Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,436.
Today, as Donald Trump announces an “energy ceasefire” we ask: what it means, has it started and can it hold. Our correspondent in Turkey tells us China is supplying critical components of Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik missiles and have our regular fortnightly update about resistance activity in the occupied areas. Plus later, we hear about a new adaptation for the theatre of a Ukrainian story that blends folklore with contemporary themes of power, superstition and women’s struggle for equality.

Contributors
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.
Venetia Rainey (Co-host Battle Lines podcast). @venetiarainey on X.
Sophia Jan (Senior Foreign Correspondent). @sophia_yan on Twitter.
Roland Oliphant (Chief Foreign Analyst). @RolandOliphant on X.
Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dr. Jade McGlynn (War Studies Department of King's College). @DrJadeMcGlynn on X.

SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter
Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Antonia Langford’s reporting on winter in Kyiv:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/29/putin-agrees-ceasefire-stop-attacking-ukraines-cities/

Roland’s analysis: Trump has announced a Ukraine ceasefire. Is it a sham or showstopper?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/29/trump-ukraine-ceasefire-sham-showstopper/

How China is powering Putin’s deadliest new weapon (Sophia Yan in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/28/china-helping-russia-build-nuclear-capable-missile/

How to Become a Dictator podcast by Sophia Yan:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/18/introducing-how-become-dictator-new-telegraph-podcast-power/

Learn more about The Witch of Konotop:
https://www.hackneyempire.co.uk/events/the-witch-of-konotop-2026

Thresholds of Survival: The Resistance in Occupied Ukraine (Dr Jade McGlynn's Report):
https://www.csis.org/analysis/thresholds-survival-resistance-occupied-ukraine

Russia strips nuclear forces, Navy, and Air Force to fill infantry ranks —military expert
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/01/29/russia-infantry-manpower-shortage-elite-forces/

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:
The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest
Email: [email protected]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,435.
Today, as President Zelensky warns that Russia is preparing “a new massive strike”, we examine growing speculation that an undeclared truce may be in place regarding strikes on energy infrastructure. We then turn to the Russian press, where a local war memorial in the Urals appears to have inadvertently revealed the true scale of Russian casualties, and an unlikely scandal involving a baker that has caused fresh embarrassment for Vladimir Putin. And finally, we report on the launch of a new blood bank aimed at alleviating Ukraine’s mounting medical crises.

Contributors
Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.
James Kilner (Foreign Correspondent). @jkjourno on X.
With thanks to Toby Illingworth (Founder & Head of Mission for Yashchenko Foundation). @tobyillingworth

SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter
Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Learn More about the Walking Blood Bank and the Yashchenko Foundation:
https://yashchenkofoundation.org/walking-blood-bank/

Putin abandons Syria base to court new Islamist leader (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/28/russia-abandons-syria-military-base/

Royal Navy forces Russian ship out of British waters (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/28/russian-ship-anchors-trans-atlantic-cables-bristol-channel/

Exclusive: Trump's top envoy negotiating Ukraine's fate displays 'shocking' lack of knowledge about war (Kyiv Independent):
https://kyivindependent.com/trumps-top-envoy-displays-shocking-lack-of-knowledge-about-war-politics/

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:
The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest
Email: [email protected]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,434.
Today, as Russia kills five civilians in a drone attack targeting a passenger train in Ukraine, we report on how a senior European diplomat has said the world must call this what it is: terrorism. As President Zelensky urges all “decent people of the world” not to remain silent in the face of Russian war crimes, we examine a new US assessment which concludes that Russia has suffered more military losses than any major power in any conflict since the Second World War. We also ask whether the North Sea and Baltic Sea are now effectively closed to Russia’s shadow fleet following coordinated action by 14 European countries. Plus, we speak to colleagues at The Telegraph about why EU leaders’ long-held ambitions to turn the European Union into a genuine geopolitical power may, at last, be taken seriously.

Contributors
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.
Lily Shanagher (Foreign Reporter). @LilyShanagher on X.
Joe Barnes (Brussels Correspondent). @Barnes_Joe on X.
James Crisp (Europe Editor). @JamesCrisp6 on X.

SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter
Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

CONTENT REFERENCED:
The growing risks to maritime safety (UK Government):
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-growing-risks-to-maritime-safety/the-growing-risks-to-maritime-safety

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UN):
https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf

The plans to turn Europe into a new superpower (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/26/plans-turn-europe-new-superpower/

‘After Budapest and Minsk, Ukraine knows what empty guarantees look like’ (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/28/why-ukraine-cant-trust-another-ceasefire-with-putin/

Ukraine: We won’t accept meaningless security guarantees (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/27/ukraine-russia-security-guarantees-trump-nato/

EU-sanctioned oil tanker escorted to Morocco by Spanish rescue ship, merchant marine says (Reuters):
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/eu-sanctioned-oil-tanker-escorted-morocco-by-spanish-rescue-ship-merchant-marine-2026-01-27/

Russia’s Grinding War in Ukraine (CSIS):
https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-grinding-war-ukraine

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:
The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest
Email: [email protected]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,433.
Today, amid increased Russian military pressure in the Donbas, and as Ukraine faces what the NATO Secretary General calls its “harshest winter for a decade”, we bring you the latest from the Ukraine peace talks, where the United States is understood to be increasing pressure on President Zelensky’s government to concede territory to Russia before Washington grants any security guarantees. But is Moscow’s position under Vladimir Putin softer than it appears, as some allege? Then we discuss civilian resilience in Ukraine with an expert from Harvard University.

Contributors
Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.
With thanks to Dr Emma Mateo (Harvard University’s Ukrainian Research Institute). @emm_mateo on X.

SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter
Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Learn more about Harvard’s Ukrainian Research Institute’s ‘Solidarity Within and Beyond Ukraine Conference this Friday and Saturday:
https://www.huri.harvard.edu/tcup-conference

France opposes EU plan to buy British Storm Shadows for Ukraine (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/26/france-opposes-eu-plan-to-buy-british-storm-shadows-ukraine/

Exclusive: Russian negotiators soften hardline stance in private, US officials say. Ukrainians urge caution (Kyiv Independent):
https://kyivindependent.com/kremlin-negotiators-drop-hardline-stance-behind-closed-doors-us-official-reveals

US links security guarantees for Ukraine to peace deal ceding territory (Financial Times):
https://www.ft.com/content/8ca0d4fd-fdfd-4aa3-a3a2-90be00d55b9d

NATO boss Rutte slaps down calls for European army prompted by Trump fears (Reuters):
https://www.reuters.com/world/nato-boss-rutte-slaps-down-calls-european-army-prompted-by-trump-fears-2026-01-26/

Commission approves second wave of SAFE defence funding for eight Member States (EU):
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_211

‘Bread and War: A Ukrainian Story of Food, Bravery and Hope’ by Felicity Spector:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bread-War-Ukrainian-Story-Bravery/dp/1914613783

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:
The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest
Email: [email protected]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,432.
Today, as Kyiv endures sub-zero temperatures, we report on Russia’s latest mass aerial attack on the city, carried out even as trilateral so-called peace talks were taking place in Abu Dhabi over the weekend. We examine Steve Witkoff’s latest visit to Moscow – he has still yet to travel to Ukraine – and ask why Russia is now pushing the opaque “Alaska formula” in a bid to secure territory it has failed to seize by force. And later, Francis Dearnley and Hamish de Bretton-Gordon visit the British Army’s Land Warfare Centre, where the next generation of soldiers is learning the lessons of the war in Ukraine.

Contributors
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.
Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Hamish De Bretton-Gordon (Former British Army Tank Commander). @HamishDBGon on X.
With thanks to Colonel Thurston from the Land Warfare Centre.

SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter
Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Learn more about the Land Warfare Centre:
https://www.army.mod.uk/learn-and-explore/about-the-army/formations-divisions-and-brigades/field-army-troops/land-warfare-centre/

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:
The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest
Email: [email protected]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.