Summary
We reflect on the horrific missile strike on a crowded train station in Kramatorsk. The station in eastern Ukraine is a major evacuation point and the attack has killed at least 50 people.
Also, why does Putin need a victory by the 9th of May? Since 1945 ‘Victory Day’ has been a national celebration in Russia, marking Nazi surrender in the Second World War. Sam de Bendern, a political risks consultant and former NATO Ukraine officer, explains how Putin is feeling the pressure to celebrate a significant ‘victory’ in Ukraine on that day. But with the invasion not going to plan, what does Russia now consider ‘success’ to be? And what happens when Putin gets desperate?
And we catch up with Olga Malchevska from the BBC Ukrainian Service, whose family has now fled Ukraine. But with her nephew still hiding whenever he hears a plane, the psychological impact of war is something that is not easily shaken.
Today's episode was made by Estelle Doyle with Natalie Ktena, Osman Iqbal and Phil Marzouk. The studio director was Emma Crowe. The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.3 | Hello, it's 44 days since Russian forces invaded Ukraine. |
| 0:09.7 | And some of the things that we're going to talk about today, |
| 0:13.0 | some of the footage that you're going to hear is really upsetting. |
| 0:17.9 | Because earlier today, a train station in Klamotosk was attacked |
| 0:22.3 | and Fergal, you know this station well. |
| 0:25.5 | Tell us a little bit about it. |
| 0:27.9 | Yeah, I've been going to Klamotosk since 2014. |
| 0:31.9 | And it was the place where you would leave Kiev |
| 0:34.3 | and then travel all day or much of the day, |
| 0:36.8 | get to Klamotosk and go from there to the east. |
| 0:40.1 | And I remember it as a place where you get off the train |
| 0:43.4 | onto this large platform out in the open. |
| 0:46.6 | And there were soldiers patrolling, |
| 0:48.8 | there were others getting going home for leave. |
| 0:52.6 | No refugees back then, though. |
| 0:54.0 | People still felt secure where they were. |
| 0:56.4 | And so my memories of it are as a place |
| 0:58.6 | that I was always glad to get back to coming from the front line. |
| 1:02.3 | Today, it's become a place of desolation and destruction. |
| 1:06.8 | We're recording this at 1pm UK time, 3pm Ukraine time. |
| 1:11.5 | Ukraine officials say at least 39 people, |
... |
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