Mothers And Sons Of Ukraine

Lyse Doucet, BBC Chief International Correspondent, introduces three Ukrainian mothers who found refuge in the UK as they make precious calls with their sons back home in Ukraine.

Recorded over two months at the end of 2022, the mums and sons let us in on conversations about their new realities.

Sons confide about the cold, the darkness, curfews, the grandparents they're helping to look after - too old and frail to leave - and their determination that all will be well. Snow has already fallen and power outages are frequent.

The mums talk about their hosts' kindness, the generosity of strangers, their worries for loved ones back home, their longing for the war to be over.

Across these divides and separation, the approaching winter and future uncertainty, their love crackles undimmed down the line.

Producers: Ruth Abrahams and Nina Bielova

Translator: Olga Gorval

Readers: Tania Kharchenko, Andriy Kravets, Nataliya Skofenko, Irena Taranyuk, Dzhafer Umerov, Gregory Zhygalov

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

Mothers and sons, separated by the war, share their weekly calls, revealing concerns.