Ukraine: The Latest

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 capital firsthand. We also examine the shrinking number of countries contributing to the Czech-led ammunition initiative, which now supplies around half of Ukraine’s artillery ammunition, and assess Britain’s attempt to regain control of the political narrative after last week’s easing of sanctions on Russia by unveiling new measures targeting cryptocurrency networks accused of financing Putin’s war machine.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Antonia Langford (Freelance Journalist in Kyiv). @Antonialford on X.

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:
Learn more about ‘Ukraine Focus’:
https://ukrainefocus.org/

How a bombed-out café became a symbol of hope in Kyiv (Antonia Langford for The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/25/how-a-bombed-out-cafe-became-a-symbol-of-hope-in-kyiv/

UK sanctions crypto networks funding Putin’s war machine (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/26/uk-sanctions-crypto-networks-funding-putins-war-machine/

Does the "White Tiger" scene pose a new terrorist threat? (Der Speigel):
https://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/white-tiger-droht-aus-der-szene-eine-neue-terrorgefahr-a-2a91696d-9746-40c1-8c30-a189f1fa7c01

Donald Trump’s Board of Peace fund is empty (Financial Times):
https://www.ft.com/content/5ba3bd2c-0e0e-4306-84be-99d6d89b0d49?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Nine countries pull out of Ukraine ammunition coalition (Financial Times):
https://www.ft.com/content/f5dd7bd9-6da8-438b-bf80-1f942b91333d?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Zelensky’s top negotiator flies to Berlin for talks with Germany, France, UK (POLITICO):
https://www.politico.eu/article/volodymyr-zelenskyy-top-negotiator-rustem-umerov-in-berlin-for-ukraine-peace-talks/

Exclusive: Zelensky sends Trump urgent letter warning of Ukraine's critical missile defense shortages (Kyiv Independent):
https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-sends-trump-urgent-letter-warning-of-critical-missile-defense-shortages/

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on [email protected] . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Fresh strikes against Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery
Antonia Langford joins us live from Kyiv
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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 summit as the Secretary General says Britain, France and others have scuppered a proposal for allies to spend a quarter of one per cent of GDP on military aid for Ukraine. And later, we hear from our regular Russia expert about how there is speculation Putin is losing his power of speech.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno on X.

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:
Putin burns through his best missiles in desperate Ukraine fightback (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/26/putin-burns-through-his-best-missiles-in-ukraine-fightback/

Britain rejects Nato plan for extra Ukraine military aid (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/24/britain-rejects-nato-plan-for-extra-ukraine-military-aid/

Putin’s mid-air hijackings turn Ukraine’s drones against Europe (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/22/putin-mid-air-hijackings-turn-ukraine-drones-against-europe/

Revealed: The secret suburban life of Britain’s greatest Cold War spy (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/26/revealed-the-secret-suburban-life-of-britains-greatest-cold/

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on [email protected] . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Russia burns through best missiles in ‘desperate’ Ukraine fightback
Putin 'losing power of speech'
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Russian energy targets Ukrainian forces have hit this month alone. And later, Dom reflects on a day spent deep inside a secret section of the London Underground, where he interviewed a senior NATO commander who warns that while Russia’s forces may not be unbeatable, they are now far more battle-hardened, battle-tested, and lethal than they were at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

NOTE: Monday 25th is a Bank Holiday in the UK. Normal service will resume on Tuesday.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
With thanks to Lieutenant General Michael Richard Elviss, CB, MBE – commander of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC).

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:

Dom’s Video interview with top NATO commander in secret London base:
https://youtu.be/vEKtKqMs-9E?si=Cp-3GOrW_dUcrLYG

Putin’s attack on Hungarians in Ukraine marks new phase of war (Verity Bowman in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/21/putins-attack-hungarians-new-phase-ukraine-war-russia/

Austrian ex-intelligence officer found guilty of Russia spying charges (BBC):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy21541dz4o

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on [email protected] . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Exclusive: Inside NATO's secret base preparing for war with Russia
Putin loses 145,000 troops in 2026
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 meets the eye. Then we explore how Putin’s latest visit to Beijing is viewed in China, and ask whether the evolving relationship between Moscow and Beijing resembles a genuine strategic partnership – or something closer to vassalage. Finally, we hear from someone who was once a FOX News insider about moving to Ukraine and how we came to see the war differently from those in the MAGA movement.

Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Sophia Yan (Senior Foreign Correspondent). Sophia_yan on X.
Alex Nichol (Telegraph Journalist).
With thanks to Joseph Lindsley.

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:

The secret Chinese surveillance programme tracking people like me (Sophia Yan in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/19/leaked-secret-chinese-surveillance-programme-tracks-foreign/

I’ve reported on war, but I’ve never seen it told like this (Francis’s fashion piece in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/ukraine-fashion-show-london-war-francis-dearnley/

Russia abandons ‘meat-grinder’ tactics to try four-man ambushes (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/01/russia-abandons-meat-grinder-tactic-ukraine-war/

Exclusive: Russians covertly trained by China return to fight in Ukraine, sources say (Reuters):
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/russians-covertly-trained-by-china-return-fight-ukraine-sources-say-2026-05-19/

Joseph Lindsley’s Substack, ‘Under Fire News’:
https://underfirenews.substack.com

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on [email protected] . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Russia abandons ‘meat-grinder’ tactics to try four-man ambushes
‘Staggering’ scale of Putin’s losses revealed

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

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 Vladimir Putin's trip to Beijing is being reported in Moscow. Plus, we take our regular look at how brilliantly the Russian economy is performing and talk about magic mushrooms in Armenia.

Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Alexander Nichol (Telegraph Journalist).
James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @JkJourno on X.

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:

PM’s sanctions U-turn ‘will fund killing of Ukrainian soldiers’ (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/20/starmer-eases-sanctions-on-russian-oil/

Xi and Putin: ‘Colonial’ world order has failed (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/20/xi-putin-beijing-meeting-russia-china/

EMAIL US:
Contact the team on [email protected] . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Putin and Xi: ‘Colonial’ world order has failed
British PM accused of ‘killing of Ukrainian soldiers’

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