Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,661.
Today, the Danish Prime Minister condemns the latest ‘reckless action’ by Moscow, after a Russian frigate in the Baltic Sea fired flares at a military helicopter. NATO jets were also in action last night, shooting down a drone over Lithuania. The Ukrainian commander who masterminded the recent counterattack in the Donbas region gives a little more detail about what happened. And in news that will surprise almost no one, Donald Trump’s claim to have got a deal over the line between Kyiv and Moscow about a ceasefire on energy facilities has, just like Russia’s Syzran oil facility last night, gone up in smoke. Later, Dom speaks to the mother of a man missing on the frontline after being forced to fight for Russia.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.

With thanks to Valerie Stobbart.

Producer: Phil Atkins
Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan
Social Producer: Tom Steed
Studio Director: Meghan Searle
Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley
Created by David Knowles

NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:
Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest

CONTENT REFERENCED:

My son moved to Russia for love. Now, he’s missing on the front line (Dom Nicholls and Natalia Makohon for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/15/my-son-moved-russia-love-missing-front-line/

Civil servant sacked after asking Telegraph to find son missing in Ukraine (Dom Nicholls for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/15/civil-servant-sacked-telegraph-appeal-son-missing-ukraine/
Russian frigate fires flares at Danish military helicopter (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/15/nato-italy-jets-shoot-down-drone-lithuania/

Zelensky sanctions press secretary who accused him of using drugs (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/14/volodymyr-zelensky-press-secretary-drugs-ukraine-russia/

Putin’s plan to paralyse Ukraine (Antonia Langford for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/15/putins-plan-paralyse-ukraine/

Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas Wedding Was Secretly Bankrolled by Russian Oligarch Close to Putin (ProPublica)
https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-jr-wedding-bankrolled-russian-oligarch-umar-kremlev-putin

Jared Kushner’s Dollar Diplomacy (New Yorker)
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/09/21/jared-kushners-dollar-diplomacy

Learn more about the Ukrainian Film Festival in London:
https://uil.org.uk/ukrainian-film-festival-2025-through-love-and-loss-2/

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Exclusive: ‘My son moved to Russia for love. Now, he’s missing on the front line’
Denmark condemns ‘reckless action’ after a Russian frigate fired flares at a military helicopter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,660.
Today, after Russia strikes a train near the Ukrainian border with Poland, narrowly missing top European officials including Boris Johnson, we consider whether the attack was deliberate. The officials were attending a major gathering in Kyiv seeking to forge a new way forward – we’ll bring you the highlights. Then we try to get to the bottom of what some are calling ‘Ukraine’s biggest victory this year’ – the reported counterattack around Lyman liberating almost 200 square kilometers of territory. If confirmed, it seemingly exposed lying Russian commanders, Ukrainian formidable operational security, and expectations in the ground war over the coming months.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Memphis Barker (senior foreign correspondent). @memphisbarker on X.

Producer: Rachel Porter
Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan
Social Producer: Tom Steed
Studio Director: Meghan Searle
Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley
Created by David Knowles

NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:
Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest

CONTENT REFERENCED:

If you’re interested in sponsoring Dom’s upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at events@telegraph.co.uk

World’s First Naval Drone Duel Results In Ukrainian Success (Naval News)
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/09/worlds-first-naval-drone-duel-results-in-ukrainian-success/

Germany floats new Ukraine loan backed by frozen Russian assets (Politico)
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-ukraine-loan-frozen-russia-assets/

EU fails to agree Russia sanctions rollover with one day to spare (Politico)
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-fails-to-agree-russia-sanctions-rollover-with-one-day-to-spare/

Germany Aims to Prevent Far Right From Accessing Secret War Plan (Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-10/germany-aims-to-prevent-far-right-from-accessing-secret-war-plan

House to take up Russia sanctions bill next week (The Hill)
https://thehill.com/homenews/6084914-house-russia-sanctions-vote/

Francis’s interview with Ambassador Daniel Fried:
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUjC_O7ZpeE
On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2RGt2H2Ww2a44wXP16XBkm
On Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/putin-will-exhaust-russias-capacity-by-2028-ukrainian/id1612424182?i=1000789061444

Ukraine’s biggest victory this year exposes lying Russian commanders (Memphis Barker for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/12/lying-russian-commanders-ukraines-biggest-victory-putin/

Watch Mephis’s video on the Lyman counterattack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56b-9FOC-58&pp=ygUJdGVsZWdyYXBo

Berlin-Hacker stellten geheime Drohnen-Akten ins Netz! (‘Berlin hackers put secret drone files online!’: Bild)
https://www.bild.de/politik/inland/berlin-leak-geheimakten-ueber-drohnengefahr-am-ber-6aa3ebb40f417ae59102eab3

