Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,488.
Today, after another weekend of so-called peace talks over Russia’s war in Ukraine, we search for signs of a diplomatic breakthrough (spoiler: there isn’t one). We report on a fresh wave of long-range Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia that forced at least 15 Russian airports to suspend flight operations and also examine the so-called “Gamechanger” plot – allegations of a plan to stage a fake assassination attempt on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to boost his chances in next month’s election. Later, we catch-up with Michael Bohnert at the RAND Corporation, and ask whether Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missiles and interceptor drones are now setting the pace for aerial warfare and military innovation.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
With thanks to Michael Bohnert of RAND.

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:
Putin tells Trump: I’ll stop giving Iran intel if you cut off Ukraine (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/03/20/putin-trump-iran-intel-ukraine/

What the Ukraine war tells us about the Iran conflict (Valerii Zaluzhnyi in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/21/ukraine-war-tells-us-about-iran-conflict/

President Stubb of Finland: ‘We must face reality – the West has split’ (David Blair’s Interview in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/22/president-stubb-finland-interview/

How Telegram became a death sentence for Russian soldiers (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/20/how-telegram-became-a-death-sentence-for-russian-soldiers/

Ukrainians in disbelief over West’s failure to stop Iran’s deadly drones (Adrian Blomfield in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/20/trump-iran-ukraine-russia-drone-warfare/

What Is Ukraine’s Interceptor, One of the World’s Most In-Demand Drones? (UNITED24):
https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/what-is-ukraines-interceptor-one-of-the-worlds-most-in-demand-drones-17055

To tilt Hungarian election, Russians proposed staging assassination attempt of Orban (Washington Post):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/03/21/hungary-election-interference-russia-orban/

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
Our weekly newsletter includes maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons, answers your questions, provides recommended reading, and gives exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights.. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers. Join here – http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on [email protected] . 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 for more information.

Day 1,485.
Three days into Russia’s so called ‘spring offensive’, there are barely any advances on the ground yet casualties continue to rise. A Ukrainian delegation is on its way to Washington to resume talks tomorrow after the latest round in the diary was postponed by the war in Iran. Meanwhile the European Union stalls again in providing Ukraine with financial relief.

Contributors:
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
With thanks to Dr Jack Watling, Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute. @Jack_Watling 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

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Exclusive: Why Iran's new leader survived & how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Iran: The Latest
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/exclusive-why-irans-new-leader-survived-how-to-reopen/id1712903296?i=1000755619719

United 24: 110-Truck “Humanitarian” Convoy From Central Asia Heads To Iran—But What’s Inside?
https://united24media.com/latest-news/110-truck-humanitarian-convoy-from-central-asia-heads-to-iran-but-whats-inside-17049

Exclusive: Ukraine has few options if Hungary keeps EU funding frozen, Kyiv Independent
https://kyivindependent.com/exclusive-ukraine-has-few-options-if-hungary-keeps-eu-funding-frozen/

We interviewed Iran’s envoy to Ukraine and it was absolutely wild, Kyiv Independent
https://kyivindependent.com/we-interviewed-irans-envoy-in-ukraine-and-it-was-absolutely-wild/

Russia uneasy as Trump's envoy quietly courts Moscow's closest ally, Kytiv Independent
https://kyivindependent.com/russia-uneasy-as-trumps-envoy-quietly-courts-moscows-closest-ally/

Oscar-nominated ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ exposes Russian passivity, Kyiv Independent
https://kyivindependent.com/oscar-nominated-film-shows-russias-enduring-small-person-complex/

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
Our weekly newsletter includes maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons, answers your questions, provides recommended reading, and gives exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights.. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers. Join here – http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on [email protected] . 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 for more information.

Day 1,484.
Today, as Russian casualty figures continue to climb, we ask whether Moscow’s long-anticipated spring offensive has already begun. We also return to the situation in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin has been absent from public view for several days, as a formerly loyal supporter issues a dramatic call for the Russian president to step down. Then we examine the significance of comments by the CIA director on Moscow’s involvement with Iran, before speaking to one of Britain’s leading historians of strategy about where the war now stands – and the key mistakes made by both Russia and Ukraine.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
With thanks to historian Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman.

