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Episode details

World Service,22 Feb 2025,23 mins

Missing in Ukraine

From Our Own Correspondent

Available for over a year

Max Pearson presents stories from Ukraine, The Gambia and Uzbekistan. Its three years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, during which time hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or injured - though others have simply disappeared without trace. Sarah Rainsford travelled to Ukraine, where she met families left wondering what has happened to their loved ones. Each year thousands of people leave sub-Saharan Africa in hope of reaching Europe and forging a better life. It's a dangerous and potentially deadly journey - and for some the challenge is just too much. So what happens after they return home? Alex Last went to The Gambia to find out. The city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan is located on the route of the legendary Silk Road, and in the Middle Ages it became a major intellectual hub of the Islamic world. It's also home to a centuries-old Jewish community, which over generations blended culture with the Muslim community. Post-Soviet emigration means it's now much smaller than it used to be, but Monica Whitlock met one man who is still happy to call Bukhara home. Image: Lviv Commemorates Heavenly Hundred Heroes. Priests conduct prayer to commemorate Heavenly Hundred Heroes, who were killed in 2014 during the mass Euromaidan protest. (Photo by Les Kasyanov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

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