Day 1,286.

Today, we offer the most comprehensive version yet of the peace plan taking shape behind closed doors, as the Europeans ask Donald Trump to deploy a private army of military firms to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Plus we report on the significance of the meeting between Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Narendra Modi. Later, with Professor Phillips O'Brien, we discuss the gravest strategic miscalculations made by both sides in the war.

Contributors:

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

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

With thanks to Professor Phillips O'Brien (professor of Strategic Studies at University of St Andrews). @phillipspobrien on X.

Content Referenced:

Phillips O'Brien’s Book, ‘War and Power: Who Wins Wars ― and Why’:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Power-Who-Wins-Wars/dp/0241744032 

Trump in talks to deploy private army to Ukraine (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/30/trump-talks-deploy-private-army-ukraine/ 

White House ‘thinks Europe is undermining Ukraine peace efforts’ (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/08/30/white-house-thinks-europe-undermining-ukraine-peace-effort/ 

Xi welcomes Putin to secretive summit for ‘axis of upheaval’ (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/31/xi-welcomes-putin-secretive-summit/ 

Ukrainian politician shot dead ‘by man disguised as courier’ (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/30/ukrainian-politician-shot-dead-man-disguised-courier/ 

The deadliest year yet: Russia has lost more than 200,000 soldiers in its war against Ukraine

(Meduza/Mediazona):

https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/08/29/the-deadliest-year-yet?utm_source=email&utm_medium=briefly&utm_campaign=2025-08-29&mc_cid=d8640930a3&mc_eid=f485e69e69 

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest

Email: [email protected]

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Day 1,283.

Today, we continue reporting on the attack on Kyiv, which Zelensky called “a strike by Russia against President Trump”, and we hear about the work the State Emergency Services have been doing on the ground. We also discuss how Russia may be flying surveillance drones over Germany, gathering intelligence for potential sabotage campaigns, and how India’s imports of Russian oil may increase in September despite US sanctions. Later, we hear about the food industry in Ukraine and its role in the war.

Contributors:

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

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

With thanks to Ed Matthews (Fire Aid and Brave Minds) and author Felicity Spector.

Content Referenced:

International Institute for Strategic Studies paper: The Scale of Russian Sabotage Operations Against Europe’s Critical Infrastructure

https://www.iiss.org/research-paper/2025/08/the-scale-of-russian--sabotage-operations--against-europes-critical--infrastructure/

Latika’s fundraiser for Ukrainian Action

https://www.justgiving.com/page/latikambourke-ukrainian-action?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

Stick your sanctions where the sun doesn’t shine, Ukraine drone chief tells Hungary

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/28/ukraine-drone-chief-hungary-sanctions-russia-ol-pipeline/

Deadlines, delusions, and ballistic missiles: Trump's theater of peace talks with Putin

https://kyivindependent.com/as-ukraine-endures-new-attacks-western-leaders-pursue-peace-talks-with-little-hope-of-progress/?mc_cid=3857e94bad&mc_eid=4a5b852913

Fire Aid

www.fire-aid.org

Brave Minds Ukraine

www.bravemindsua.com

https://tinyurl.com/winhelmet

Bread and War

https://tinyurl.com/breadwar

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Day 1,282.

Today, we hear from on the ground in Kyiv after a massive strike last night damaged the British Council and the EU mission, after Ukraine hit another 2 oil refineries in Russia to continue its strategy of undermining the Russian oil industry. Then we look towards a meeting between the Ukrainians and Steve Witkoff in the US next week, and hear from Ed Matthews of Fire Aid, an organisation that brings fire trucks to vulnerable areas around the world, including Ukraine.

Contributors:

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

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

Anna Conkling (Independent Journalist and Telegraph Contributor). @ConklingAnna on X.

With thanks to Ed Matthews of Fire Aid.

