The Russian recruit who died before reaching the front line
Ukrainecast
BBC
4.7 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 30 November 2022
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A mother in Siberia tells us how her son died at a training camp in Russia - he had volunteered to fight but never made it to the front line. The BBC’s Tim Whewell spoke to her and other families in Bratsk whose young men have gone to war. Ukraine has opened a “surrender hotline” for Russian soldiers to call. Our correspondent in Dnipro, James Waterhouse, has been talking to the people who run it.
Also, we hear from volunteer Olena Budahovska about the people she’s been delivering food to in recently liberated areas of Ukraine.
Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaliy Shevchenko.
The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Clare Williamson and Luke Radcliff. The technical coordinator 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. |
| 0:04.8 | Hello, it's 280 days since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, |
| 0:09.0 | and we had this question from one of our listeners. |
| 0:11.3 | Hi, Ukraine, cast. |
| 0:12.2 | My name's Nicola. |
| 0:13.2 | Originally from Scotland, but now living in London. |
| 0:15.7 | I just wanted to thank you very much for your continued coverage |
| 0:18.7 | of the war in Ukraine. |
| 0:19.6 | It's kept us all very informed and often very moved, |
| 0:22.4 | and I've been listening since day one. |
| 0:24.6 | I have a question for Vitaly. |
| 0:26.0 | We have a young Ukrainian family joining us for Christmas this year, |
| 0:29.3 | and I wondered if you had any insights to share |
| 0:30.8 | about what makes a traditional Ukrainian Christmas. |
| 0:33.3 | Thanks. |
| 0:34.4 | Well, Nicola, it's different to start with. |
| 0:37.2 | Most Ukrainians are Orthodox believers, |
| 0:40.2 | which means they celebrate Christmas in January. |
| 0:43.3 | Oh. |
| 0:44.1 | And then one consequence of living for more than 70 years |
| 0:49.4 | under communist rule is that for many possibly most Ukrainians, |
| 0:55.2 | it's New Year's Eve that's the big end of year. |
... |
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