Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,685.
Today, as reports emerge of a possible Ukrainian advance in the Donbas with some Russians saying they are ‘doomed’, Dom asks: is this Vivaldi’s fourth season? Russia continues its campaign of state terrorism with a drone strike on a kindergarten and we report powerful testimony from inside the besieged and occupied town of Oleshky. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration is said to be trying to negotiate a deal with Russia to reopen the Nord Stream pipeline, just as a Ukrainian delegation arrives in Florida to try to negotiate a deal to end the war. And later, Adelie speaks to a human rights lawyer about recent reports of children from territories occupied since 2022 being drafted into the Russian army.
Image: Ukrainian service members cross a river outside the city of Sievierodonetsk in 2022.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
Mykola Bielieskov (Research Fellow at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies). @MBielieskov on X.
With thanks to Kateryna Rashevska.

Producer: Rachel Porter
Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: Tom Steed and Sophie O'Sullivan
Social Producer: 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:
Buy tickets to ‘War Room’, a new interactive event in London, hosted by Dom:
https://www.squadup.com/events/the-war-room
Use code UTL20 for 20% off (first 30 users only)

If you’re interested in sponsoring Dom’s upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at events@telegraph.co.uk

Regional Center for Human Rights:
https://rchr.org.ua/en/

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:
– Ukrainian troops ‘cross river’ as Donbas advance continues
– Russia drafts children from occupied territories into army
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,684.
Today, Russia continues its war against civilians in Ukraine, killing 33 in a single strike on a Kramatorsk bus stop. UKraine hits deep in Russia, targeting at least one oil refinery and a data centre, and as Moldova says it will install bomb shelters at border crossings following repeated Russian attacks, the UK has sanctioned its 645th shadow fleet vessel. And later, we answer your questions about the technical and tactical side of the war with the help of an expert on weapons technology.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
With thanks to RAND engineer Michael Bohnert, @mbohnert 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:
Russian strike on Ukrainian buses kills 33 (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/08/russian-strike-on-ukrainian-buses-kills-33/

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:
Russia kills 33 in ‘targeted’ Kramatorsk bus stop missile strike
Dom answers your questions with RAND engineer Michael Bohnert
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,683.
Today, as Putin marks his 74th birthday, Ukraine is hit by deadly attacks exposing Europe’s vulnerability to ballistic missiles and drones. We hear of one proposal being debated in London, before turning to an extraordinary development in Germany: the arrest of the country’s former spy chief on treason charges. Plus, Ukrainian naval drones reportedly strike a tanker near the Russia port city of Sochi, setting it ablaze. Then, updates from our Russia analyst James Kilner: post-election tax raids, growing fears of mobilisation, and the latest of the alleged plague outbreak that prompted several countries to adopt precautionary measures.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno 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:
Dom’s Panel, ‘Bytes, bots or bayonets: Is Britain ready for the future of warfare?’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKIdJcsXiqs&t=2977s&pp=0gcJCTUMAYcqIYzv

Kim Jong-un wishes ‘dearest friend’ Putin a happy birthday (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/07/kim-jong-un-vladimir-putin-happy-birthday/

Journalist Evan Gershkovich: ‘Being jailed in Russia was pure fear’ (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/07/journalist-evan-gershkovich-putin-russia-prison/

MI6 fears German spy chief leaked British secrets (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/06/mi6-fears-german-spy-chief-leaked-british-secrets/

Golden naked Trump statue unveiled at European Parliament (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/07/golden-naked-donald-trump-statue-european-parliament/

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:
Huge blaze as naval drone hits oil tanker off Russian resort city Sochi
Former German spy chief arrested for treason
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,682.
Today, as Ukraine continues to be battered with strikes from the evasive jet-powered drones, Kyiv installs AI-powered machine gun turrets to protect its bridges. Ukraine sends a swarm of drones to Moscow overnight, setting fire to the capital’s largest oil facility. We explore the tactical importance of balloons and report on the pro-Russian new government in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Finally, Adélie speaks with Odile Renaud-Basso, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and how their financial support contributes to the country’s war effort.

Contributors:
Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.

With thanks to Odile Renaud-Basso, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

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:
Russia Tests Balloon Barriers to Snare Ukrainian Drones (Kyiv Post)
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/86216

Ukraine doesn’t want charity from the US. It wants a true economic partnership (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/31/ukraine-doesnt-want-charity-us-wants-economic-partnership/

Fuel from South Korea being shipped to Russia as Ukraine war grinds on (The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/06/oil-tankers-south-korea-russia-ukraine-war

Russian drones sank Turkish cargo ship in Black Sea, says Zelensky (The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/05/russian-drones-sank-turkish-cargo-ship-black-sea-zelensky/

To find out more about the EBRD:
Ebrd.com
https://www.ebrd.com/home/news-and-events/news/2026/ebrd-president-reaffirms-steadfast-support-for-ukraine-on-sevent.html

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:
Ukraine uses AI machine guns for first time.
Drone swarm sets fire to Russian oil site.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,681.
Today, after a weekend that saw Kyiv’s key bridges hit by Russian drones in broad daylight – as Frederich Merz was actually visiting the Ukrainian capital, we hear the German chancellor’s defiant response. We discuss the death of a lab worker in Siberia, possibly of plague, sparking concern of an outbreak. Then we dive deeper into the tactics that allowed Ukraine to advance on the battlefield this year, and see Tucker Carlson being taken to task by former British MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, on his views on Ukraine and World War Two.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Sophie O’Sullivan (Telegraph Journalist).
Verity Bowman (Foreign and Global Health Security Reporter). @VerityBowman 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:
U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/us/politics/kushner-witkoff-russia-oil-deal.html?searchResultPosition=2

Interview with journalists from the Kyiv Independent:
On YouTube: https://youtu.be/m_ILe1GrwPs?si=II1vUNv7rS1Qdy5Q&t=545
On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ukraine-the-latest/id1612424182?i=1000792423839
On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3YW7fcsWSEtcSXZ4JcER2W?si=Q8pYx3SuTQSwF7d_lANkTg

Sophie’s interview with Annie Jacobsen, on her book about biological warfare:
On YouTube: https://youtu.be/sAp28EQy1hY?si=YzmVBjcqnaXUAWm7&t=1371
On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ukraine-the-latest/id1612424182?i=1000787457741
On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0e63alt0a7dxCHuLA81Sm4?si=sX59IhVlRiemfd2g9LabKQ

Francis’s tour of the Berlin Ukraine Museum:
https://youtu.be/5W9yy8Z-Qa0?si=xLFIpuTqqgyiZv46&t=848

Learn more about the Ukraine Museum in Berlin:
https://www.berlinstory.de/ukraine-museum/

Tucker Carlson debates Jacob-Rees Mogg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDwKfFV8eCU&t=2842s

Jacob Rees-Mogg on The Daily T:
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEBMM-cdqLc
On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6cnkk1J0I1UqtxTYVUL4Fe?si=799b9bcaa9e64177
On Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-daily-t/id1489612924?i=1000793278894

How Kyiv cracked Russia’s kill zone and got its tanks back in the fight (Verity Bowman for The Telegraph)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/03/how-ukraine-cracked-russias-kill-zone/

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:
Russia accused of covering up plague leak after Siberia lab worker death
How Kyiv cracked Russia’s kill zone and got its tanks back in the fight
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.