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From Our Own Correspondent

The fragile peace on the frontline in Eastern Ukraine

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.41.3K Ratings

🗓️ 7 December 2019

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When Russian forces took over parts of Ukraine in spring 2014, much of the world held its breath. Would Western countries side with Ukraine, and could the fighting spread further into Eastern Europe? While that kind of escalation did not happen, life in Eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed rebel forces and Ukraine’s army are still facing off, still looks something like wartime. As Jonah Fisher recently found, in this terrain, politicians, as well as soldiers, have to tread carefully. This week Democratic members of Congress accelerated their push to impeach Donald Trump. Anthony Zurcher has been watching the hearings. He has had a front-row seat as history is written, but sometimes he wonders what history might make of it. Since the early Nineties, the United Nations has held an annual conference to bring the world together to tackle the threat of climate change. This year's event in Madrid is meant to persuade the biggest polluters to rein in their emissions. But, as David Shukman reports, progress is as slow as ever. A Norwegian pensioner convicted of spying in Moscow recently returned home in a spy swap. Frode Berg’s arrest caused controversy in Norway, with criticism of the use of civilians in espionage. Sarah Rainsford met Mr Berg in Oslo, soon after his release. Prince William has just made his first visit to Kuwait. He will have found it to be a different place to what it was nearly three decades ago, when thousands died during Iraq's invasion and occupation of the country. Sumaya Bakhsh has recently visited Kuwait and discovered that, for some, a sense of loss still lingers. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Neil Koenig

Transcript

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0:00.0

BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts.

0:05.0

Good morning.

0:07.0

Impeachment, a sonorous word, but our correspondent in Washington finds the process both

0:12.0

momentous and petty.

0:14.6

Much hot air in Madrid at the climate summit.

0:17.2

Any chance of cooling the planet though?

0:19.8

Kuwait, nearly 30 years on from Saddam Hussein's invasion and the memories are still sharp.

0:26.1

And we head to the far north, not for Santa, but for a spy with snow on his boots. It's five years since Russian forces took over parts of Ukraine,

0:37.0

causing many to catch their breath.

0:39.0

Would the West and NATO take action to push back

0:42.0

Vladimir Putin's ambitions were trouble spread.

0:46.0

In reality, it's now a grumbling conflict, with thousands killed or wounded, with Russian-backed

0:51.9

rebel forces facing Ukraine's national army in the east of the country.

0:57.0

There are checkpoints, barriers and minefields, divided families and loyalties, and as Jonah Fisher found,

1:04.4

politicians as well as soldiers have to tread carefully.

1:08.0

A gruff rasping voice spoke from the darkness.

1:11.9

These are provocative questions which he is not required to answer.

1:17.0

We were in a mud-walled Ukrainian army position trying to interview Private Alexei Kravchenko.

1:23.0

He was peering over the top of his machine gun towards rebel territory.

1:27.0

The interview wasn't going well.

1:30.0

The group's commander, a burly man called Suleimenko, was listening and kept butting in.

1:35.4

A month before, Suleimenko, Kravchenko and their fellow soldiers had been given the order

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