Pentagon to 'immediately' test nuclear weapons & Russia fires 705 missiles and drones at Ukraine in 'vile attack'

Day 1,156.Today, as Kyiv is hit by the deadliest strikes in almost a year, we examine Donald Trump’s attack on President Zelensky having failed to negotiate the peace deal he said would take him only 24 hours. Then we take a deep dive into the Wagner mercenary group with the author of a new book who says Yevgeny Prigozhin’s outfit is the logical outcome when a country contracts its soul to a pitiless militia.Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on XFrancis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.With thanks to Candace Rondeaux (US journalist, public policy analyst, and professor of practice at the School of Politics and Global Studies and a senior fellow with the Center on the Future of War at Arizona State University). @CandaceRondeaux on X.Content Referenced:Candice’s Book, ‘Putin’s Sledgehammer: The Wagner Group and Russia's Collapse into Mercenary Chaos’:https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/candace-rondeaux/putins-sledgehammer/9781541703087/?lens=publicaffairs Telegraph Ukraine Live Blog:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/24/russia-ukraine-talks-zelensky-putin-war-latest-news/Trump blames Zelensky for derailing peace talks (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/23/trump-blames-zelensky-derailing-london-peace-talks/ Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Apr 56min

Day 1,155.Today, we break down the dramatic collapse of Donald Trump’s proposed peace deal for Ukraine. European, Ukrainian, and American officials were scheduled to meet – until everything suddenly unraveled. Is the US stepping back from the negotiation table? Plus, we launch a brand-new segment focusing on Russia’s domestic front and explore how the ongoing war is reshaping Central Asia’s political and economic landscape.Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on XFrancis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Joe Barnes (Brussels Correspondent). @Barnes_Joe on X.James Kilner (Editor of The Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin and The Russia Morning Memo). @jkjourno on X.Content Referenced:James Kilner’s Bulletins -The Russian Memo: https://www.thememo.news/The Central Asia and South Caucasus Bulletin: https://www.thememo.news/ Trump to let Putin keep land seized from Ukraine (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/22/trumps-plan-to-let-putin-keep-land-seized-from-ukraine/Foreign ministers postpone Ukraine peace talks in London (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/23/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-war-ceasefire-latest-news/ Huge explosion destroys ammunition dump outside Moscow (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/22/huge-explosion-destroys-ammunition-dump-outside-moscow/ Crimean Tatar Mejlis rejects any international recognition of Crimea as Russian (Kyiv Independent):https://kyivindependent.com/crimean-tatar-mejlis-rejects-any-international-recognition-of-crimea-as-russian-chairman-says/?mc_cid=4bb9102bb5&mc_eid=08d0680a95 CNN gets first glimpse of Trump portrait reportedly sent from Putin (CNN):https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/22/world/video/trump-portrait-russia-putin-ldn-digvid Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Apr 59min

Day 1,154.Today, we ask how meaningful the weekend’s so-called ‘Easter truce’ really was, look at the new American peace proposals put to Kyiv and its allies – which include major concessions both in territory and sovereignty – then reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis in relation to the war. Later, we hear about a new book investigating Russian spies who spent decades undercover: what does it teach us about modern spycraft?Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on XRoland Oliphant (Senior Foreign Correspondent). @RolandOliphant on X.Shaun Walker (Eastern Europe at the Guardian). @shaunwalker7 on X.Content Referenced:Special Ukraine: The Latest on Children:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-childhood-at-war/id1612424182?i=1000704331753 Special Ukraine: The Latest with Dom’s Panel:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-how-the-west-fights-back/id1612424182?i=1000704022027 Shaun Walker’s book ‘The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and the Plot to Infiltrate the West’:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Illegals-History-Moscows-Audacious-Program/dp/1788167775 Kremlin ‘satisfied’ with US proposal to ban Ukraine from Nato (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/21/kremlin-satisfied-with-us-proposal-to-ban-ukraine-from-nato/Kyiv Is On the Clock to Respond to Trump Plan to End Ukraine Conflict (Wall Street Journal):https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/kyiv-is-on-the-clock-to-respond-to-trump-plan-to-end-ukraine-conflict-f3538799 Trump Tower Moscow, Rare Earths and Geopolitical Perks: How the Kremlin Plans to Bait Trump Into a Grand Bargain (The Moscow Times):https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/21/trump-tower-moscow-rare-earths-and-geopolitical-perks-how-the-kremlin-plans-to-bait-trump-into-a-grand-bargain-a88762Ukraine's Catholics express hurt over late Pope's war stance (Reuters):https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-catholics-express-hurt-over-late-popes-war-stance-2025-04-21/Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Apr 56min