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:
Sir Lawrence Freedman’s book, ‘On Strategists and Strategy: Collected Essays, 2014-2024’:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strategists-Strategy-Collected-Essays-2014-2024-ebook/dp/B0F7GFDDNF

Jürgen Habermas, eminent philosopher who sought to help Germany overcome its postwar spiritual ruin (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2026/03/15/jurgen-habermas-eminent-german-spiritual-philosopher/

Ukraine agrees to pump Russian oil to Hungary to secure EU loan (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/18/ukraine-agrees-pump-russian-oil-to-hungary-secure-eu-loan/

‘Put him on trial’: pro-Kremlin loyalist turns on Putin in rare outburst (The Guardian):
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/18/pro-kremlin-loyalist-turns-on-putin-ilya-remeslo-russia?CMP=share_btn_url

Russia unveils plans to resettle occupied Ukrainian territories, media reports (Kyiv Independent):
https://kyivindependent.com/russia-unveils-plans-to-resettle-occupied-ukrainian-territories-media-reports/?mc_cid=6dd8571311&mc_eid=08d0680a95

Two shipments of Russian oil and gas head to Cuba in defiance of US (Financial Times):
https://www.ft.com/content/bdb055d0-62c3-445c-ba89-349c63c82c1f?syn-25a6b1a6=1

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
Our weekly newsletter includes maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons, answers your questions, provides recommended reading, and gives exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights.. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers. Join here – http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on [email protected] . 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 for more information.

Day 1,483.
Today, as Russia records its highest daily troop losses of the year in its war against Ukraine, we examine how the head of the Russian armed forces, General Valery Gerasimov, is reportedly presenting outdated battlefield information to Vladimir Putin to suggest the situation at the front remains under control. We report on fears that a damaged Russian shadow fleet tanker drifting in the Mediterranean Sea could trigger an environmental disaster of “unprecedented proportions”, and how President Zelensky has shown live battlefield footage from an iPad to the UK Parliament to illustrate the realities of 21st-century warfare. And later, we hear about the Make A Difference Foundation about its work supporting Ukrainian families displaced by Russia’s invasion, alongside memories from the First Gulf War with two former tank commanders, including the horror of friendly fire.

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

With thanks to former tank commanders Hamish de Bretton-Gordon and James Hewitt.

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:
Learn more about James Hewitt’s Charity & Fundraiser:
https://www.operationsafedrop.com/
Donations Page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/jameshewitt

Zelensky’s ‘don’t forget about me’ tour exposes panic in Ukraine (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/17/volodymyr-zelensky-london-starmer-remember-ukraine/

Stricken Russian tanker heading for environmental disaster (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/17/stricken-russian-tanker-heading-for-environmental-disaster/

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
Our weekly newsletter includes maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons, answers your questions, provides recommended reading, and gives exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights.. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers. Join here – http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on [email protected] . 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 for more information.

Day 1,482.
Today, as world leaders gather in London, including President Zelensky, we bring you the latest from Moscow following another major Russian aerial bombardment overnight – and examine how the Russian media is reporting the attacks. We also reflect on our questioning Finnish President Alexander Stubb at Chatham House, and what his remarks reveal about Europe’s evolving strategy. And later, we share several stories Adélie was working on from Ukraine, offering insight into life on the ground amid the energy crisis.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
James Kilner (Russian Analyst). @Jkjourno on X.
With thanks to Chatham House and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

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:
Adelie’s Documentary – ‘Defying Putin's bombardments on Ukrainian cities’:
https://youtu.be/xBdZro1rils?si=wHb8DaWNtpHbavJw

Alexander Stubb’s Lecture at Chatham House:
https://www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/standard-event/finlands-president-alexander-stubb-why-europe-needs-flexible-integration

Zelensky’s ‘don’t forget about me’ tour exposes panic in Ukraine (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/17/volodymyr-zelensky-london-starmer-remember-ukraine/

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
Our weekly newsletter includes maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons, answers your questions, provides recommended reading, and gives exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights.. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers. Join here – http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on [email protected] . 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 for more information.