Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,643.
Today, an hours-long drone and missile attack on Kyiv overnight as Russia continues its push on three key towns in the fortress belt in the East. But in some welcome news, Ukraine appears to have repelled Putin’s forces north of Lyman in a secret counterattack. Plus, the real reason for CIA director John Ratfcliffe’s visit to Moscow this week, and President Zelensky’s top aid says Ukraine and Russia could hold talks as soon as September. Then Francis reports from Germany, where elections could trigger a dramatic shift in the country’s defence policy. Meanwhile Friedrich Merz’s government considers investing in Britain’s nuclear programme to bolster Europe’s deterrent against Moscow.

Contributors:
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
James Rothwell (Berlin Correspondent). @JamesERothwell on X.

Producer: Rachel Porter
Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: James England and Hana Kelly
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

Explosions, jet-powered drones rock Kyiv as rare hours-long Russian aerial attack continues into afternoon (Kyiv Independent)
https://kyivindependent.com/explosions-rock-kyiv-as-russia-launches-ballistic-missiles-at-the-capital-and-other-regions-across-ukraine/

'The city is dying' — Ukrainians in Kramatorsk brace for worst as Russian forces inch closer (Asami Terajima for the Kyiv Independent)
https://kyivindependent.com/the-city-is-dying-ukrainians-in-kramatorsk-brace-for-worst-as-russian-forces-inch-closer/

Germany in talks to help fund Trident (Joe Barnes, James Rothwell and James Crisp for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/26/germany-talks-help-fund-britains-trident-nuclear-deterrent/

German politician wants to hold swingers’ party in city hall (James Rothwell for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/23/german-politician-swingers-party-city-hall-mannheim/

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:
Kyiv intercepts first ballistic missiles in a month during huge raid
Ukraine’s secret Donbas counterattack repels Russian troops

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

Day 1,642.
Today, after the CIA apparently finds a way through Russian air defences, sneaking their director into the country with the Kremlin spokesman later denying any knowledge of a US military plane landing in Moscow, and with the Vatican’s Foreign Minister turning up nearby, we ask what was so interesting about Moscow yesterday. Then, after his call for elections blew up in his face, Ukraine’s ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov made another political gaffe by saying, much to Moscow’s delight, that his country is ‘slowly losing the war’. All this while Ukraine strikes 16 targets across Russia, including oil facilities and another Wildberries warehouse. Later, we get our regular deep dive into Russian cucumbers and other economic indicators as well as a look at the latest cooling in relations between Russia and Armenia.

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

Russia to extend diesel export ban through September, sources say (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-extend-diesel-export-ban-through-september-sources-say-2026-08-25/

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:

CIA head meets Russian spy chiefs in Moscow
Putin's fuel crisis deepens as Ukraine hits 16 key sites

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

Day 1,642.
Today, after a parade of robots marks Ukraine’s Independence Day, we turn to New York, where the United States has refused to join NATO allies and other partners in calling for Russia to join Ukraine in an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Meanwhile Britain’s Andy Burnham has said he will join European allies in pressuring Donald Trump to provide Patriot missiles to Ukraine – just as Zelensky says Kyiv has received “a few” but “we need more”. We report on the fantastic news for Wildberries and Ozon customers and owners of other large businesses in Russia, as long as you don’t read Moscow’s small print. And we talk to a former South Korean diplomat to get a better idea of just how significant – and dangerous – Kim Jong Un’s support is for Vladimir Putin.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Alex Nichol (Telegraph Journalist).
With thanks to Lami Kim, IISS Korea Chair and former South Korean diplomat.

Producer: Rachel Porter
Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan & Aaron Wheeler
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

Russia threatens to attack British factories (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/25/russia-threatens-attack-british-factories-ukraine/

Kellogg Backs Mobilization of Ukrainian Women (Kyiv Post)
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/83010

Russian soldier fires RPG at his feet (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/25/russian-soldier-fires-rpg-at-own-feet/

Russia's Perm oil refinery halted operations after August 21 drone attack, sources say (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russias-perm-oil-refinery-halted-operations-after-august-21-drone-attack-sources-2026-08-24/

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 24, 2026 (Institute for the Study of War)
https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-24-2026/

Dr Lami Kim’s work:
Everything but the Bomb: South Korea’s Nuclear Hedging Strategy
Mind the air-defence gap: South Korea’s burgeoning role in air and missile defence
Europe’s missile defence gap: is South Korea part of the answer?

