Massive ‘volcanic’ refinery blaze erupts again ‘only hours’ after being put out & witnessing Russia's 'spiral into madness' under Putin

Day 1,516.

Today, as President Zelensky warns of increased Russian military activity in neighbouring Belarus, we discuss weekend Ukrainian air raids targeting oil refineries around Moscow. We then examine a shock election result that has brought another pro-Russia leader to power within both the EU and NATO, following in the footsteps of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. And later, we speak to a veteran foreign correspondent who spent 25 years in Russia – and has made more than a dozen trips to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion – for his memories of how Vladimir Putin built a system of ever greater repression and violence.

Contributors:

Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.

Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.

With thanks to Marc Bennetts – foreign correspondent at The Times of London.

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:

Marc Bennetts’ book, ‘The Descent: Witnessing Russia's Spiral into Madness Under Putin’:

https://amzn.eu/d/0euJ6Dc6

Pro-Russian fighter pilot wins crushing victory in Bulgaria election (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/20/rumen-radev-bulgaria-election-win-pro-russia-progressive

Moscow-born gunman kills six in Kyiv supermarket ‘terror attack’ (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/18/moscow-born-gunman-shoots-five-people-dead-in-kyiv-attack/

BBC’s Steve Rosenberg: I’m walking a tightrope in Russia. It could all end tomorrow (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/20/steve-rosenberg-on-putins-russia/

EMAIL US:

Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible.

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Episoder(1150)

Russia planning attack on Poland, US warns as Ukraine strikes shut down occupied oil refineries

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 rev...

3 Jul 51min

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

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...

2 Jul 47min

Ukraine prepares for fresh attack from north & Russians survive 'only 35 minutes' on frontline

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 ...

1 Jul 47min

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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 lon...

30 Jun 43min

Putin confesses 'problems' in Ukraine war for first time & fuel hoarding sweeps Russia

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 continu...

29 Jun 44min

Crimea declares state of emergency as Kyiv launches 40-day Russia blitz

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 Zelens...

26 Jun 53min

Putin sacrifices Crimea air defences to shield Moscow & Zelensky says 'Russia will be forced to choose peace'

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 ask...

25 Jun 33min

Putin breaks silence over Moscow strikes humiliation & fuel shortages grip Russia

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 vulnerabil...

24 Jun 53min