Back in the summer, the actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry came into the Ukrainecast studio to discuss his visit to Ukraine to see how war is impacting the country's mental health. To mark Christmas Day, he reads a short Christmas story which touches on some of the challenges Ukrainians face this winter. ‘Miracle in the Darkness’ is a short story from the book ‘Brave Tales’ by Iryna Vyhovska and Victoria Murovana. It was published by ACCA, in association with Suspilne media. If you have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this episode you can visit BBC Action Line on www.bbc.co.uk/actionline The producers were Arsenii Sokolov and Lizzy McNeill. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sara Wadeson. 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 You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord
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BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts hello.
This is Stephen Fry here.
I was lucky enough to be a guest on the podcast a few months ago and able to talk about mental health in the battlefield and at home in Ukraine, a subject that Ukrainians are taking very seriously and I've been connected with for decades now.
So it was wonderful to get an opportunity to talk about this subject.
It's incredibly important and it's a sign, I think, of what Ukraine stands for that they embrace the subject for conversation and realize its importance.
In Russia it's not spoken about at all and that's only asking for trouble for their population, I think.
Anyway, it's my pleasure now to read a short story from the book Brave Tales by Irina Vihovska and Victoria Morovana.
It's called Miracle in the Darkness.
Just as Christia reached for the packet to retrieve a ginger biscuit for her and her brother, the lights went out.
Oh dear, here it goes again, she sighed.
The TV flickered and died, carrying with it the vibrant cartoon unicorns on the screen.
The lights in the living room went out.
Darkness enveloped the entire apartment, the kettle, the toaster, the faecus plant on the windowsill, and Christia all thrown into shadow.