Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,561. Today, Adelie and Dom look at how Ukraine continues embarrassing Russia during its three-day International Economic Forum, as Zelensky publishes an open letter to Vladimir Putin where he points out Russia’s weaknesses. He again asks the Russian president for a face-to-face meeting to bring the war to an end. As we record the episode, Putin is set to take the stage in St Petersburg. Then...

Day 1,560. Today, Sweden impounds a Russian cargo ship allegedly exporting Ukrainian grain from occupied territories. Then, as images of the results of yesterday’s Ukrainian strikes in and around St Petersburg start to appear, Marco Rubio denies any knowledge at all of a US delegation at the nearby economic forum, just as said participants show that they really don’t like the press asking them que...

Day 1,559. Today, smoke billows over St Petersburg after Ukraine hits an oil terminal and military facilities, embarrassing Putin on the opening day of his International Economic Forum. Ukraine continues its mid-range and long-range strike campaign as Russia’s economy is bailed out by oligarchs. Finally, we hear from one of our reporters who bravely attempted to train with the Royal Marines sniper...

Day 1,558. Today, as more civilians across Ukraine are murdered by Russia in the latest mass aerial attack we look to the US for a response, given Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week that Russia planned only to strike Ukrainian "decision-making centers". We ask, again, when the United Nations is going to take a meaningful interest in the war, a...

Day 1,557. Today, after a weekend that saw Russian ships hit by drones, hit by drones and hit by drones again, it ended with another Russian ship being seized by abseiling Frenchmen. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s “logistics lockdown” continued, leading to fuel rationing in Crimea and more Russian oil refineries self-sanctioning in very dramatic ways; no wonder Putin’s Finance Minister has said Russia’s spe...

Day 1,554. Today, as Romania kicks Russian diplomats out of the country following a drone strike last night that has injured civilians in the eastern city of Galati, we ask, why is it so easy for Romania to name the perpetrator of such attacks when others still seek to avoid apportioning blame. We then look at reports Russia is continuing to be hit hard on the southern corridor, including now by d...

Day 1,554. Today, as a senior intelligence chief cites a considerably higher figure of Russian deaths than has previously been cited, there are a raft of announcements from Ukraine’s allies that will see new fighter jets and Patriot missiles available to Kyiv, as the country suffers a new wave of strikes. Then – in a special dispatch – Francis takes you to Venice for our first film looking at the...

Day 1,553. Today, in the aftermath of one of the most intense aerial assaults on Ukraine of the entire war, we report on fresh strikes against Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery – the site of the extraordinary “manmade volcano” that has become symbolic of Kyiv’s campaign against Moscow’s energy infrastructure. Antonia Langford joins us live from Kyiv after witnessing ballistic missile attacks on the cap...

Day 1,552. Today, as Russia plays the victim, claiming its latest mass attack that killed and injured civilians over the weekend was a ‘retaliation’ for a Ukrainian attack, we ask who the audiences are for such cynical mischaracterisation. We report on Ukraine’s continued mid-range strike campaign that has forced Russia to limit traffic on the land corridor to Crimea and look at the upcoming NATO...

Day 1,548. Today, as the US administration reveals details of its participation in Vladimir Putin’s flagship business and investment forum, Russia and Belarus conclude major nuclear exercises just as Ukraine continues its campaign of strikes against oil and gas infrastructure near Moscow. We also examine Kyiv’s latest act of political trolling: a “Refinery Advent Calendar” tracking how many Russia...

Day 1,547. Today, we assess the reported scale of Russian military losses since 2026 and examine the new battlefield infiltration tactics Moscow has developed in an attempt to break through Ukrainian positions. We also take a closer look at the impact of Kyiv’s strikes on Russian oil refineries and investigate whether there is more behind London’s apparent easing of sanctions on Russian oil than m...

Day 1,546. Today, as the British government suggests their pledge to ‘stand with Ukraine as long as it takes’ should actually say ‘as long as it doesn’t upset my summer holiday’ we examine the reaction to London’s decision to relax some Russian sanctions. We report how Russian jets flew so close to an RAF aircraft over the Black Sea it triggered onboard emergency systems, and we look at how Vladim...

Day 1,545. Today, after a NATO fighter jet shoots down a suspected Ukrainian drone over Estonia, we examine the mounting risks of escalation on NATO’s eastern flank and what the incident reveals about the increasingly crowded skies above the Baltic region. We also look at reports of a collapse in Russian defensive lines near a settlement in Zaporizhzhia as Ukraine presses its counterattacks in the...

