Ukraine: The Latest

Massive ‘volcanic’ refinery blaze erupts again ‘only hours’ after being put out & witnessing Russia's 'spiral into madness' under Putin

Day 1,516. Today, as President Zelensky warns of increased Russian military activity in neighbouring Belarus, we discuss weekend Ukrainian air raids targeting oil refineries around Moscow. We then examine a shock election result that has brought another pro-Russia leader to power within both the EU and NATO, following in the footsteps of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. And later, we speak to a veteran foreign correspondent who spent 25 years in Russia – and has made more than a dozen trips to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion – for his memories of how Vladimir Putin built a system of ever greater repression and violence. Contributors: Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X. Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X. With thanks to Marc Bennetts – foreign correspondent at The Times of London. 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 [https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest]   CONTENT REFERENCED: Marc Bennetts’ book, ‘The Descent: Witnessing Russia's Spiral into Madness Under Putin’: https://amzn.eu/d/0euJ6Dc6 [https://amzn.eu/d/0euJ6Dc6]  Pro-Russian fighter pilot wins crushing victory in Bulgaria election (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/20/rumen-radev-bulgaria-election-win-pro-russia-progressive [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/20/rumen-radev-bulgaria-election-win-pro-russia-progressive]  Moscow-born gunman kills six in Kyiv supermarket ‘terror attack’ (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/18/moscow-born-gunman-shoots-five-people-dead-in-kyiv-attack/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/18/moscow-born-gunman-shoots-five-people-dead-in-kyiv-attack/]  BBC’s Steve Rosenberg: I’m walking a tightrope in Russia. It could all end tomorrow (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/20/steve-rosenberg-on-putins-russia/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/20/steve-rosenberg-on-putins-russia/] EMAIL US: Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk [ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk] . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

‘Volcanic eruption’ as Ukraine hits one of Putin’s largest oil refineries & inside a morgue for frontline soldiers

Day 1,513. Today, as Hungary’s new prime minister Péter Magyar signals he will not veto the €90 billion European Union loan for Ukraine – and Slovakia’s opposition to the package appears to be crumbling – we ask whether Brussels can finally get the funding approved. We report on a continued surge in Ukrainian airstrikes against high-value Russian targets, and consider whether the air war in Russia’s war against Ukraine is beginning to tilt in Kyiv’s favour. We also examine developments in Ukraine’s domestic politics, as former presidential aide Andriy Yermak faces scrutiny from the country’s anti-corruption authorities. And later, we bring you a special interview from Adélie’s recent trip to Ukraine with Asami Terajima on the military’s efforts to prevent troops going AWOL and visiting a Kharkiv morgue. Contributors: Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X. Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X. Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X. With thanks to Asami Terajima – frontline reporter at the Kyiv Independent. 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 [https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest]   CONTENT REFERENCED: Top Zelensky allies Yermak, Arakhamia targeted in new searches, summons, source says (Kyiv Independent): https://kyivindependent.com/yermak/ [https://kyivindependent.com/yermak/]  The Mushroom Captivating Wartime Ukraine (New Lines): https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-mushroom-captivating-wartime-ukraine/ [https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-mushroom-captivating-wartime-ukraine/]  Russian air defenses are collapsing. Now Ukrainian warplanes can hit harder (Euromaidan): https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/04/15/donetsk-airport-raid/ [https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/04/15/donetsk-airport-raid/] Inside Ukraine's AWOL and military desertion crisis https://kyivindependent.com/inside-ukraines-awol-and-desertion-crisis/ [https://kyivindependent.com/inside-ukraines-awol-and-desertion-crisis/] As Ukraine war deaths mount, Kharkiv morgue strains to identify the truth https://kyivindependent.com/you-cant-turn-off-your-emotion-inside-a-ukrainian-morgue-as-war-deaths-mount/ [https://kyivindependent.com/you-cant-turn-off-your-emotion-inside-a-ukrainian-morgue-as-war-deaths-mount/] Coming of age during war, where mistakes can cost a life https://kyivindependent.com/coming-of-age-during-war-where-mistakes-can-cost-a-life/ [https://kyivindependent.com/coming-of-age-during-war-where-mistakes-can-cost-a-life/] War Notes Newsletter https://kyivindependent.com/newsletters/war-notes/ [https://kyivindependent.com/newsletters/war-notes/] The Kyiv Independent doesn’t have a paywall or an owner and is supported by a community of readers who make this work possible: https://kyivindependent.com/membership/?utm_source=membership-offline-arcola-theatre&utm_medium=offline&utm_campaign=pr [https://kyivindependent.com/membership/?utm_source=membership-offline-arcola-theatre&utm_medium=offline&utm_campaign=pr] EMAIL US: Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk [ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk] . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Putin’s forces suffer 35,000 casualties in March – the highest rate of the war – as 17 killed in Russia’s deadliest attack of 2026

