The former head of the CIA, General David Petraeus, tells Ukrainecast why he thinks President Putin is bluffing after he warned the West against allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons to target Russia. Lucy is in Washington DC where the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is meeting President Biden to discuss Ukraine. There are strong indications that they will agree to lift restrictions on Ukraine using such missiles against targets inside Russia. And James Waterhouse gives reaction...

Your questions answered on the US election, Pokrovsk and guerrilla warfare… With Donald Trump and Kamala Harris facing-off in their only scheduled presidential debate this week, we assess whether the election might accelerate any potential peace deal in Ukraine. BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera joins Vitaly and Lucy to also discuss how strategically important the capture of Pokrovsk is for both sides and what evidence we have that Ukraine is waging a guerrilla war in the Russian...

With Russia launching nearly daily attacks against Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, the UK’s former defence secretary, Sir Ben Wallace, is in the Ukrainecast studio to give his take on what the strikes signify. He also reflects on his visit to Moscow which took place just 10 days before the full-scale invasion. And we hear from residents in Lviv and Kyiv who were hit by the attacks this week. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire, James Waterhouse and Vitaly Shevchenko. The...

A Russian missile strike has killed dozens of people in the Ukrainian city of Poltava. Hundreds more are reported to have been wounded in what Ukraine's Ministry of Defence has called a "barbaric attack". We have the latest updates and analysis as the story unfolds. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Clare Williamson, Cordelia Hemming and Ivana Davidovic. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The series producer is Tim...

Has Kyiv’s gamble to take Kursk paid off? Lyse and Vitaly examine whether Russian advances on the key Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk raise questions about the success of the cross-border incursion, as well as answer some of your questions. And we hear from Ukraine's Paralympic swimmer, Yaroslav Denysenko, who shares how the Russian full-scale invasion has impacted his life and training. Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Doucet and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Diane...

Russia has launched another wave of strikes on Ukraine, with at least four people killed, a day after one of its biggest air attacks of the war. We assess whether the strikes are a retaliation for Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region which began three weeks ago. Nicholas Connolly, correspondent for Deutsche Welle, gives us the view from Kyiv, just one of the areas targeted. He also recently visited Sudzha, the Russian border-town in the Kursk region which is held by Ukraine, and explains...

Broadcaster and writer Stephen Fry has travelled to Ukraine to see how war is impacting the country’s mental health. He joins Lyse and Vitaly in the studio to discuss his new documentary ‘Stephen Fry into Ukraine’, in which he speaks to those affected and asks whether there is sufficient government support. He also reflects on his own struggles with mental health and why Ukraine matters to him. ‘Stephen Fry into Ukraine’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FO6ZJL26eM If you have been affected...

Ukrainian forces entered Russia two weeks ago, but just how vulnerable has their advance left them? We hear from Ostap, a Ukrainian Officer on the frontline in Pokrovsk. And English teacher, Anastasia tells us how the incursion has left Ukrainians feeling in Kharkiv. Plus, BBC Ukraine correspondent, James Waterhouse, is on hand to help us understand what’s been happening on the Ukraine-Russia border. Today’s episode is presented by Jamie Coomarasamy and Vitaly Shevchenko. The...

What’s life like in Kursk, following Ukraine’s cross-border offensive? We hear from Zhenya, a Kursk resident, who gives us a rare glimpse into life in the region since the Ukrainian incursion began. And the defence expert Matthew Savill from the Royal United Services Institute is in the studio to answer your listener questions. What’s Kursk like? How long can Ukraine feasibly hold it? And is a Russian nuclear response on the cards? Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and Vitaly...

How has the shock cross-border offensive gone down in Russia? We hear from Nikita, whose family and friends live in Kursk, about what they’ve been witnessing and how worried they are. BBC Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, tells us how this is going down in the Kremlin and what President Putin might down next And Olga Robinson from BBC Verify is in the studio to help us understand the picture more clearly. Today’s episode is presented by Jamie Coomarasamy and Vitaly Shevchenko. The...

Does Ukraine’s cross-border offensive mark a new chapter in the conflict? Reports suggest that Ukrainian troops are operating more than 10km inside Russian territory - the deepest cross-border advance by Kyiv since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The BBC’s Ukraine Correspondent James Waterhouse discusses what might be the reasons behind this new direction for Ukraine? And how do Ukraine’s Western allies see it? Plus, Lucy and Vitaly talk to Michael ‘Mickey’ Bergman...

We’re joined by war correspondent, Luke Harding, who has reported extensively from Ukraine and Russia for the Guardian. He was in Ukraine the moment Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and has since been following developments on the ground. He gives his take on the past, present and future of the war. We also discuss the long anticipated arrival of the American-made F-16 fighter jets, and assess what difference they will make. Today’s episode is presented by Lucy...

24 prisoners who have been held in six countries have been released in the largest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War. The exchange involved 16 detainees from the West - including Americans Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan - and eight who are returning to Russia. Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford has been in regular contact with some of those who have now been swapped, and gives us her reaction and security correspondent Gordon Corera explains what Russia...

Is support for peace deal growing among Ukrainians? Between President Zelensky saying Russia should attend a peace summit in November, and a recent poll suggesting that more Ukrainians would now accept some territorial concessions, we assess whether the mood is changing. Dr Patricia Lewis who leads the International Security programme at Chatham House gives her take. Victoria and Vitaly are also joined by Vitaly Pashchenko, a student in Kyiv and Oleksii Svid, who lives in Kharkiv, who have...

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...

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...

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 [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330...

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...

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...

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...

World leaders are gathering in Washington for the Nato summit and Ukraine is high on the agenda. The military alliance, which is marking its 75th anniversary, will also be closely watching US President Joe Biden whose recent halting debate performance has left many wondering if he’s up for the task. Kurt Volker, former US Ambassador to Nato, tells us whether he thinks the alliance could survive a Trump presidency. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. ...

Russia has carried out a series of deadly airstrikes across Ukraine, a day before a NATO summit opens in Washington. In the capital Kyiv, a children's hospital was hit. In this extra episode of Ukrainecast, Victoria and Vitaly discuss how and why the attack happened, as well as its fallout. Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Sanjana Idnani and Cordelia Hemming. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The series...

There are number of elections taking place across Europe many have seen a move to the right. At the same time the Hungarian president, Victor Orban, who holds the current presidency of the European Union is in Moscow just a few days after he was in Kyiv. To talk about what this all means for Ukraine we put your questions to the BBC’s France correspondent Andrew Harding and Armida van Rij who heads up the Europe programme at Chatham House. Today’s episode is presented by Lucy Hockings and...

Serhiy Gulko made a difficult choice to finish his medical degree at Moscow State University after Russia attacked his homeland, Ukraine. Two years later, he was arrested for speaking out against the war on social media. Serhiy tells us about his experience in detention and whether ordinary Russians support the war. And Oleg Kozlovsky, an Amnesty International Russian researcher, tells us about the extreme measures taken to repress protest in the country. Today’s episode is presented by...