The mayor of Bakhmut: a town that no longer exists

Ukraine's longest-serving official on death, exile and Vladimir Putin...

Victoria and Vitaly speak to Oleksiy Reva, the mayor of Bakhmut, who has been in his position since 1990.

The town he runs was the focus of one of the bloodiest battles of the war so far, and is now mostly in ruin.

He discusses losing friends and colleagues, what he’d like to say to Vladimir Putin and his hopes to one day return to Bakhmut.

Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Arsenii Sokolov, Cordelia Hemming and Elliot Ryder. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Email Ukrainecast@bbc.co.uk with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480

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