Huge explosion at ‘vital’ Russia oil refinery & how China secretly arms Russia with drones

Day 1,290.

Today, after another important Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris, we discuss Vladimir Putin’s warning that any Western peacekeeping forces deployed to Ukraine would be considered a “legitimate” target. Then, we dive into an investigation on how China is providing drones parts to Russia and effectively sustaining its ability to continue waging its war against Ukraine. Finally, Dom dials in on his last day in Prague attending the International Institute for Strategic Studies Defence Summit.

Contributors:

Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Journalist and Producer). @adeliepjz on X.

Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.

Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.

Sophia Yan (Senior Foreign Correspondent). @Sophia_Yan on X.

Content Referenced:

How China is secretly arming Russia, (Sophia Yan in The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/03/how-china-is-secretly-arming-russia/

Putin: British troops in Ukraine ‘legitimate’ target for Russia (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/09/05/putin-western-troops-in-ukraine-legitimate-target-russia/

‘Battle Lines: Inside the rise of China’s military - and what it means for Taiwan’:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/08/battle-lines-podcast-inside-the-rise-of-chinas-military/

IISS Prague Defence Summit:

https://www.iiss.org/events/prague-defence-summit/prague-defence-summit-2025/

SIGN UP TO THE NEW ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:

https://secure.telegraph.co.uk/customer/secure/newsletter/ukraine/

Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

NOW AVAILABLE IN NEW LANGUAGES:

The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest

Email: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.