As President Zelensky conducts a whistle stop tour of Europe.... we answer your questions on whether the West is out of touch with the reality of the war and what impact elections in the US and Europe could have on support for Ukraine’s war effort. Victoria is joined by our correspondent in Kyiv...

   How could peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine pan out and are they even a possibility right now Conflict negotiator Oliver McTernan and former UK ambassador to Russia Sir Laurie Bristow discuss the likelihood of both countries coming to the table and what role the US presidential...

   Russia has revealed it will boost its defence spending by a quarter to billion in . But is Putin’s war economy sustainable What does all this mean for life in the country And how could it impact the war The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg joins us from a Moscow supermarket, Russian citizen Gleb’...

   Ambassador John Bolton, who served as National Security Adviser under President Donald Trump, tells Ukrainecast that another Trump presidency would leave Ukraine in a very difficult position and that if re elected Trump would cut off US aid. He also warns against the democratic presidential...

   Donald Trump has held a last minute meeting with President Zelensky despite repeated criticism of the Ukrainian leader on the campaign trail, and a row which erupted with with the Republican party.So is the former president hardening his stance on Ukraine And how do Ukrainians feel about the...

   President Zelensky’s in the US for a diplomatic mission to try and sell President Biden his victory plan’. But what’s in it And can he persuade the Americans to back it Two friends of the pod, defence expert Matthew Savill and Russia expert Angela Stent, join Lyse to assess how it might go down...

   More than half of Ukrainians say they suffer from some kind of mental health issue as a result of the war. Volunteer paramedic, Olha Mamusheva, joins us to discuss her mental health working on the frontline. And journalist Olena Kuk explains why she helped set up Svidok’ an online war journal...

   Sasha Skochilenko spent over two years behind Russian bars before being part of the biggest prisoner exchange since the Cold War. She explains why supermarkets are effective places for protest, what helped her survive in prison and how western prisoners were put in business class on the flight home...

   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...

   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...

   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 days before the full...

   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...

   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...

   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...

   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...

   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...

   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...

   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...

   Does Ukraine’s cross border offensive mark a new chapter in the conflict Reports suggest that Ukrainian troops are operating more than km inside Russian territory the deepest cross border advance by Kyiv since Moscow launched its full scale invasion in February .The BBC’s Ukraine...

   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 , and has since been following developments on the ground. He gives his take on the past,...

   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 detainees from the West including Americans Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan and eight who are returning to Russia.Eastern...

   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...

   While Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was being handed a year jail term last week, another Russian court was sentencing Radio Free Europe editor Alsu Kurmasheva to . years in prison. From marines to ballerinas and journalists, it’s believed that around thirty US citizens are...

   Ukraine’s athletes are preparing to represent their country at the Olympics we speak to m 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...

   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....

   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 ...

   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...

   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...

   World leaders are gathering in Washington for the Nato summit and Ukraine is high on the agenda. The military alliance, which is marking its th 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...

   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...

   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...

   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...

   When Lidiia’s home town in the Donbas region became a battlefield, the year old walked through the fighting to safety km away. Ukrainian police eventually picked her up when they saw her and asked, Hey granny, where are you off to We also hear from Denys Kazanskyi a Ukrainian journalist and...

   On Wednesday, Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in Russia last year goes on trial. Russian officials have accused the Wall Street Journal reporter of collecting secret information from a Russian tank factory for the CIA. An allegation he denies. The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg...

   On the week that Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defence pact, General Sir Richard Shirreff, NATO’s former Deputy Commander for Europe, answers your questions about what this could mean for Ukraine and its allies, where we are with F jets and Patriot air defences, and how to deal with...

   What will Putin’s meeting with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un mean for Ukraine Reports suggest that North Korea is supplying weapons to Russia to use in its war in Ukraine. With the two leaders meeting for the second time in under a year, this growing alliance is making some Western leaders...

   Ukraine rejects Putin’s ceasefire proposal ahead of Swiss peace talks.It’s been a busy week for President Zelensky. At the G meeting in Italy, world leaders agreed on a bn loan to help fund Ukraine’s war effort and a ten year bi lateral security agreement was signed between the US and Ukraine....

   Missile attacks, anxiety, power cuts and mobilisation: the challenges of childbirth and parenthood for a young couple in Kyiv.Iryna and Volodymyr chose to have a baby following the full scale invasion. The stress has meant that Iryna can no longer breast feed, they have lost friends and Volodymyr...

   What are the prospects for any progress at next week’s peace summit in Switzerland, especially if Russia is not there Our Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg and international editor, Jeremy Bowen give us their thoughts and also answer questions on Russia’s economy, whether Russians are worried about...

   One young soldier’s coming of age tale from the battlefield.One of our most asked after regular guests, the young soldier Maksym Lutsyk, returns to the podcast. He’s now years old and we find out about his time on the frontline, how he listens in to secret recordings of Russian soldiers and...

   Dr Fiona Hill joins Victoria and Vitaly to answer questions sent in by Ukrainecast listeners. She’s a former US national intelligence officer and a historian who’s written a book about Putin. They tackle topics about how momentum in the war has shifted, who might succeed Putin and what difference...

   Schools in one of Ukraine’s most dangerous cities have taken evasive action to escape frequent Russian missile strikes. In Kharkiv they’ve opened up temporary classrooms in metro stations to keep children safe from attacks. In this episode we hear from a teacher and a fifteen year old student about...

   A husband and wife’s tale of imprisonment, torture and their campaign to free POWs.Arsenii Fedosiuk, a lieutenant in Ukraine’s Azov Brigade, was one of the soldiers who fought defending the Azovstal steel works and was imprisoned, tortured and subsequently released by the Russians. He’s in London...

   Could Ukraine host fresh elections How could the war end Do we believe Mike Pompeo’s interpretation of how Donald Trump would end the war in hours Victoria and Jamie are joined by General Sir Richard Barrons, former commander of the UK’s Joint Forces Command, to answer these questions from you...

   Donald Trump’s former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, tells Ukrainecast what his old boss really thinks about Ukraine, and what another Trump presidency could mean for the war. He also talks about whether he’d take another top job in the White House.Today’s episode is presented by Victoria...

   Russia has launched a surprise offensive into the Kharkiv region, in one of its most significant ground attacks since the start of the war. So is this the start of the much anticipated summer offensive We hear from Olesiia, a Kharkiv resident, who fled the city with her children, and says the...

   What does the competition mean for Ukrainians Lucy is joined by Eurovision reporter Daniel Rosney, who is in the Swedish city of Malmo, which plays host to Eurovision’s grand final on Saturday. Tymofii Muzychuk, who won Eurovision in with the Kalush Orchestra, tells us what life has been like...

   Vladimir Putin has been sworn in as Russia’s president for a new six year term, just days before Russia’s annual Victory Day military parade on May.But why does this annual event, marking victory over Nazi Germany in , matter so much to Russia now We speak to Alexander Goncharov a former...

   It’s days since Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine. We answer your questions on whether Russia has used chemical weapons, could Western troops ever be deployed, what the prospects are for peace, and at what cost To help do this Victoria and Vitaly are joined by two friends of...

   Ukraine’s longest serving official on death, exile and Vladimir Putin...Victoria and Vitaly speak to Oleksiy Reva, the mayor of Bakhmut, who has been in his position since .The town he runs was the focus of one of the bloodiest battles of the war so far, and is now mostly in ruin.He discusses...