Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,593.
Today, as Ukraine reportedly launches one of the largest waves of air strikes inside Russia since the full-scale invasion began – while also targeting multiple Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov – we bring you the latest from the NATO summit in Turkey, where world leaders are gathering for what could prove one of the most consequential meetings of the war. What is really at stake for the alliance? How secure is continued US support for NATO? And what military commitments can realistically be expected that will strengthen President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hand, both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table, as pressure mounts on Vladimir Putin at home?

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Venetia Rainey (Host on Iran: The Latest). @Venetiarainey on X.
Roland Oliphant (Host on Iran: The Latest). @RolandOliphant on X.
Sophia Yan (Senior Foreign Correspondent). @Sophia_Yan on X.

With thanks to Lithuania’s representative to NATO, Darius Jauniskis, and former UK Armed Forces Minister, Al Carns MP.

Producer: Phil Atkins
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:

Listen to Iran: The Latest for more from NATO and interview with Al Carns:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/iran-the-latest/id1712903296
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7gPBO0qnZI1YBi25zaVT1c
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk

NATO Summit Live Blog (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/07/nato-summit-latest-ankara-turkey-starmer-trump/

Britain to lead European drive to build long-range Nato missiles (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/06/britain-lead-european-missile-project-reliance-us/

Sleeping families crushed by Putin’s trademark ‘double tap’ strike (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/06/sleeping-families-crushed-putin-trademark-double-tap-strike/

Woman suspected of Ukrainian tycoon bomb plot in Monaco shot dead (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/07/woman-suspected-of-ukrainian-tycoon-bomb-plot-monaco-shot/

How Britain let Europe down on defence (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/07/how-britain-let-europe-down-with-defence/

Erdogan crushes dissent before rolling out Nato red carpet (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/07/recep-erdogan-turkey-ankara-dissent-nato-summit-ankara/

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:

Ukraine hits Russia with ‘biggest drone attack in two years’
Trump tells Nato summit war will be settled ‘soon’
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,592.
Ahead of the NATO summit in Turkey, Russia kills more Ukrainian civilians in the second mass aerial strike in four days. Moscow also claims they’ve taken the Donbas city of Kostiantynivka, then later says fighting is ongoing – Dom tries to decipher the conflicting reports. Then he has the latest on Ukraine’s most recent drone strikes against a St Petersburg oil terminal, as Russians consider refuelling in China amid petrol shortages across the country. And we hear from our team on the ground in Ankara before looking ahead to what we can expect from this year’s NATO summit, where Trump is expected to put pressure on allies over defence spending.

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

Producer: Rachel Porter
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:
Trump threatens NATO on eve of summit
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/05/trump-threatens-nato-on-eve-of-summit/

Putin faces a fork in the road (Memphis Barker for the Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/06/vladimir-putin-faces-fork-in-road-russia-ukraine/

Fuel shortages after Ukrainian drone attacks push Russians to refuel in China (RBC Ukraine)
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/fuel-shortages-push-russians-to-refill-their-1783332958.html

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 strikes St Petersburg again as NATO leaders prepare for Trump summit
War unleashes 'fire tornado' in Chernobyl
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,589.
Russia’s fuel crisis continues, to the intense frustration of ordinary Russians, and to the delight of Ukrainians, who are trolling Russians by flooding a fuel availability app with fake reviews. After Ukraine’s attack on the NORSI oil refinery in Kstovo, 800km inside Russia, Alex Nichol reports on how Kyiv is shutting down more energy facilities in occupied areas. Adelie dives into reports that Moscow is planning an attack on Poland and the Baltics to test Nato. Plus, authorities in Germany have just accused Kyiv of sanctioning the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline attack. Finally we hear from Dr Jade McGlynn, occupied territories expert, on what comes next for Crimea – isolation or liberation?

Contributors:
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
Alex Nichol (Telegraph journalist).
Dr Jade McGlynn (Occupied Territories Expert, King’s College London).

Producer: Rachel Porter
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:
Russia planning attack on Poland to test Nato resolve, US warns (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/03/russia-planning-attack-on-poland-test-nato-resolve-us-warns/

Ukrainian refugees face eviction amid Poland and Kyiv spat (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/02/ukrainian-refugees-face-eviction-amid-poland-kyiv-spat/

EU shipyard races to service Putin’s LNG fleet before sanctions bite (Politico)
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-shipyard-races-to-service-russia-vladimir-putin-lng-fleet-before-sanctions-bite/

The ‘Waze of Petrol’, according to Dr Jade McGlynn
https://estbenzin.ru/

Ukrainian Digital Media Archive
https://duma.org.ua/

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.

