BBC OS Conversations: Ukraine: What do Russians think about the war?

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 22 March 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For the first time in three years, there’s talk of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Negotiations are ongoing, but at the time of recording this programme, the conflict continues. We’ve heard many times from Ukrainians expressing their thoughts on the war – most recently in February in our episode Ukraine: Three Years of War. It’s been harder to find Russians who are happy to speak to Western journalists. But we’ve brought together three groups of ordinary Russian citizens to share their views and experiences.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Mark Lohen, and this is the documentary from the BBC World Service.
0:04.1	This time in BBC OS conversations, we'll be hearing the thoughts of Russians from different walks of life
0:09.8	about the war their government is currently waging in Ukraine.
0:18.4	Russia and Ukraine may be edging closer towards peace,
0:22.4	but whatever the outcome of the current negotiations,
0:25.0	there's little that people in either country can do apart from weight.
0:28.7	And in Russia, as in Ukraine, that means facing the possibility that the conflict will continue.
0:33.7	I would not like my son to go and put his life at risk. But if he has to, then he has to.
0:47.7	In recent days, U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken to both President Zelensky of Ukraine and Russia's
0:53.6	President Putin about a ceasefire.
0:55.8	But as we record this, there's no deal to end the war and the fighting continues.
1:00.4	We've heard many times from Ukrainians, most recently in February in our episode, Ukraine,
1:05.5	three years of war. We've had fewer conversations with people in Russia.
1:09.6	One reason is that we found it harder to find Russians who are happy to speak to Western journalists. But in this program, you'll get a snapshot of what some people living there think, amongst them supporters of President Vladimir Putin and others who oppose the war. In a moment, we'll hear from three young people in their 20s and from two women
1:28.9	with young families. But our first conversation is between Olga, Alexander and Valentina. All three
1:35.5	live in Moscow, where Olga is a housewife, Valentina is a translator, and Alexander, which is not
1:41.3	his real name, is an artist. I began by asking them if they want a ceasefire
1:46.3	and if so on what terms. Olga spoke first. Of course I want this war to finish as soon as possible,
1:54.1	but I just feel that nobody's going to be happy with the eventual outcome of the war. Both sides
1:59.6	will have to give up something.
2:02.0	Are you ready to give up something yourself and for Russia to give up something?
2:06.5	Well, I'm 100% pro-Ukrainian. So I have very bitter feelings for Ukrainians because it looks
	...

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