Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,503.
Today after another set of attacks on Russian oil and gas infrastructure, it's clear Ukraine is not going to heed calls by some international leaders to stop striking Russian energy facilities. President Zelensky has continued his whirlwind diplomatic tour visiting Syria and Turkey over Easter, and we hear from our Senior Foreign Correspondent, Adrian Blomfield, about how a drone designed for herding cattle helped destroy a bridge being used by Russia. Plus, Francis has a special report on the upcoming Hungarian elections.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Adrian Blomfield (Telegraph Senior Foreign Correspondent). @adrianblomfield 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:
Francis’s Hungary Documentaries –
Part I: Ukraine & Russia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIILzKnFs2o
Part II: Immigration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuGB9mgdHvE

Adrian Blomfield’s article: Exclusive: British drones destroy Russian-controlled bridge: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/07/british-drones-destroy-russian-controlled-bridge-dnipro/

Picture credit: Credit: Ukraine's 426th Unmanned Systems Regiment

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 1,498.
Today, as President Donald Trump threatens to withdraw from the key US initiative that enables allies to purchase American weapons for Ukraine, we analyse new footage of emerging drone technologies on the frontline, before exposing the brutal realities of Russia’s battlefield economy and the corruption sustaining Vladimir Putin’s war effort. We also report on record crime rates in Russia since the invasion, as returning soldiers strain domestic stability, and hear expert analysis on this pivotal moment in Ukrainian politics.

**Ukraine: The Latest will return after Easter on Tuesday 7th of April.**

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.

With thanks to freelance journalist Antonia Langford and Deputy Editor of the Kyiv Independent, Oleksiy Sorokin.

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:
‘Rapists and murderers’ in Russian army rampage while home from front (Antonia Langford in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/01/rapists-murderers-russian-army-rampage-home-from-front/

Trump threatened to stop weapons for Ukraine unless Europe joined Hormuz coalition (Financial Times):
https://www.ft.com/content/d304071a-ca97-4b3b-be93-ff880a6645c3?syn-25a6b1a6=1

On the front lines, Russian soldiers pay officers to stay alive (The Economist):
https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/04/01/on-the-front-lines-russian-soldiers-pay-officers-to-stay-alive

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 1,497.
Today, as The Telegraph publishes an exclusive interview with Donald Trump in which he threatens to withdraw the United States from NATO, we examine the potential consequences for European security and Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s invasion. We also analyse dramatic footage of new Russian “jousting” drones reportedly being deployed on the battlefield, before looking at Vladimir Putin’s latest appeal to Russia’s billionaire oligarchs to help sustain the country’s wartime economy. And later, we reflect on the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster and the enduring legacy of the nuclear catastrophe that still shapes Ukraine’s environmental and security landscape.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Connor Stringer (Washington Correspondent). @connor_stringer on X.
James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno on X.

With thanks to Dr Sasha Dovzhyk.

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 interview: I am strongly considering pulling out of Nato (Connor Stringer in The Telegraph).
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/01/donald-trump-strongly-considering-pulling-us-out-of-nato/

Russian drone skewers Ukrainian aircraft in mid-air (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/31/russian-drone-skewers-ukrainian-aircraft-in-mid-air/

Learn more about INDEX:
https://www.index-ukraine.org/en

Learn more about NOXAID:
https://noxaiduk.org/
Specific fundraiser for Fire truck:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/james-clarke-512?utm_medium=CF&utm_source=CL

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 1,496.
Today, as Ukraine offers to assist in re-opening the Strait of Hormuz, we hear reports of the Ukrainians being warned off attacking oil energy infrastructure as the world continues to reel from the war in Iran, before examining leaked calls between the Russian and Hungarian foreign ministers that suggest an even closer relationship between Moscow and Budapest than previously understood. Finally, we reflect on the anniversary of the Bucha massacre – one of the most notorious atrocities of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and hear the view from the battlefield with frontline reporter Francis Farrell.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.

With thanks to Francis Farrell of the Kyiv Independent.

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:
Francis’s Documentary on Hungary, Russia, and Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIILzKnFs2o
Chernobyl Event Tomorrow by the Ukrainian Institute of London/Royal Society of the Arts:
https://www.thersa.org/events/2026/04/40-years-on-chornobyls-legacy-and-european-environmental-security/

Kremlin hotline: Hungary colluded with Russia to delist sanctioned oligarchs, companies and banks (The Insider and others):
https://theins.press/en/inv/290911

Foreign fighters in Russian ranks rise above 27,000, Ukraine says (Kyiv Independent):
https://kyivindependent.com/foreign-fighters-in-russian-ranks-rise-to-27-407-ukraine-says/?mc_cid=84888effdc&mc_eid=08d0680a95

Interview exclusive de Sergueï Lavrov, ministre des Affaires étrangères russe (France 2):
https://www.franceinfo.fr/monde/russie/video-nous-nous-prononcons-pour-la-defense-des-interets-de-l-iran-regardez-l-interview-exclusive-de-serguei-lavrov-ministre-des-affaires-etrangeres-russe-sur-france-2_7896044.html

Pourquoi et dans quelles conditions la rédaction de France Télévisions a-t-elle réalisé l'interview de Sergueï Lavrov, chef de la diplomatie russe ? (France Info):
https://www.franceinfo.fr/une-information-transparente-franceinfo/transparence-pourquoi-et-dans-quelles-conditions-la-redaction-de-france-televisions-a-t-elle-realise-l-interview-de-serguei-lavrov-chef-de-la-diplomatie-russe_7897925.html

Francis Farrell’s recent journalism for The Kyiv Independent:
https://kyivindependent.com/author/francis-farrell/

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 1,495.
Today, as the full extent of the damage from Ukrainian strikes in the Baltic region becomes clearer, we assess the impact on Russia’s oil infrastructure and the wider war economy. We also examine stalled offensives on the ground, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces struggling to make significant gains along the frontline. Then we turn to President Zelensky’s “Gulf Grand Tour”, as he signs defence agreements with Gulf states seeking Ukrainian assistance against Iranian drone threats as Moscow is accused of helping Tehran to destroy one of its most valuable aircraft. And later, we look at a row in Germany after a major defence company claimed Ukrainian drones were “built by housewives”, and ask whether a European Union member state such as Hungary could lose its voting rights amid growing pressure to unlock a €90 billion loan for Kyiv.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
James Rothwell (Berlin Correspondent). @JamesERothwell on X.
Joe Barnes (Brussels Correspondent). @Barnes_Joe 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:
Francis’s Documentary on Hungary, Russia, and Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIILzKnFs2o

Zelensky looks to Gulf to protect him from Putin (Joe Barnes in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/29/zelensky-needs-patriot-missiles-answer-in-gulf/

Orban on the brink – but his rival may spring a surprise on the EU (James Crisp in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/29/eu-viktor-orban-hungary-election/

How Iran destroyed US base’s $500m battlefield nerve centre (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/29/how-iran-destroyed-500m-battlefield-nerve-centre-at-us-base/

Hungarian Journalist Faces Spy Charges After Reports on Election Meddling (New York Times):
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/world/europe/hungary-journalist-election-meddling-espionage.html

Russians dubious as bomb shelters appear 1,000km from Ukraine (Kyiv Independent):
https://kyivindependent.com/russia-building-bomb-shelters-1-000-km-from-border-as-ukraines-strike-reach-grows/?mc_cid=6c83d4505d&mc_eid=08d0680a95

Russian losses in the war with Ukraine: updated (Mediazona and BBC):
https://en.zona.media/article/2026/03/27/casualties_eng-trl

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.