Conversations

How a boy named Yuri saved me from the trauma of a bomb blast

30 Jan 2026

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Debra Richardson joined the police at age 18 in the 1980s, working undercover as a prostitute and surviving the Russell Street bombing. Years later, she met her foster son, Yuri, who had also survived disaster.Deb and her family met Yuri after they agreed to care for one of the many children brought to Australia for short-term stays following the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine.Decades later, a journey to help that foster son, now living in a war zone, ended up helping Deb in ways she never expected.This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake and the Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison.It explores women in the police force, police academy training, sexism, undercover police work, the Russell Street Bombing, car bomb, PTSD, Chernobyl disaster, Chernobyl children, John Farnham, Russian mafia, Project Yuri, charity, war in Ukraine, aid work, family, foster care.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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How a boy named Yuri saved me from the trauma of a bomb blast

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

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