Day 1,544. Today, after Ukraine unleashes a sweeping wave of retaliatory strikes in response to last week’s Russian attacks – shutting down Moscow airports, damaging naval assets, and sending huge fireballs into the sky above Russian oil infrastructure – the Kremlin signals it may once again be open to peace talks, potentially even reopening channels with the European Union. We ask whether Moscow...

Day 1,541. Today, after the two days of near continuous strikes against Ukraine with over 1,600 drones and missiles fired on the country – with at least 12 killed by a single projectile – we hear the latest round of American withdrawals of thousands of troops from Europe, and a sobering assessment from experts at Chatham House about the direction of the war. Then we have an extraordinary exclusive...

Day 1,540. Today, as Russia pummels Ukraine with over 1500 missiles and drones since yesterday, targeting civilians and energy infrastructure, Ukraine hits three energy facilities in Russia. We then focus on the issue of children who have been deported from Ukraine to Russia or to unknown locations in the occupied territories. The EU and UK announced further sanctions while the high-level meeting...

Day 1,539. Today, while Russia unleashes another huge aerial assault across Ukraine – as President Donald Trump insists the war could end soon – we examine Kyiv’s race to develop a new weapon and report on a deadly strike that the United Nations says hit one of its trucks. Then we bring you the latest from the NATO Eastern Flank summit in Romania as allies confront mounting fears over regional sec...

Day 1,538. Today, as Andrii Yermak is charged with money laundering, we ask: should President Zelensky be disappointed in his former chief of staff or worried that the scandal is coming closer to him? We report that Poland has moved first and secured a third of the 150 billion Euro SAFE funding and we get our regular view from James Kilner of what’s happening inside Russia. Plus, we take a short f...

Day 1,537. Today, as the final day draws to a close of the ceasefire supposedly brokered by the US to see Russia’s Victory Day parade on Saturday pass unscathed, we ask: what happened to the supposed prisoner swap that had been part of the deal? Plus Brussels Correspondent Joe Barnes asks Estonia’s PM and a Ukrainian defence analyst what the weekend’s events - or lack thereof - tells us about the...

Day 1,534. Today, as President Zelensky said he "doesn't recommend" that foreign representatives attend tomorrow’s May Day parade in Moscow, we report on the Kremlin’s cool and measured response to the threat of Ukrainian strikes, with Russian State Duma deputies threatening the use of Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missiles against Kyiv whilst, for reasons known only to them, warning that...

Day 1,533. Today, as Russia refused to follow Kyiv’s proposed ceasefire, killing at least 26 civilians, Kyiv responded by hitting targets 1500 km into Russia’s territory. Meanwhile, the corruption scandal uncovered in Ukraine last summer continues to send shockwaves across the country, possibly touching Zelensky himself. Ukraine’s Chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, himself under investigation in the...

Day 1,532. Today, Vladimir Putin gives his answer to President Zelensky’s offer of an open-ended ceasefire: a brutal attack on the civilians of Ukraine which killed 20, including 12 in a single strike. What does this mean for the likelihood of a ceasefire over May 8 and 9th for Moscow’s Victory Day parade? Then we hear the latest from Kyiv, and hear the latest from Russia, including how Putin has...

Day 1,531. Today, after a weekend in which Zelensky joined more than 30 European leaders – along with the prime minister of Canada – at the European Political Community summit in Armenia, a country Moscow considers a close ally in the South Caucasus, and Ukraine calls Russia’s bluff over “ceasefires”, we report on further shadow fleet sanctions activity – from new regulations to unexplained explos...

Day 1,527. Today, we take you to Lviv and hear an update from Dom’s week in the west of the country – including a visit to a prisoner of war camp and speaking to soldiers who fought for Russia. Then we bring you the latest on strikes by both sides, as Tuapse refinery is hit for the fourth time in a fortnight, before discussing the end of what’s being called the biggest military exercise involving...

Day 1,526. Today, as President Putin once again dangles a ceasefire in front of President Trump to avoid any risk of disruption to his Victory Day commemorations, he discuss reports that US president might be considering pulling American forces out of Germany while, at the same, the Pentagon finally unlocks a $400 million military aid package. We also bring you the latest on Ukraine’s strike campa...