Hello on Friday lunchtime we got the first reports that Alexei Navalny,

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president's biggest critic and often described as the

leader of the We thought we would bring you this special episode of Ukraine cast, which was recorded on

Friday afternoon by Vitali and Victoria Derbyshire.

BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts. Hello, it's 720. Sound, music, radio podcasts.

Hello, it's 723 days since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

And just before we started recording this episode of Ukraine cast.

Shocking news broke that President Putin's most high profile critic, Russian opposition politician

Alexei Navali, is dead. He'd been serving a 19-year sentence in a Siberian jail

for extremism and fraud charges, widely seen as politically motivated charges to try and shut him up.

And Alexei Navalny was last seen yesterday.

He appeared via video link from his Arctic jail and he seemed his usual self.

Joking, smiling, laughing, sharing a joke with a judge and the judge smiled back at him.

There was absolutely nothing in his behaviour or the way he spoke that suggested that he will be dead the following day.

He looked absolutely fine.

And we'll be talking about his last court appearance and about what we know so far.

This is Ukrainecast.

Ukrainecast from BBC News.

Ukraine is an epicenter of unbearable heartache and pain.

Millions of people are without heating, without water.

Putin is the aggressor.

He will be ready to use nuclear weapons.

...