Day 1,512. Today, as Russian forces suffer more than 35,000 casualties in Ukraine in a single month – the highest rate of the war so far – we report on fresh strikes across Ukraine that have killed at least 17 civilians, including a 12 year old boy. We assess the outcome of the latest Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base, and examine the dramatic first moves of Hungary’s new prime minister, who has vowed to shut down state television, describing it as “North Korean-style propaganda”. And later, we bring you the latest from Russia, including reaction in Moscow to the political fall of Viktor Orbán. Contributors: Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X. Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X. James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno on X. 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 [https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest]   CONTENT REFERENCED: Child among 14 killed in Russian strikes (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/16/wave-of-russian-strikes-kills-14-in-ukraine/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/16/wave-of-russian-strikes-kills-14-in-ukraine/]  Ukraine’s drones dent Russia’s war-fuelled oil windfall (Financial Times): https://www.ft.com/content/d49e288f-b74e-44a8-a2f3-ec87f7cb5c27?syn-25a6b1a6=1 [https://www.ft.com/content/d49e288f-b74e-44a8-a2f3-ec87f7cb5c27?syn-25a6b1a6=1]  ‘The pope versus the president: how Leo became Trump’s fearless foe’ (Financial Times):  https://www.ft.com/content/4f67aa87-9210-402d-bfef-b71b294d65cb?syn-25a6b1a6=1 [https://www.ft.com/content/4f67aa87-9210-402d-bfef-b71b294d65cb?syn-25a6b1a6=1] Pope Pius II’s memoirs (Vol. I; Harvard University Press): https://itatti.harvard.edu/publications/commentaries [https://itatti.harvard.edu/publications/commentaries]  The Border by Erika Fatland:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57950362-the-border [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57950362-the-border]  EMAIL US: Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk [ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk] . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Russia crippled as ‘meat assaults’ fail in spring offensive & will this be the year Ukraine takes more territory than Moscow?

Day 1,511. Today, as the 50-nation Ukraine Defence Contact Group meets in Berlin just hours after President Zelensky signs a new defence cooperation pact with Germany, we assess the first moves of Hungary’s new prime minister and what they could mean for European support for Ukraine. We then take a deep dive into Russian military tactics and campaign design – including how Moscow consolidates control over occupied territories – with an expert from the Institute for the Study of War. Contributors: Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X. Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X. With thanks to Karolina Hird of the Institute for the Study of War. 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 [https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest]   CONTENT REFERENCED: Karolina Hird’s Occupation Updates for the ISW: https://understandingwar.org/people/karolina-hird/ [https://understandingwar.org/people/karolina-hird/]  The SBU detained an FSB informant who, while working as a school principal in Kramatorsk, corrected shelling of the city (Ukrainian Government): https://ssu.gov.ua/novyny/sbu-zatrymala-informatorku-fsb-yaka-pratsiuiuchy-zavuchem-shkoly-u-kramatorsku-koryhuvala-obstrily-mista [https://ssu.gov.ua/novyny/sbu-zatrymala-informatorku-fsb-yaka-pratsiuiuchy-zavuchem-shkoly-u-kramatorsku-koryhuvala-obstrily-mista] 17-year-old Lithuanian who won the Norwegian Mathematical Olympiad donated the entire prize to Ukraine (LRT): https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/svietimas/45/2887345/norvegijos-matematikos-olimpiadoje-laimejes-17-metis-lietuvis-visa-priza-paaukojo-ukrainai [https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/svietimas/45/2887345/norvegijos-matematikos-olimpiadoje-laimejes-17-metis-lietuvis-visa-priza-paaukojo-ukrainai]  Ukraine opens first Africa food supply center in Ghana (Kyiv Independent): https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-links-food-aid-and-trade-with-ghana-agrohub/?mc_cid=d5c797f2f4&mc_eid=08d0680a95 [https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-links-food-aid-and-trade-with-ghana-agrohub/?mc_cid=d5c797f2f4&mc_eid=08d0680a95]  EMAIL US: Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk [ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk] . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Russian troops ‘surrender to army robots’ in war first & interview with former CIA operative on Putin’s spycraft

Day 1,510. Today, as new evidence emerges that Russia is increasing sign-on bonuses to recruit more soldiers for its war in Ukraine, we report on efforts to ramp up defences around Vladimir Putin’s palace. We also examine dramatic political developments in Hungary, where the new prime minister has vowed to expose alleged Russian links – amid reports of document shredding by allies of former leader Viktor Orbán. And later, we speak to a former CIA operative about Russian disinformation tactics, the failures of Kremlin intelligence services, and what they have learned – and not learned – from the war. Contributors: Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X. Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X. With thanks to former CIA operative Sean M. Wiswesser. 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 [https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest]   CONTENT REFERENCED: Sean M. Wiswesser’s book, ‘Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin's Secret War’: https://a.co/d/04TANzGg [https://a.co/d/04TANzGg]  Putin has lost his best friend inside the EU. Who can he rely on now Orban has gone? (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/14/putin-loses-best-friend-orban/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/14/putin-loses-best-friend-orban/]  Ukraine ‘forces Russians to surrender using only robots’ (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/14/ukraine-forces-russians-to-surrender-using-only-robots/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/14/ukraine-forces-russians-to-surrender-using-only-robots/]  Putin’s house now protected by 27 air defence systems (Antonia Langford in The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/13/putins-house-now-protected-27-air-defence-systems-drones/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/13/putins-house-now-protected-27-air-defence-systems-drones/]  Zelensky's Ukraine's Defense Industry Worker Day Address (President's Office): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Br_kdXR-sk&t=56s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Br_kdXR-sk&t=56s] Starmer accused of ‘corrosive complacency’ over defence (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/14/starmer-accused-complacency-former-nato-chief-defence/ [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/14/starmer-accused-complacency-former-nato-chief-defence/] EMAIL US: Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk [ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk] . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.