Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,596. Ukraine continues playing its game of Whack-A-Hole on the Kremlin's energy plants. Dom looks at technical developments on the battlefield, including the suggestion Ukrainian troops are now deliberately starting their assaults with next to no equipment, before turning to politics: with Tomahawks on their way to Europe and Marine Le Pen, possibly, on her way to the Elysee Palace. Adelie F...

Day 1,595. Ukraine strikes yet more Russian shadow fleet tankers in the Black Sea, bringing their total to more than 30 in just four days. Adelie reports on how Kyiv’s latest strikes on oil facilities has President Putin feeling the mounting frustration of ordinary Russians. Then we hear from our correspondents in Ankara who reflect on “a Nato summit of two halves,” where Donald Trump’s bombastic...

Day 1,594. Donald Trump has handed Ukraine permission to build its own Patriot missiles as he met with Volodymyr Zelensky at the Nato summit. It comes after the American president told the meeting in Ankara the US-Iran ceasefire was “over”, and said Washington would cut all trade ties with Spain as he met with Mark Rutte. Our team in Ankara has all the latest updates from a busy day in the Turkish...

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 th...

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 con...

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 rep...

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...

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...

Day 1,586. Today, as Vladimir Putin continues to make grossly exaggerated claims about Russia’s gains on the battlefield, we assess the latest military progress of both sides, before looking at the long-delayed and controversial defence investment plan finally announced by the British. More money for drones, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence: but does it go far enough, and how close...

Day 1,585. After a weekend that saw Ukraine’s Constitution Day celebrated with yet more lengthy queues at petrol stations in Russia and Crimea – a situation not helped by Russian oil refineries continuing to self-sanction – Putin shrugs that these ‘difficult’ days are just a speed bump on the road to inevitable victory. Dom and Francis ponder on Alexander Lukashenko’s slightly odd weekend jaunt to...

Day 1,582. Crimea declares a state of emergency after days of intense Ukrainian attacks, as footage shows thousands of cars queuing to leave the Russian-occupied peninsula. It comes as president Zelensky authorises a 40-day operation against Russia ‌“to press for an end to the war”, days before the Nato summit in Ankara. Alex Nichol reports on a major scandal as the commander of one of Ukraine’s l...

Day 1,581. As the clock ticks down on President Zelensky’s ultimatum to Belarus, Dom examines reports that the drone relay stations Kyiv accused Minsk of hosting have suddenly stopped working – and asks whether Lukashenko may be edging away from Putin. He also has the latest on Ukraine’s long-range strikes deep inside Russia, as France seizes another shadow fleet tanker and Kyiv presses its campai...

Day 1,580. Today, after days of memes and mounting panic across Russia, Vladimir Putin finally breaks his silence on last week’s dramatic strikes on Moscow – insisting they are not a sign of vulnerability, but proof of Russian strength on the battlefield. Dom reports on the remarkable own goal from Russia’s defence ministry, which appears to have done Zelensky’s press office a favour by detailing...

Day 1,579. Today, as reports emerge that Donald Trump urged President Zelensky to act “more boldly” towards Russia, the clock is ticking on Ukraine’s threat to target drone relay stations in Belarus that Kyiv says are helping facilitate attacks on Ukrainian territory. We examine the Kremlin’s extraordinary demand that Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko travel to Moscow for advice on protecting...

Day 1,578. As fresh waves of drones are reported heading towards Moscow, Francis and Dom examine Ukraine’s escalating campaign against Crimea, where new strikes on key infrastructure have prompted restrictions on civilian fuel purchases as some residents attempt to flee the occupied peninsula. They also assess President Zelensky’s ultimatum to Belarus, threatening to target communications equipmen...

Day 1,575. After one of the most significant raids of the war left a cloud hanging over Moscow – in every sense – we report a fresh Ukrainian drone attack targeting the Russian capital. As the true extent of the chaos and confusion is revealed, new footage shows the blast at the Moscow oil refinery from a different angle, and indicates the true reason for the huge explosion. Will Vladimir Putin ad...

Day 1,574. Today, as President Zelensky declares that “if Ukraine burns, so will Moscow”, we report on a wave of strikes inside Russia that have produced some of the most dramatic images of the war so far, with more than 1,000 drones sowing destruction across multiple regions. Then, after a prominent MAGA influencer admits she fell for Russian propaganda, we ask whether Putin’s continued attacks o...

Day 1,573. Today, after a Russian warship fires warning shots at an unarmed vessel in the English Channel, we take you to the G7 Summit, where observers are describing a “turning point” in perceptions of Ukraine’s progress in the war, as it continues to batter Russian infrastructure and strangle Crimea. We hear live from the ground about what has been unlocked for Kyiv, and later – in our regular...

Day 1,572. Today, as Donald Trump tells the G7 summit that “Russia should make a deal”, we examine what this apparent shift in tone from the US president could mean for Ukraine, and what President Volodymyr Zelensky can realistically hope to achieve from this crucial gathering – perhaps even a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin. We also ask how Ukrainian drones continue to penetrate Moscow’s...

Day 1,571. In what could prove one of the most consequential weeks of the year for international diplomacy, Francis and Dom assess what a ceasefire in Iran might mean for the war – and whether it could help unlock a pathway towards peace after another bloody weekend in which a Russian attack left one of Kyiv’s most historic cathedrals in flames. They also examine the significance of British Royal...

Day 1,568. As Putin marks Russia Day by handing out state prizes, including to a former human rights commissioner who’s been sanctioned for gross human rights violations, Ukraine chose to celebrate the big day by launching attacks across Russia. Dom reports how repeated Ukrainian strikes have reduced traffic along the critical supply corridor to Crimea by nearly three quarters, and looks at the la...

Day 1,567. As Ukraine intensifies its campaign against Crimea by striking key bridges and transport links in an effort to isolate the peninsula, we examine potentially seismic political developments in London. Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey – one of Kyiv’s strongest allies and a leading advocate for military rearmament – has dramatically resigned in protest over defence spending and the c...

Day 1,566. As Putin installs yet more anti-drone defences around his mistress’ lakeside retreat north west of Moscow, Ukraine shows there are still glaring holes in the Russian air defence network with deep strikes on oil refineries and weapons factories elsewhere across the country. The main bridge linking to occupied Crimea from Kherson oblast has been hit again, this time reportedly closing it...

Day 1,565. As Russian forces reportedly withdraw from part of the southern Ukrainian frontline amid mounting supply problems, Francis and Dom examine claims that logistics networks in the sector are approaching breaking point. Dom reports on a huge explosion in Russia’s Belgorod region and a car bomb in Moscow Oblast, as the war’s effects continue to be felt far beyond the battlefield. Then they a...

Day 1,564. After Vladimir Putin rejects President Zelensky’s offer in his letter last week of face to face talks, claiming he doesn’t need a ceasefire as he’s on the verge of victory – plot spoiler, he does and he isn’t – the political momentum in support of Kyiv continues, with the leaders of Ukraine, France and Germany in London for talks hosted by Britain’s Prime Minister. Then Putin suffers an...