Is Russia using my childhood home as a military base?
Ukrainecast
BBC
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 7 October 2025
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Vitaly’s home village of Verkhnya Krynytsya in the Zaporizhzhia region was occupied by Russia shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Now, in a Ukrainecast exclusive, he tells Victoria why it’s likely his childhood home is being used as a base by the Russian military.
Plus, BBC Verify has revealed a surge in Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries in recent months. Olga Robinson joins us in the studio to break down how the impact of these attacks is being felt inside the country.
Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Laurie Kalus and Julia Webster. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The social producer was Grace Braddock. The series producer is Chris Flynn. The senior news 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
You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:07.2 | If you're the person always being asked, what's happening in the news? |
| 0:10.9 | You could do with a podcast wingman. |
| 0:13.3 | Newscast is just that, a little voice in your ear, |
| 0:16.5 | giving you a deeper understanding of what's going on in the world. |
| 0:19.5 | We won't even mind if you try and take the credit yourself. |
| 0:22.4 | Listen to Newscast every day on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:26.1 | Hello, it's 1,322 days since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. |
| 0:32.7 | And let's just briefly remind our listeners of what has been happening in Ukraine. There is a huge attack on the region of Leviv, Vitali, which is obviously in the west of the country. |
| 0:45.2 | It's right next to the border with Poland, and it came under the worst Russian air attack so far. |
| 0:56.6 | The southwestern suburb of a Leviv called La Paivka was really badly hit. |
| 1:02.8 | In one house, four people were killed, members of one family, including a 15-year-old girl. |
| 1:13.6 | And there's one report in Ukraine saying that at least three Chinese satellites were orbiting above Lviv at the time this attack happened. |
| 1:22.6 | And I'm telling you this, Victoria, because it just shows us how information warfare happens during this war. |
| 1:30.3 | Now, I've been doing some research and talking to various exports about these Chinese satellites. |
| 1:35.3 | And the opinion that I have at the moment is that there's nothing to suggest that China had |
| 1:41.3 | manoeuvred those satellites to be there just as the attack unfolded |
| 1:46.4 | or with the purpose of supplying some tracking or targeting information for the Russians |
| 1:52.2 | who have their own military spy satellites in the skies as well. |
| 1:57.5 | Well, on today's episode, we are going to hear about two new BBC investigations on the war in |
| 2:03.4 | Ukraine, including one podcast exclusive. This is Ukraine cast. Ukraine cast from BBC News. This is a sovereign |
| 2:13.0 | nation under unprovoked attack. We are ready to finish this war as quick as possible. |
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