The dolphin trainer of Kharkiv
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 1 August 2022
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In January, Sunday Times correspondent Louise Callaghan met 26-year-old dolphin trainer Vladyslav Litnievskyi while reporting in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. She wondered what would happen to him and his animals if Russia invaded. Last month, Callaghan returned to the dolphinarium not sure what to expect.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.
Guest: Louise Callaghan, Foreign Correspondent for The Sunday Times.
Host: Jenny Kleeman.
Clips: BBC, 7News Australia.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Picture this, static cars, idling engines, angry horns, now picture you, zooming past |
| 0:12.4 | it all, light and breezy, ah, the sweet feeling of whizzing past traffic, book your train |
| 0:21.6 | journey via AvantiWestcoast.co.uk, AvantiWestcoast, feel good travel. |
| 0:30.3 | Emerging market economies are driving the world forward. In fact, emerging market economies now |
| 0:35.9 | generate 65% of global growth. And because our specialist investors focus on identifying |
| 0:41.8 | quality long-term opportunities, you can focus on the future. Visit us today and find out why |
| 0:48.0 | with Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust, your future is emerging. Visit temet.co.uk for |
| 0:54.8 | more information. Your capital is at risk, so you may get back less than you invest. |
| 1:08.4 | After five long months, the scale of atrocity and horror in the Ukraine war is only just emerging. |
| 1:14.9 | But today, we're going to hear a story of loyalty, resilience and survival against the odds. |
| 1:20.8 | Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Sunday Times correspondent Louise Callahan found herself for some |
| 1:27.6 | reason at a dolphin show in the country's second city. With Russian troops amassed on the border, |
| 1:36.5 | she expected to find people braced for war. Instead, they were happily watching animals performing |
| 1:42.7 | tricks. More surprisingly, the show has continued in a way to go on. In extraordinary circumstances, |
| 1:54.3 | ordinary people can do so much more than they ever expected from themselves. |
| 2:04.4 | What can we learn from the man who refused to leave his animals behind? |
| 2:08.8 | I know that he can live without me. I don't know somebody who can change me. |
| 2:19.2 | You're listening to stories of our times from the Times and the Sunday Times. I'm Jenny Cleeman. |
| 2:25.1 | Today, the dolphin trainer of Harkiv. |
| 2:27.8 | Hello. |
| 2:35.9 | Hiya. How are you? Very well. Very, very keen to hear about the dolphins. Thank you so much for |
| 2:42.1 | agreeing to do this. I'm talking to Louise Callahan, a foreign correspondent at the Sunday Times. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Times and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.