Ukraine after four years of war
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 21 February 2026
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The 24th of February will be the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Irena Taranyuk is joined by several of her BBC Ukrainian colleagues to talk about people who are continuing to fight and live in the country. Victoria Kalimbet talks about her pride of her home city, Kharkiv, one of the most attacked Ukrainian cities in the war. Nataliia Patrikieieva explains how dating has changed in Ukraine, as so many of the population are fighting on the frontlines. Vitaly Shevchenko, Russia editor at BBC monitoring and presenter of Ukrainecast, tells us about how some Ukrainians attempt to 'decatastrophise' the war, and his investigation into what is happening in his grandmother's house in occupied Zaporizhia region.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Irena Taranyuk
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:06.1 | You're listening to the documentary from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:13.3 | You're not the fifth floor with Irina Taran Yoke, hasstead. |
| 0:18.3 | By me, be monied. |
| 0:21.7 | At the same, Arana Taranup's with program, |
| 0:24.4 | Fifth Floor, |
| 0:25.2 | we're with us. |
| 0:29.4 | Mear Vintr, the fifth floor, |
| 0:31.7 | Irina Taran Yukth, |
| 0:33.6 | Mott, are you. |
| 0:36.9 | This is the fifth floor, at the heart of global storytelling with BBC journalists from all around the world. |
| 0:44.3 | I'm your host, I'm your host, I'm Renata Ranue. |
| 0:52.7 | This coming week sees the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. |
| 0:58.3 | According to Ukraine's president, Vladimir Zelensky, more than 50,000 Ukrainian soldiers |
| 1:03.5 | have been killed in this war, with a total confirmed number of Ukrainian lives lost, |
| 1:09.2 | soldier and civilian combined, amounting to more than |
| 1:12.4 | 70,000. Russia's death toll is estimated to stand at over 160,000 killed. Talks in Abu Dhabi earlier |
| 1:22.5 | this year and in Geneva aimed at bringing an end to this war, did not produce a hoped for breakthrough. |
| 1:30.3 | With me in the fifth floor studio is my colleague Vitaly Shevchenko, |
| 1:34.1 | Russia's editor at BBC Monitoring and presenter of BBC's Ukraine cast. |
| 1:38.7 | I began by asking him whether, if we cast our minds back to that dawn on the 24th of February 2022, when Russian |
| 1:47.5 | columns started moving into Ukraine from three directions, northeast and south, he ever could |
... |
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.