Lewis

On this Back Story - you've heard a lot about the land war in Ukraine, but soon there may be international efforts to break the Russian Black Sea Naval blockade.

The World's food supply may count on it.  Russia is holding back commercial vessels that need to set sail for Asia and Africa with Ukraines massive harvest of grain. 

Host Dana Lewis talks to Sir Lawrence David Freedman Professor of war Studies at King's College London who says a UN coalition of the willing could free up sea lanes. 

And (Ret) Lt. General Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. Army Europe who says the Russian navy needs to be forced back from naval corridors so food can be exported. 

On this Back Story host Dana Lewis talks to Soufan's Colin Clarke, on why this shooting in Buffalo happened. Guns and hatred in America.

Nicolas Tenzer at the Centre for European Policy Analysis on why talk of a ceasefire in Ukraine now would be a critical error playing into Putin's hands. 

And Finland and Swedens bid to join NATO - Henri Vanhanen explains why Finland wants to join and what it means for Europe. 

On this Back Story Sir. Mark Lyall Grant, the former National Security Advisor for Britain, says Ukraine may be forced to settle for a Russian seizure of the larger Donbas region, as the war looks set to drag on.   But it will be a long term conflict, not easily solved.

And William Alberque is Director of Strategy, Technology, and Arms Control at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and says Russia won't be able to stop Finland and Sweden from joining NATO.  And he says if Russia resorted to the use of a tactical nuclear weapon, it would face retaliation from America and nuclear powers in Europe.

On this edition of Back Story the sinking of the Russian Warship Moskva, and was it really hit by Ukrainian cruise missiles?  

Host Dana Lewis asks naval expert, former British Rear Admiral John Gower  -who thinks it likely was sunk in an attack.

And no planting, no crops, no food.  The war in Ukraine will create huge aftershocks for the world food supply says David McNair of the One Campaign. 

On this Back Story can badly battered Russian forces regroup and take eastern Ukraine?

We talk to (Ret) Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commander U.S. Army Europe who says Putin is looking to claim the east of Ukraine but is unlikely to do so, and Ukraine won't now easily accept a cease fire because of warcrimes.

And there are many frightening parallels between Syria and whats happening in Ukraine, says Hanna Notte, Senior Research Associate with the Vienna Centre for Disarmament and NonProliferation .

One month since the war was launched, without provocation ,on Ukraine by Russia, there is talk of peace, or at least a ceasefire. 

But there are huge gaps in how the two sides see this being resolved and the fighting is ongoing. 

On this Back Story Dana Lewis talks with the Int. Crisis Group Olga Oliker who says the two sides don't yet appear ready for a deal. 

And (Ret) Brig General Kevin Ryan, a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs., on who is Putin really, and what can we expect him to do in Ukraine as the fighting stalls?