Disappeared in Ukraine

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.4 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 22 February 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kate Adie presents stories from Ukraine, the United States, The Gambia and Uzbekistan. Its three years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, during which time hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or injured - though others have simply disappeared without trace. Sarah Rainsford travelled to Ukraine, where she met one woman trying to find out what happened to her parents after they were detained during Russia's occupation of her home town. US President Donald Trump has pledged to curb government waste by cutting spending. Under review are the billions of dollars set aside for research grants, intended for universities and scientific institutions. At the annual gathering of one of the country’s oldest scientific societies, which took place in Boston last week, Sandra Kanthal found a decidedly dampened mood. Each year thousands of people leave sub-Saharan Africa in hope of reaching Europe and forging a better life. It's a dangerous and potentially deadly journey - and for some the challenge is just too much. So what happens after they return home? Alex Last went to The Gambia to find out. The city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan is located on the route of the legendary Silk Road, and in the Middle Ages it became a major intellectual hub of the Islamic world. It's also home to a centuries-old Jewish community, which over generations blended culture with the Muslim community. Post-Soviet emigration means it's now much smaller than it used to be, but Monica Whitlock met one man who is still happy to call Bukhara home.

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:05.2	Hello, today we're in the US where President Trump's sweeping cuts are hitting home for the country's research scientists.
0:14.6	In the Gambia, a son reunites with his mother after dreams of a new life in Europe disintegrate. And in Uzbekistan,
0:24.0	we hear how Muslim and Jewish communities have shared a blended culture shaped over centuries.
0:30.5	But first to Ukraine. This Monday will mark three years since Russia began its full-scale invasion.
0:39.4	And while a potential end to the conflict is on the horizon, the terms on which that's agreed remain deeply uncertain. While Saudi Arabia
0:46.9	hosted talks between American and Russian representatives this week, there was a notable absence
0:53.0	after Ukraine was excluded from the meeting.
0:56.6	The conflict has been devastating for many towns and cities across Ukraine, with millions of
1:03.1	civilians forced to leave their homes. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or injured,
1:08.9	too. But there are also many who have simply disappeared.
1:14.2	Our correspondent Sarah Rainsford traveled to Ukraine where she met families left wondering what has happened to their loved ones.
1:22.7	As Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine stretched towards three years of fighting, a young woman called Ludmila gave a DNA sample to investigators.
1:32.3	It's meant to help identify her father if a body is ever found.
1:37.3	His name is Aliyeh Plachkov, and in September, 23, he and his wife Tatyiana were detained by Russian security forces and disappeared.
1:48.5	This was in Melatopal, in southeastern Ukraine, an area occupied by Russia at the start of its full-scale invasion and fully under its control.
1:59.3	Ljbmila now knows her mother died in custody,
2:02.4	but there's still no trace of her father.
2:06.0	The Plachkov story is one of pain and loss,
2:10.3	something Ukrainians have come to know well
2:12.5	as their country has been forced to defend itself.
2:16.0	But it is also a story of strength and determination,
	...

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