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:
Zelensky finally handed 'some' Patriot missiles after weeks of raids
Remarkable footage shows Russian soldier firing rocket at his own feet
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,641.
Today we assess a hectic weekend of diplomacy, with Andy Burnham and other world leaders in Kyiv to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day – his first foreign trip as Britain’s new Prime Minister. He came ready to hand over blueprints for Storm Shadow cruise missiles, not long after President Zelensky discussed fresh supplies of missile interceptors with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. Meanwhile, Ukraine has targeted another major Russian online retailer – Ozon – for the first time, and Russia’s ambassador to London Andrei Kelin was withdrawn to Moscow with no explanation.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Antonia Langford (Freelance Journalist in Kyiv). @Antonialford on X
With thanks to John Foreman CBE, Chatham House associate fellow and former UK defence attaché to Russia.

Producer: Rachel Porter
Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan and Tom Steed
Social Producer: Aaron Wheeler
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

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 23, 2026 (Institute for the Study of War)
https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-23-2026/

Burnham hits back after Kremlin accuses him of prolonging war in Ukraine (Antonia Langford for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/24/kremlin-attacks-burnham-over-storm-shadows-for-ukraine/

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:
British Storm Shadow missile blueprints exchanged for 'goldmine of Ukrainian battlefield data'
Coalition of the Willing meet in Kyiv in Ukraine’s Independence Day, including Andy Burnham
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,638.
Today, as Russia is accused of yet another incursion into Nato airspace, there are reports of a major Ukrainian drone attack on occupied Crimea. Kyiv is apparently seeking approval – again – from Elon Musk, this time to use Starlink in strikes on Russian missile launchers. Meanwhile, Russia is defenseless in the Mediterranean for the first time in a decade. We speak to the Telegraph journalist who got the scoop. Plus, a bizarre twist in the story of the suspected Nord Stream saboteur - and which American music artist is set to perform in St Petersburg in October? Finally, we catch up with occupied territories expert Dr Jade McGlynn on her recent trip to eastern Ukraine.

Contributors:
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
Sophie O’Sullivan (Telegraph journalist).
Tom Cotterill (Telegraph defence editor). @TomCotterillX on X.
Jade McGlynn (Research fellow, King’s College London). @DrJadeMcGlynn on X.

Producer: Rachel Porter
Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan
Social Producer: Anita Blay
Studio Director: James England
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

Ukraine’s Logistics Targeting Raises Questions for Russia’s Rear Defences (RUSI)
https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/ukraines-logistics-targeting-raises-questions-russias-rear-defences

‘Highway of death’: the Ukrainian drone campaign menacing Russian logistics (The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/11/highway-of-death-the-ukrainian-drone-campaign-menacing-russian-logistics

Ukraine seeks Elon Musk’s help to hit Russian missile launchers (Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/ff536e6e-dc56-45e3-b5e0-2dfb28148cb6?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Ukraine Planned to Swarm Moscow Airports With AI-Guided Drones (Simon Shuster for The Atlantic)
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/08/ukraine-moscow-airports-ai-drones/688337/

Coalition of the Willing to hold Independence Day meeting in Kyiv (Kyiv Independent)
https://kyivindependent.com/coalition-of-the-willing-to-hold-independence-day-meeting-in-kyiv/

Russian publishers reportedly cut print runs after Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries warehouses, where their books are stored (Meduza) https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/08/21/russian-publishers-reportedly-cut-print-runs-after-ukrainian-strikes-on-wildberries-warehouses-where-their-books-are-stored

The cheap submarine-detection kits set to expose Putin’s invisible force (Tom Cotterill for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/21/cheap-submarine-detection-kits-expose-russia-navy-ships-war/

Russian widows hire clairvoyants to contact husbands killed in war (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/17/russian-widows-hire-clairvoyants-to-contact-husbands-killed/

To hear Francis answer the question about Russian missile launchers in our last Q&A, on August 13th:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbf1PD2Xjhs&t=1890s

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 'defenceless' in the Mediterranean for first time in war
Ukraine hits Moscow’s supply lines to Crimea
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.