The full horror of Mariupol - a BBC investigation
Ukrainecast
BBC
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 7 November 2022
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We hear from BBC Panorama reporter Hilary Anderson about her documentary on the devastating siege of Mariupol. She travelled over 3,000 miles through Ukraine and Europe hearing survivors’ stories and retrieving the wiped phone footage from witnesses to the city’s tragedy.
Also - for months Natalia was unaware of her husband's fate: a Ukrainian soldier, he was captured and made prisoner by Russian forces after the siege of Azovstal in Mariupol. But then she received a phone call. She tells Victoria and Vitaliy what happened next and how hope for a future family together gave them both the strength not to give up.
And as power cuts become more severe across the country, we get the latest from the BBC’s Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse on the possible full evacuation of Kyiv if there is a total loss of power.
Today’s episode was presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko.
The series producer is Estelle Doyle. The producers: Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Luke Radcliff. The technical director: Gareth Jones. And the editor: 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
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:04.9 | Hello, it's 257 days since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. |
| 0:10.1 | And today we are going to bring you an update on Natalia and her husband Bogdan. |
| 0:15.7 | Do you remember Bogdan was one of the Ukrainian fighters in the As of Style plant in Maripol. |
| 0:22.4 | And he, along with his battalion, withdrew to that plant. |
| 0:26.1 | It was massive, wasn't it? |
| 0:27.8 | They withdrew that as Russian forces came into the city. |
| 0:32.2 | As of style was the last pocket of resistance. |
| 0:36.6 | And it was this massive, sprawling, industrial complex. |
| 0:42.2 | Think of it as a concrete jungle, complete with underground bunkers. |
| 0:46.6 | It was made to withstand nuclear blasts and resists |
| 0:52.4 | whoever decided to invade that part of the world. |
| 0:56.6 | And it became really the last bit of resistance in the city. |
| 1:00.5 | But then it was almost completely destroyed by a Russian bombardment |
| 1:04.2 | over the course of the battle for Maripol. |
| 1:07.9 | And all this time, Natalia was still managing to talk to her husband. |
| 1:12.5 | Do you remember they got married on Telegram when he was already in the steel plant |
| 1:16.8 | and she told us about this? |
| 1:18.7 | This is our conversation with Natalia back in May. |
| 1:21.6 | She just exchanged messages with her husband. |
| 1:25.2 | He replied, Natalia, it can be the end. |
| 1:29.9 | And probably we will never meet again. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.