Lessons in a bomb shelter: Going to school in wartime Ukraine

Today, on a public holiday in the UK, we answer questions submitted by listeners around the world. What's it like being shot at in a tank? What would happen in the US suddenly stopped supporting Ukraine? Why do missiles do more damage in Ukraine than in Israel? And what could give the 'Coalition of the Willing' more bite? Is 2025 the year Russian economy finally collapses? Plus many more.See Dom, Francis and Adélie in our studio by watching this episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/9szTxRfF7TUSIGN 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 to The Telegraph.Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 Maj 53min

Day 1,164.Today, as a drone attack hits Russian airbases in occupied Crimea, we continue to unpack the minerals deal signed between the US and Ukraine and we contemplate whether the US might be pulling out of the peace negotiations. We also look at the latest news from Central Asia and we hear from a visual artist who donated a photograph to the Kherson Art Museum, which was looted by Russian soldiers in 2022. Contributors:Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Narrative Podcast Producer). @adeliepjz on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on XJames Kilner (Foreign Correspondent). @jkjourno on X.With thanks to Emeric Lhuisset (visual artist). @emericlhuisset on Insta.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.Content Referenced:Massive drone attack reportedly targets Russian military sites in occupied Crimeahttps://kyivindependent.com/massive-drone-attack-targets-russian-military-sites-in-occupied-crimea/F-16s Pulled From U.S. Boneyard Are Being Delivered To Ukraine For Spare Partshttps://www.twz.com/air/f-16s-pulled-from-u-s-boneyard-are-being-delivered-to-ukraine-for-spare-partsTED Talk by Palmer Luckey, the founder of Anduril Industries:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooMXEwl7N8YOn Chernobyl fallout in southern Belarus, in The Dial: https://www.thedial.world/articles/news/issue-25/chernobyl-disaster-belarus?utm_source=The+Dial&utm_campaign=44938c8849-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_02_19_04_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-44938c8849-458325807On Emeric Lhuisset's work, From a painting to a viral photo, a fight for Ukraine's history, Le Monde:https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2023/11/22/from-a-painting-to-a-viral-photo-a-fight-for-ukraine-s-history_6279646_30.htmlFundraising for the British Heart Foundation, in memory of David Knowles https://www.justgiving.com/page/rhcc-vs-lwcc?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=WA&utm_campaign=015#supportersListNOW 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.Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Maj 1h 10min

Day 1,163.Today, as the United States and Ukraine finally sign a much-revised minerals deal, we look at what it might mean for the future security of Ukraine – and we return to Germany to examine the first appointments of Friedrich Merz’s top team and ask why some commentators are questioning whether members of the German elite are really serious about rearmament, or would perhaps prefer a rapprochement with Russia.Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on XFrancis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.James Rothwell (Berlin Correspondent). @JamesERothwell on X.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.Content Referenced:Trump minerals deal blames Putin for invasion (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/05/01/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-war-trump-latest-news/ Trump OKs First Cash Weapons Sale to Kyiv, Partly Lifts Hold on Ukrainian Military Aid (Kyiv Post):https://www.kyivpost.com/post/51800 Realizing America’s Drone Revolution (War on the Rocks):https://warontherocks.com/2025/04/realizing-americas-drone-revolution/ Hundreds of North Korean troops killed while fighting Ukraine, Seoul says (Reuters):https://www.reuters.com/world/about-600-north-koreans-killed-ukraine-war-south-korean-lawmaker-says-2025-04-30/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.

1 Maj 49min

Day 1,162.Today, as Russian troops intensify offensive operations in several oblasts – Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – we talk about the latest conversations amongst the coalition of the willing, where the tone is decidedly pessimistic. Then we do a deeper dive into the latest positions of China, Turkey, and Syria in relation to the war.Contributors:Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Narrative Podcast Producer) @Adeliepjz on X.Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Sophia Yan (Senior Foreign Correspondent). @sophia_yan on X.Content Referenced: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.Sophia Yan’s Podcasts on China - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/how-to-become-a-dictator-podcast/Europe ‘would struggle to put 25,000 troops on the ground in Ukraine’ (The Times):https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/europe-uk-peacekeeping-troops-ukraine-6tp2cfgg5 Europe fears Trump preparing to walk away from Ukraine talks (Financial Times):https://www.ft.com/content/2f7af030-7466-4c10-9c7c-a7ceaa03a70a Russia intensifies offensive operations in 3 regions, pushes toward Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine's military says (Kyiv Independent):https://kyivindependent.com/russia-intensifies-offensive-operations-in-3-regions-pushes-toward-dnipropetrovsk-oblast-ukraines-military-says/?mc_cid=063ac27037&mc_eid=08d0680a95 Putin Renames Volgograd Airport ‘Stalingrad’ to Honor WWII Battle (Moscow Times):https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/30/putin-renames-volgograd-airport-stalingrad-to-honor-wwii-battle-a88920 ‘Do you want to show strength here?’: Russia’s ads recruiting Chinese mercenaries (The Guardian):https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/10/russia-social-media-ads-videos-recruiting-china-mercenaries Video About Chinese Soldiers Fighting for Russia:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syKWPralGKQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Apr 39min

