Ukraine: The Latest

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.

Day 1,637
Today, as at least 15 people are killed in another terrible missile bombardment on Kyiv, Putin is finally forced to acknowledge the Wildberries strikes that have seen warehouses ablaze across Russia. Meanwhile Ukraine targets Russian oil refineries once again. Then we ask whether former Defence Minister Fedorov overplayed his hand by calling for election – as key supporters reject the idea – before considering how Ukrainian literature and art is already shaping the war’s memory.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
With thanks to Charlotte Higgins, chief culture writer at the Guardian and author of Ukrainian Lessons: Art in a Time of War.

Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan
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:

Charlotte Higgins’ Book – ‘Ukrainian Lessons: Art in a Time of War’
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ukrainian-Lessons-Art-Time-War/dp/1787335976

Victoria Amelina’s Book – ‘Looking at Women, Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary from Ukraine’
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Looking-Women-War-foreword-Margaret/dp/0008727503

Learn more about the Ukrainian Institute Language School: https://uil.org.uk/language-school/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/20/russian-cruise-missiles-kill-12-in-kyiv/

Russia still has 50 Kinzhal missiles in its arsenal after suspending production – Ukraine's Defence Intelligence (Ukrainska Pravda)
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/08/20/8049496/

Fuel pumps are running dry but Putin won’t let Russians complain (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/20/fuel-pumps-running-dry-putin-russia-ukraine-war-kremlin/

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 19, 2026 (Institute for the Study of War)
https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-19-2026/

GeoInsider reporting on the Russian naval attack drone shot down by Romania
https://x.com/InsiderGeo/status/2090388854855397440?s=20

Adelie’s interview with Hugh Roberts on translating Ukrainian poetry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AXCoKZkXMI

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:
Putin breaks silence on Wildberries carnage
15 killed in Russian bombardment on Kyiv

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

Day 1,636.
Today, in a blistering attack on his former boss, ousted Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has taken aim at President Zelensky, calling out government corruption and a governance system “in crisis” and calling for fresh elections. It comes as Zelensky’s new defence minister is endorsed by parliament, but also as Ukraine’s national anti-corruption body launches dawn raids on a “high-ranking official” in the president’s office. Plus, nursery children in Russia have been held at gunpoint in government anti-terror drills and Croatian police arrest a Ukrainian man for the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline. Later, Dom speaks to Ukrainian athlete Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who last weekend won gold in the high jump at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
With thanks to Olga Saladukha and Oleksiy Kasyanov of the Ukrainian Athletic Federation, and champion high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh.

Producer: Rachel Porter
Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan and Anthony Melton
Social Producer: Natalia Makohon
Translation by Natalia Makohon
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

Nursery children held at gunpoint in Russian anti-terror drills (Antonia Langford for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/19/kindergarten-children-held-at-gunpoint-in-russian-drills/

Top Zelensky aide targeted in new anti-corruption investigation (Antonia Langford for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/19/top-zelensky-aide-targeted-anti-corruption-investigation/

Croatia arrests Ukrainian suspected of Nord Stream sabotage, to be tried in Germany (Kyiv Independent)
https://kyivindependent.com/croatia-arrests-suspected-nord-stream-saboteur-to-be-tried-in-germany/

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:
Mykhailo Fedorov calls for election in blistering attack on Zelensky
Former defence minister also claims corruption is harming Kyiv’s war effort

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