Thumbnail image credit: Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine

HIGHLIGHTS:
Russia planning attack on Poland to test Nato, US warns as
Ukraine strikes shut down oil refineries in occupied territories
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,588.
After Russia unleashes one of its deadliest attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens more, Dom reports on a city that knew the assault was coming hours in advance. He then examines a major new report alleging that Russia’s shadow fleet has been used not only to evade sanctions, but potentially to launch drones targeting military bases and civilian airports across Europe, raising profound new questions about the Kremlin’s hybrid war against the West. Later, Dom, Adelie and Francis answer your questions in the first edition of our new regular postbag segment.

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.

Producer: Phil Atkins
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:
Listen to ‘Ernstfall: What if Russia Attacks NATO? Inside a German Wargame’ (featuring dubs from Francis Dearnley and James Rothwell): –
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ernstfall-what-if-russia-attacks-nato-inside-a/id6785429115
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/033GHuBrh6zwl1mq4TVeY6?si=-RApaIauQXaQhD5tgzhD_g&nd=1&dlsi=50aee65f40c4451b

Eighteen killed in massive Russian attack on Kyiv (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/02/ukraine-war-russia-attacks-kyiv-drones-missiles/

Russia’s UAV Campaign Over Europe (International Institute for Strategic Studies)
https://www.iiss.org/research-paper/2026/06/russias-uav-campaign-over-europe/

Russian drones spy on nuclear weapons in Britain (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/02/putin-shadow-tankers-drones-nuclear-weapons-russia-nato/

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 1, 2026 (Institute for the Study of War)
https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-july-1-2026/

Sanctioned Russian billionaire retains control of Aughinish parent company, Sweden finds (Irish Times)
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/07/01/sanctioned-russian-billionaire-retains-control-of-aughinish-parent-company-sweden-finds/

Russia buys gasoline from India to tackle shortages, sources say (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-buys-gasoline-india-tackle-shortages-sources-say-2026-07-01/

Russia shuts railway border crossings with Finland, Estonia and Latvia (Politico)
https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-suspends-railway-border-crossings-finland-baltic-neighbors/

How likely is the use of nuclear weapons by Russia? (Chatham House)
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/03/how-likely-use-nuclear-weapons-russia

Russia’s Nuclear Signaling in 2026 and Implications for European Security (DGAP)
https://dgap.org/en/research/publications/russias-nuclear-signaling-2026-and-implications-european-security

Nuclear Signaling since the beginning of the full-scale invasion (Ukraine: The Latest, February 3rd)
https://podcasts.apple.com/gr/podcast/putin-waits-until-kyiv-hits-20c-before-knocking-out/id1612424182?i=1000747895284

Postcards of the Front:
https://postcardstothefrontcanada.com/

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.

Thumbnail image credit: Vlada.UA

HIGHLIGHTS:

Ukraine's '40-day campaign' to break Russia continues as Kyiv suffers huge attack
Shadow fleet drones spy on Europe's nuclear warheads

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

Day 1,587.
As more of Russia’s ground-based space infrastructure is launched by Ukraine into low earth orbit, eight days after the first such strike, Dom asks: where are the air defences? In the words of Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov it’s just “one crisis after another" for Russia, as he talks about the campaign to strangle Crimea. Meanwhile, Russian milbloggers are complaining that the life expectancy of a Russian soldier at the front is now about half an hour; criticisms that drew the remarkable response from the State Duma that Russian people should “just get on with it”. Russia analyst James Kilner reports on how fuel shortages are dominating life in the country. Later, David Miliband of the International Rescue Committee gives a glimpse of civilian life near the frontline.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno on X.
Adrian Blomfield (Telegraph Senior Foreign Correspondent). @adrianblomfield 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:
Africans being tricked by Russia to fight in the killing forests of Ukraine (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/14/africans-tricked-russia-killing-forests-ukraine/

As the Tide Turns Against Putin, Beware the Drowning Man (Foreign Policy)
https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/25/russia-ukraine-war-putin-escalation-nato-europe/

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