Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,491.
Today, as extraordinary Ukrainian strikes in the Baltic region reportedly knock out around 40 per cent of Russia’s crude oil export capacity in a single attack – and achieve the first known successful strike on a Russian military ship in the Baltic Sea, hundreds of kilometres from Ukraine – we assess the strategic impact on Russia’s war economy. We also take the temperature from high-level meetings in Germany and Finland, and examine reports that Moscow is supplying Iran with vital assistance in its confrontation with the United States and Israel. What vulnerabilities has this widening conflict exposed for Washington?

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
With thanks to Dr Robert Person, nonresident senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

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:
Ukraine drone attacks wipe out power for 500,000 Russians (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/25/ukraine-russia-drone-attacks-power-cut-500k-kyiv/

Trump denies it – but two wars are becoming one (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/26/converging-wars-leave-europe-panicked-and-putin-emboldened/

Exclusive: At least 40% of Russia's oil export capacity halted (Reuters):
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/least-40-russias-oil-export-capacity-halted-reuters-calculations-show-2026-03-25/

Russia sending drones to Iran, western intelligence says (The Financial Times):
https://www.ft.com/content/d5d7291b-8a53-42cd-b10a-4e02fbcf9047?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Russian government ordered Moscow internet blackout, The Bell reports (Kyiv Independent):
https://kyivindependent.com/orders-to-shut-down-internet-in-moscow-came-from-government-independent-russian-outlets-sources-confirm/?mc_cid=acf8847d40&mc_eid=08d0680a95

Pentagon considers diverting Ukraine military aid to the Middle East (The Washington Post):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/26/us-iran-war-ukraine-missile-defense/

Over 5000 munitions shot in the first 96 hours of Iran war (Foreign Policy Institute):
https://www.fpri.org/article/2026/03/over-5000-munitions-shot-in-the-first-96-hours-of-the-iran-war/

Drone Warfare Has Come to the United States (National Interest):
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/drone-warfare-has-come-to-the-united-states

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 1,490.
Today, as Ukraine suffers the largest wave of Russian attacks of the entire war – including a rare daytime aerial assault across much of the country – we examine the scale and impact of the bombardment. We also report on Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russia’s Baltic ports, with some drones reportedly reaching Estonia and Latvia. Then we reveal behind-the-scenes details of talks in Florida between Ukrainian and American officials, as the first investment linked to the US-Ukraine minerals deal becomes public. And later, we explore the evolution of international law since the Nuremberg Trials and how it underpins the post–World War II security architecture, in conversation with a former director of Human Rights Watch.

Contributors:
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
With thanks to journalist and author Steve Crawshaw.

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:
Steve Crawshaw’s book – Prosecuting the Powerful: War Crimes and the Battle for Justice:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Prosecuting-Powerful-Crimes-Battle-Justice/dp/0349128952/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

Russia bombards Ukraine with largest daytime attack (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/24/wave-of-russian-strikes-kill-five-in-ukraine/

Ukrainian Institute of London’s Language School:
Spring-Summer Term info: https://uil.org.uk/language-school/
Intensive Course booking: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ukrainianinstitutelondon/2125172
Registration form: https://forms.gle/hdeuf36UxxrJpUKe9

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 1,489.
Today, amid confirmation that Vladimir Putin’s spring offensive in Russia’s war in Ukraine has begun, we report on the assaults along the frontline that have driven a sharp rise in Russian casualty figures. We then examine the truth behind growing rumours of unrest and widespread internet outages in Moscow. We also speak to a senior official in the office of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán about allegations that Budapest’s diplomats shared details of European Union meetings with Kremlin officials. And later, we look at the controversial cases of Ukrainians who fought for Russia and are now prisoners of war in Ukraine – asking what drove them to switch sides in the conflict.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno on X.
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
With thanks to parliamentary state secretary of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Cabinet Office, Balázs Hidvéghi, and freelance journalist Jen Stout.

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:
Wave of Russian strikes kill five in Ukraine (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/24/wave-of-russian-strikes-kill-five-in-ukraine/

Ukraine strikes Russian oil export hub (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/23/ukraine-strikes-russias-largest-baltic-oil-terminal/

Ukraine names Hungarian officer allegedly behind spy network busted in 2025 (Kyiv Independent):
https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-names-hungarian-officer-allegedly-behind-spy-network-busted-in-2025/

What makes a traitor? Interviews with Ukrainians who fought for Russia reveal how they became Putin’s soldiers (Jen Stout in Prospect):
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/europe/ukraine/72210/what-makes-a-traitor

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 1,488.
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.