Russia’s high-tech mega-trench
Ukrainecast
BBC
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 14 December 2022
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Rumoured to run to 120 miles, Russia is digging a vast trench stretching the full length of Ukraine’s eastern flank. An enormous feat of engineering, but does it mean they’re digging in or desperate? The BBC’s security correspondent, Frank Gardner, tells us that this line of defence, like the Maginot Line before it, is no guarantee against a Ukrainian advance.
We also hear about the alleged use of cluster bombs. Human Rights Watch says it’s seen the tell-tale fragmentary patterns left by the explosions and spoken to people who have lost limbs.
And Owen Matthews, author of 'Overreach', explains why President Putin invaded Ukraine, and the reasons it isn't going well for him.
Plus listeners share Ukrainian songs and artwork they’ve discovered since the war began.
Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Luke Radcliff. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The series producer is Fiona Leach. The assistant editor is Alison Gee and the editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. 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. |
| 0:05.0 | Hello, it's 294 days since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. |
| 0:09.4 | And on Monday's pod, we asked you to send us your cultural favourites from Ukraine. |
| 0:14.9 | Music or poem or a song that perhaps has been written since the start of the war. |
| 0:20.1 | And we're going to hear some of these later on in the podcast. |
| 0:22.4 | But first, Craig McLeish got in touch with this recording of Shedrick Shedrick, |
| 0:28.4 | a traditional Ukrainian carol sung by children from Kof's Junior School in London. |
| 0:35.9 | Shedrick Shedrick Shedrick Yevl Khashkhan |
| 0:56.0 | Kof's school has this year welcomed Ukrainian refugees, children. |
| 1:02.7 | who've obviously had to leave their home, their school, because of the war and those children asked |
| 1:08.8 | if they could teach the song to their fellow pupils, their year six classmates and it has helped |
| 1:15.0 | them cope with their first Christmas away from home. So the rest of the class have learned the |
| 1:25.6 | words using phonetic subtitles and language coaching from their new Ukrainian classmates. |
| 1:32.7 | Which is just gorgeous, isn't it, Vitaly? |
| 1:34.7 | Yes, and the song itself is absolutely unbelievably mesmerising. |
| 1:39.5 | What does Shadrick mean? |
| 1:42.1 | It's difficult to translate, but the root of the word means generosity. It's a time of |
| 1:49.2 | giving generosity. Well, that is perfect. |
| 2:03.5 | This is Ukraine coast. |
| 2:10.7 | Ukraine coast, from this coast. |
| 2:14.7 | The question for us now is to be or not to be. |
| 2:18.7 | I'm ordering the Ministry of Defence to put the strategic nuclear forces on special alert. |
... |
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