Ukraine's defiant stand in Pokrovsk

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.4 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 December 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kate Adie introduces stories from Ukraine, Hong Kong, Australia, the USA and Laos.

Russian forces have tried to capture the city of Pokrovsk for nearly two years as it seeks to control Eastern Ukraine, but Ukrainian forces have continued to resist the advance, helped by Ukraine's innovative arms industry. Jonathan Beale met battle-scarred troops at a command centre and visited a secret missile factory.

The Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been convicted of ‘colluding with foreign forces’ under the Beijing-imposed national security law. Mr Lai had been accused of violating the law for his role in pro-democracy protests and through his newspaper, Apple Daily. Danny Vincent has been following the case.

Last weekend, two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi beach in Sydney. 15 people were shot dead and dozens more were injured in the worst mass shooting in Australia in nearly three decades. Katy Watson has been speaking to members of Sydney's Jewish community.

In the 'Yellowstone' state of Montana the prospect of a public land sell-off has brought together unlikely allies, as cowboys and environmental activists, conservatives and progressives, have all joined forces to protect their way of life. Ellie House reports from Montana.

And we’re travelling through rural Laos where people hold a deep spiritual connection to the land, where spirits are believed to inhabit all elements of the natural world. Sara Wheeler heard how the Khmu people have held fast to their ancient beliefs in the face of a repressive government.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling Production coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, today we're in Yellowstone country in the US state of Montana, where a battle over land is uniting some unlikely allies.
0:15.0	And in Hong Kong, the verdict in the trial of media tycoon Jimmy Lai has underscored the reach of China's
0:22.4	national security law. In Australia, we hear from members of Sydney's Jewish community,
0:28.9	following the mass shooting on Bondi Beach, and finally, we're in the northern uplands of Laos,
0:35.4	where ancient beliefs are still entwined with everyday life.
0:39.7	But first, the battle for Pocrovs continues in eastern Ukraine's Donbass, the region's proving
0:45.7	to be the major sticking point in ongoing talks to bring an end to the war.
0:50.9	Russia already occupies much of the region, and wants Ukraine to cede the remaining territory.
0:56.8	A demand Kiev has outright rejected.
0:59.9	But pressure is mounting from Washington for Ukraine to agree to a deal with Moscow.
1:05.4	Meanwhile, Russia's war machine grinds on as it tries to make further advances across the thousand-kilometer front line.
1:13.9	Jonathan Beale reports from a Ukrainian command centre in eastern Ukraine.
1:19.2	These are difficult, dangerous times for Ukraine.
1:22.6	Perhaps it's toughest weeks since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. Yet Ukraine is still showing
1:30.6	extraordinary resistance and resilience against the odds. You can see it in the hardest of places,
1:37.9	despite the signs of exhaustion etched on the faces of the Ukrainian troops in the east where the
1:43.9	fighting's hardest. The prognosis for Ukraine holding on to the city of the Ukrainian troops in the east where the fighting's hardest.
1:45.0	The prognosis for Ukraine holding on to the city of Pekrovsk has been bleak for months.
1:51.0	At a command centre, well behind the front line, drone feeds show a city already in ruins.
1:57.0	In real time, the flashes of drones and shells tearing more of it apart.
2:02.8	The troops in the command centre also bear the wounds of war.
2:06.8	A number of them have shrapnel scars and burns across their faces from previous engagements.
	...

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