Russia Is Churning Out Smart, Cheap New Weapons Faster Than Ukraine or the U.S. (Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-is-churning-out-smart-cheap-new-weapons-faster-than-ukraine-or-the-u-s-c817d014

Ukraine’s way of fighting war can’t match what’s coming (Eric Schmidt for the Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/09/09/how-russia-is-erasing-ukraines-battlefield-advantage/

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Putin 'knocking on doors of NATO' with near-miss strike on train of European officials
How Ukraine’s audacious counterattack exposed lying Russian officials

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,657.
Today, on the anniversary of 9/11, a British intelligence chief has warned that the world is more dangerous today than in 2001. Then we report on the latest attacks, including in Kyiv and on an Ozon warehouse in Russia’s Saratov region, and get insights from Western officials about the true state of Russian casualty figures and the strategic picture of the war. Then, Francis speaks to Ambassador Daniel Fried, the former US diplomat who played a key role in American policy in Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
With thanks for Ambassador Daniel Fried, former US diplomat and Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Producer: Rachel Porter
Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: James England
Social Producer: Tom Steed
Studio Director: Meghan Searle
Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley
Created by David Knowles

NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:
Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest

CONTENT REFERENCED:

If you’re interested in sponsoring Dom’s upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at events@telegraph.co.uk

MI5 chief: Britain faces greater danger now than on 9/11 (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/11/mi5-chief-britain-911-danger-islamic-extremism-terrorism/

Ukrainian drones hit oil refinery, Ozon warehouse as Russia's Saratov comes under attack (Kyiv Independent)
https://kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-drones-reportedly-strike-saratov-oil-refinery-ozon-warehouse/

Ukraine spy chief: Putin will exhaust Russia’s capacity by 2028 (The Times)
https://www.thetimes.com/article/db2f0938-04d9-4f84-ba19-093979453bce

The seeds of the next 9/11 are being sown in West Africa (Rozina Sabur and Ben Farmer for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/11/the-seeds-of-the-next-911-are-being-sown-in-west-africa/

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Putin will exhaust Russia’s capacity by 2028, Ukrainian intelligence chief says
British officials confirm record Russian casualty rate

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,656.
Today, there are reports President Zelensky’s plane taking him to Norway yesterday may have been the target of the Russian drone that crashed in Moldova. Then, Ukraine is ensuring the war is brought home to previously untouched parts of Russia, as its latest long range drone strike hit Siberia, 3000km inside the country. Kyiv claims it was the longest drone strike in history. Meanwhile, Putin’s folly means his country has now passed the grim milestone of killing or wounding one percent of its entire population and there are question marks over the future diplomatic role for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. And later, Dom and Alex dive into the postbag to answer your questions.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Alex Nichol (Telegraph Journalist).

Producer: Rachel Porter
Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: Tom Steed
Social Producer: Anita Blay
Studio Director: Meghan Searle
Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley
Created by David Knowles

NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:
Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest

CONTENT REFERENCED:
If you’re interested in sponsoring Dom’s upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at events@telegraph.co.uk

US spy chief prepares for greater role in Russia-Ukraine talks (Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/d0557d25-78b5-45d8-bb33-d655e859d803?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Rethinking Ukraine’s Manpower Challenge (Carnegie Endowment)
https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/03/ukraine-military-russia-war-manpower-recruitment

The Orient Express: North Korea’s Clandestine Supply Route to Russia (Royal United Services Institute)
https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publ–ications/commentary/report-orient-express-north-koreas-clandestine-supply-route-russia

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.

Thumbnail image credit: NOEL Reports

HIGHLIGHTS:
Record-breaking Ukrainian drone strike hits gas facility 3000km from frontline
Russia exceeds 1.5 million casualties in Ukraine

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,655.
Today, no word from Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about Putin’s so-called drive for peace as Russia resumes aerial attacks on Ukraine and hits Moldova…twice: first at a border crossing point, with dead and injured reported there, and then by a Russian drone that flew in via Romania. To further baffle those who believed Moscow’s line that the Kremlin poses no aggressive plans toward Europe, Romania has arrested a Russian spy and Hungary has kicked out Russian diplomats. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has spoken to Vladimir Putin for an “objective and thorough” overview of the situation in Ukraine. And later, we get the latest on the Russian economy via the cucumber index.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno on X.

Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan
Social Producer: Tom Steed
Studio Director: Meghan Searle
Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley
Created by David Knowles

NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:
Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Disabled Russians ‘unfit to serve’ – but Putin wants them to enlist (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/07/putin-wants-severely-disabled-russians-to-enlist/

David’s Obituary from 2024:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/09/david-knowles-journalist-telegraph-dies-ukraine-war-podcast/

If you’re interested in sponsoring Dom’s upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at events@telegraph.co.uk

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Russia at risk of economic disaster, Kremlin aide warns Putin
Russian city of Novorossiysk ablaze after Ukraine strikes oil terminal
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.