Day 1,161.Today, as Trump pushes back against Vladimir Putin’s three-day ceasefire proposal, we discuss the recent reflections of the former commander of Ukraine’s armed forces and his bold predictions for the future of warfare. Plus, we hear frontline reaction from soldiers to the so-called pauses in the fighting. Are they real?Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Svitlana Morenets (Staff Writer at The Spectator). @SvMorenets on X.Hamish De Bretton-Gordon (Chemical Weapons Expert and Former Tank Commander). @HamishDBG on X.Content Referenced:The evolving nature of warfare has redefined the fundamental principles of global security: the Ukrainian experience and the emerging world order (Valerii Zaluzhnyi’s speech):https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/columns/2025/04/25/7509135/Russia threatens Nato with nuclear strikes (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/29/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-war-latest-news529/North Korea confirms it sent troops to fight for Russia (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/28/north-korea-confirms-sent-troops-fight-russia/ A fleet of aging army tanks donated to Ukraine is yet to leave Australia (ABC News):https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-28/aging-tanks-donated-to-ukraine-are-yet-to-leave-australia/105226280Russia’s ‘Ghost Detainees’: The Investigation That Cost Viktoriia Roshchyna Her Life (Forbidden Stories):https://forbiddenstories.org/russia-detainees-investigation-viktoriia-roshchyna/ 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.

29 Apr 43min

Day 1,160.Today, as Vladimir Putin announces a sudden three-day ceasefire in May, we assess just how meaningful it really is, and ask: why now? Then we analyse another extraordinary weekend of diplomacy at Pope Francis’s funeral, before learning more about the history of the Donbas: a region where much of the war’s fiercest fighting has taken place.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on XWith thanks to Victoria Donovan (Professor of Ukrainian and East European Studies at the University of St Andrews). @vsdonovan on X.Content Referenced:Victoria’s Book: ‘Life in Spite of Everything: Tales from the Ukrainian East’:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Spite-Everything-Tales-Ukrainian/dp/1917092148Freefilmers - a collective of filmmakers and artists, originally from Mariupol:https://help-freefilmers.network/ Behind the scenes at Trump’s most extraordinary meeting yet (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/28/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-war-ceasefire-latest-news529/ The Russian Military Moves That Have Europe on Edge (Wall Street Journal):https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/russia-military-nato-europe-finland-ff53b912 The ugly task of Putin-proofing your border (The Economist):https://www.economist.com/international/2025/04/22/the-ugly-task-of-putin-proofing-your-borderNOW 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.

28 Apr 50min

Day 1,157.Today, after Donald Trump makes the rare intervention of scolding Vladimir Putin for one of the deadliest attacks on Kyiv of the war, we discuss the latest considerations of the coalition of the willing with regards to boots on the ground, and the evolving nature of acts of resistance in the occupied territories – and within Russia itself. Later, we listen to recordings from Ukraine that reveal the impact the conflict has had on the natural environment.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on XWith thanks to Illia Riepin and Dr Janine Natalya Clark (Professor of Gender, Transitional Justice and International Criminal Law, University of Birmingham). @bhamlaw on X.Content Referenced:Ukraine Soundscape Exhibition:https://rethinking-transitional-justice.bham.ac.uk/sounds/exhibition/sounds/ Russian general ‘killed’ in Moscow car bombing (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/25/russia-ukraine-zelensky-trump-putin-war-latest-news529/ Starmer challenges Trump peace plan for Ukraine (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/04/24/starmer-challenges-donald-trump-over-ukraine-peace-plan/ UK could scrap plans to send thousands of troops to Ukraine (The Times):https://www.thetimes.com/article/5b446875-f8ae-420e-994d-a7de9ee512eb?shareToken=bada5b595a9e808f1354df937c051351 Judge halts Trump's shutdown of Voice of America (BBC):https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0jz58zjllzoSon of senior CIA official died fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine (Euromaidan):https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/04/25/son-of-senior-cia-official-died-fighting-for-russian-forces-in-ukraine/ Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Apr 56min

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