Today is a public holiday in Britain, so in a special Easter episode, we take you to a grand terrace in West London, where a green door blends into its elegant surroundings.We go behind that door – into a school unlike any other. There, you’ll hear from young Ukrainians who fled their homes within hours of the invasion, and from the teachers and classmates helping them rebuild their lives in a foreign land.Through their voices, we explore what it means to grow up far from home – and how one London school has become both a lifeline and a second home for a generation caught between worlds.Learn more about St Mary's Ukrainian School:https://www.stmarysukrschool.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Apr 38min

Day 1,151.Today, after the unexpected announcement by Vladimir Putin of a 30-hour truce for Easter we assess what it might mean for the war, how likely it is to hold and discuss what comes next. Having rejected Donald Trump’s proposal for an unconditional ceasefire 39 days ago, what does Putin hope to gain by this latest gamble? Francis Dearnley and Dom Nicholls offer their thoughts. Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on XSubscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Apr 19min

Today is a public holiday in Britain, so in a special Easter episode, Dom Nicholls chairs a panel of experts at the Oxford Literary Festival. Government adviser Keir Giles, academic Professor Mark Galeotti, and journalist Stephanie Baker discuss the Russian threat and how to deal with Vladimir Putin, including why the Russian President retains his stranglehold on power, the need for Europe to wake up on defence, and the impacts of economic sanctions. How can the West win?Learn more about the event and the speakers:https://oxfordliteraryfestival.org/literature-events/2025/april-02/the-russian-threat-why-it-has-grown-and-how-to-fight-backWith thanks to Paul Oluwadare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Apr 1h 4min

Day 1,149.Today, amid more exchanges of drones and missiles between Ukraine and Russia, we hear about soldiers’ experiences directly from the frontline in the east, and discuss the political situation in Kyiv and in Europe as Steve Witcoff meets with President Macron and other key figures in the ‘Coalition of the Willing.’Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on XWith thanks to Svitlana Morenets (Staff writer The Spectator). @SvMorenets on X.Content Referenced:Event in London on Good Friday:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/europe-on-fire-the-future-of-ukrainian-and-european-defence-tickets-1323679965409Francis’s Interview on Silicon Curtain:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25uu4_YHgPQ Interview with Ambassador Mike Carpenter on Biden’s decisions:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2DeReNhsKg Drone swarm destroyed by new British weapon (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/17/british-army-radio-waves-take-down-drone-swarm/ 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, or click the links below.Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatestLearn more about the tech: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/24/ukraine-the-latest-podcast-russian-ukrainian-ai-translation/Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Apr 44min

Day 1,148.Today, as Ukraine targets the Russian units allegedly responsible for Sunday’s murderous attack on Sumy, we report how Donald Trump has backtracked on the amount of money he wants Ukraine to pay for US support in the war with Russia. Then we speak to our correspondent who has interviewed Ukrainian commanders about Russia’s spring offensive.Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on XFrancis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Verity Bowman (Foreign Correspondent). @VerityBowman on X.Hamish De-Bretton Gordon (Former Tank Commander & Chemical Weapons Expert). @HamishDBG on X.Content Referenced:Russia’s summer offensive ‘doomed to fail’ (Verity in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/11/russian-summer-offensive-doomed-to-fail-ukraine/Unmasked: The Russian missile brigade slaughtering Ukrainian civilians (Colin Freeman in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/15/russian-missile-brigade-slaughtering-ukrainians/ EU to ban Serbia if president joins Putin’s victory parade (Joe Barnes in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/15/eu-ban-serbia-if-president-joins-putin-victory-parade/ German Leopard 2 tanks flop on battlefield in Ukraine (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/14/german-leopard-tanks-vulnerable-drones-ukraine-artillery/ US Softens Minerals Deal (Bloomberg):https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-16/us-softens-calls-for-ukraine-to-pay-back-aid-in-minerals-deal-talks Denmark to send unarmed soldiers to Ukraine for drone warfare training (Kyiv Independent):https://kyivindependent.com/denmark-to-send-unarmed-soldiers-to-ukraine-for-drone-warfare-training/India offers cheap loans for arms, targeting Russia's traditional customers (Reuters):https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-offers-cheap-loans-arms-targeting-russias-traditional-customers-2025-04-16/Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Apr 49min