Explaining Ukraine to children: A special episode with Newsround

November 20, 2025·38 min

The format is made for younger listeners. Victoria Derbyshire and Ricky Boleto hold the conversation at Hammersmith Academy in West London, with around 80 students gathered for a Ukrainecast and Newsround special. The aim is simple. The programme explains why the war began, how Ukraine is doing, and how children from Ukraine have been affected. The students' questions set the rhythm. One asks whether walking the streets of Ukraine still feels frightening, or makes the speaker nervous during the war. The answer does not rush. The speaker says the first air raid siren on the morning of the invasion was frightening, but fear changes when it keeps coming back. Getting used to alarms does not mean the danger has gone. After enough sirens, even getting out of bed can feel hard, while staying alert still matters. The speaker is also careful about luck: being able to stay in Ukraine and also leave is different from what many people living there can do. That takes a toll. When rest finally comes, exhaustion catches up because the brain has been ready for danger for too long. The questions then get more specific. Victoria asks James what a drone attack is like, and the conversation moves from general fear to drones, explosions, sirens, and why warnings cannot be ignored. The explanation stays clear and age appropriate. It does not get technical. It turns drones and attacks into language children can follow. The special works because it takes children seriously without pretending fear is easy to tidy up.

As heard by us

A careful bridge between war reporting and the questions children actually ask.

Ukrainecast makes a hard subject approachable without softening it. The classroom setting, the Newsround angle, and the voices from Hammersmith Academy give the episode its shape, but the real pull is in the young speakers and the hosts' careful effort to explain what war feels…

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Why you'd press play

You want a special UkraineCast with Newsround that explains the war through children in their own words.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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