Frontman on the frontline
Ukrainecast
BBC
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 15 August 2022
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
From performing with Ed Sheeran to becoming an army paramedic. We hear from Taras Topolia, lead singer in the Ukrainian band Antytila, about his transformation from frontman to physician. BBC Russian’s Liza Fokht discusses what her sources in the Kremlin are saying about what Vladimir Putin is up to at the moment. Is there any hope of the war ending at the negotiating table? And the BBC’s Kyiv correspondent, James Waterhouse, takes us onto the streets of the capital to describe the mood. This episode of Ukrainecast was made by Daniel Wittenberg with Ivana Davidovic and Arsenii Sokolov. The planning producer was Louise Hidalgo. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham.
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.
UK listeners can watch 'Frontline Frontmen' on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0cs677h/frontline-frontmen.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:04.9 | Hello, it's 173 days since Russian forces invaded Ukraine. |
| 0:09.9 | And James Waterhouse is back with us. Hi, James. |
| 0:12.5 | Hi, Victoria. |
| 0:13.6 | And last week, James, on the podcast, |
| 0:15.1 | you talked about pockets of normality in Kiev. |
| 0:18.8 | And so we wanted a much more specific idea of what it's like, |
| 0:22.7 | and we asked you to paint a picture of the streets of the capital. |
| 0:28.5 | It's a question I get asked a lot on Ukraine cast. |
| 0:31.6 | And I thought, I'd head out with my producer, Anna Chornous. |
| 0:36.5 | We headed to Sir Michael's Square, |
| 0:39.2 | next to the beautiful shape of Sir Michael's Cathedral. |
| 0:42.5 | It sits on a UNESCO heritage site, |
| 0:45.4 | as it felt like the right place to get a sense of contrast. |
| 0:51.0 | I remember the days early March when this place, |
| 0:55.4 | this square was empty. |
| 0:57.8 | It was like a ghost town. |
| 0:59.4 | You wouldn't see people, wouldn't see cars, |
| 1:02.0 | only soldiers at the checkpoints nearby. |
| 1:05.6 | People were scared. |
| 1:07.9 | People were angry. |
| 1:09.4 | Yeah, very much so, absolutely. |
... |
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