Summary
It’s nearly 500 days since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began and it seems nowhere is safe. The western city of Lviv, a haven for refugees far away from the front line, has been hit by Russian missiles killing ten civilians. We hear from Olga Pona, a local journalist, about her night of terror sheltering in a basement car park.
We catch up with student and friend of the podcast Vitalii Pashchenko on his graduation day. He tells us about his plans for the future. And as US journalist Evan Gershkovich spends his 100th day in a Russian jail, we speak to his good friend Polina Ivanova about his wellbeing and the campaign to free him.
Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaliy Shevchenko with Frank Gardner. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson, Ivana Davidovic and Tom Smithard. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Tim Walklate and the editor is 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
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:04.9 | Hello, it's 499 days since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. |
| 0:11.0 | Can't believe we're even saying those words. 499 days where the courage, fortitude, determination, |
| 0:21.4 | resilience, pain are for those on the front line we need to remember every single day. |
| 0:28.1 | Are those who are behind the front lines as well? |
| 0:30.1 | Yeah, sure. |
| 0:31.1 | Of course. |
| 0:33.1 | Yeah. |
| 0:34.1 | But if you're on the front line bloody hell, that is grim. |
| 0:38.1 | We're in the back of the ambulance now heading to the main hospital. |
| 0:45.1 | The young man's name, the injured man, is Olyek. |
| 0:48.1 | He's 19 years old and he's in very bad shape. |
| 0:52.1 | He's just coming round from the drugs that they've given him. |
| 0:57.1 | And he's in some discomfort. |
| 1:00.1 | There's a doctor here on an anesthetist called Ena who's working with him. |
| 1:06.1 | She says she's very worried about spinal injuries that he may have which could affect the rest of his life. |
| 1:18.1 | This was Andrew Harding reporting from Eastern Ukraine as Ukraine's counteroffensive enters its second month. |
| 1:26.1 | Today also marks some happier news for one of our friends here on Ukrainecast. |
| 1:32.1 | It's Vitaly Paschenko's graduation day from University in Kiev. |
| 1:43.1 | He's the student with perfect English and very big ambitions. |
| 1:47.1 | Remember this from January? |
| 1:49.1 | I want it always to become a diplomat, I want it to become an expert in international relations. |
... |
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