Content Referenced:

Mick Ryan Substack article: Smashing Russia's Oil Industry: Ten Strategic Strike Lessons from Ukraine

https://mickryan.substack.com/p/smashing-russias-oil-industry-ten

Général Thierry Burkhard : «Les Européens doivent être prêts à prendre des risques pour maintenir la paix en Ukraine», Libération

https://www.liberation.fr/international/europe/general-thierry-burkhard-les-europeens-doivent-etre-prets-a-prendre-des-risques-pour-maintenir-la-paix-en-ukraine-20250828_YNPYNISZVNDG7JEPG27VAPHEAE/

Exclusive - Vance blames Zelenskyy Oval Office blowup on Biden's Ukraine policy, USA TODAY

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/27/jd-vance-oval-office-confrontation-zelenskyy/85849085007/

Fire Aid

www.fire-aid.org

Brave Minds Ukraine

www.bravemindsua.com

https://donorbox.org/win-a-fire-helmet-signed-by-usyk

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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.

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Day 1,281.

Today, we discuss reports that the US has offered air and intelligence support to a postwar force in Ukraine, the impact of strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, and hear the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline back in 2022.

Contributors:

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

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

James Rothwell (Berlin Correspondent). @JamesERothwell on X.

Content Referenced:

Episode feat. interview with Commander of the Finnish Army, Lt Gen Pasi Välimäki:

- Apple: https://shorturl.at/LgRLZ

- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6udyZnDmeAn6w7pY3yJ7tC

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApgMj3GpPCk 

Francis’s Video Dispatch in Moldova:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZC5FvDt-u0 

Ukrainian morale suffers as troop favourite Warhammer stops translating novels (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/25/ukrainian-morale-troop-favourite-warhammer-translations-end/ 

US offers air and intelligence support to postwar force in Ukraine (Financial Times):

https://www.ft.com/content/66ec25a0-4af8-467f-9fbe-cf42de890a7e 

Desperate for more soldiers, Russia recruits HIV-positive prisoners, civilians (Kyiv Independent):

https://kyivindependent.com/to-fill-its-ranks-russia-seeks-hiv-positive-recruits-via-social-media-and-ukraines-occupied-territories/ 

US and Russian officials discussed energy deals alongside latest Ukraine peace talks (Reuters): https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-russian-officials-discussed-energy-deals-alongside-latest-ukraine-peace-talks-2025-08-26/ 

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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.

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Day 1,280.

Today, as continued Ukrainian attacks are said to have depleted Russian oil production by the equivalent of a million barrels a day, Donald Trump says Putin is unlikely to meet President Zelensky because he “doesn’t like him”. We also hear how the latest Coalition of the Willing meeting occurred as China said - with caveats - that it might be willing to commit troops to any post-ceasefire force, and we hear how Russian motor racing chiefs have hit the barriers in a spat with Formula 1.

Contributors:

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

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

James Kilner (Foreign Correspondent). @jkjourno on X.

Content Referenced:

Ukraine targets Russian logistics in occupied Crimea (Kyiv Independent):

https://kyivindependent.com/crimea-railway-infrastructure-reportedly-hit-amid-ukrainian-drone-attack/

US blocks Ukraine firing long-range missiles into Russia (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/24/ukraine-war-us-blocks-kyiv-long-range-missiles-russia/

UK to take over leadership of Ukraine defence group from US (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/06/ukraine-defence-contact-group-john-healey-nato-peace-plan/

British Army trains Ukrainian officers how to detect and manage battle stress in their troops (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/12/28/british-army-ukraine-mental-health-stress-soldiers/

Anna Netrebko is the greatest opera singer in the world – with a Putin problem (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/anna-netrebko-greatest-opera-singer-putin-problem/

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Today is a public holiday in Britain, so we bring you a special panel Francis Dearnley hosted during his trip to Germany at the LANDEURO conference hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army. Titled “Ukrainian Innovation at the Speed of Relevance”, it offers a firsthand look at how Ukraine’s defense forces are reshaping the future of military conflict, centering on how wartime necessity has accelerated innovation across critical domains, particularly artificial intelligence, drone warfare, digital finance, and scalable software. It is one of the deepest dives on drone development we have ever covered on the podcast.

Speakers:

Mr. Yaroslav Azhnyuk, CEO and Founder, TheFourthLaw

Mr. Oleksandr Kubrakov, Advisor to the Minister of Defence of Ukraine and, Co-Founder, We Build Ukraine

Mr. Eric Hauff, Senior Director, International Business for Eastern Europe and NATO, ISR, Aviation and Security Division, Sierra Nevada Corporation

Mr. Sebastian Kuhl, Director Sales Land, Helsing

LINKS

Learn More about the panel and LANDEURO:

https://www.army.mil/article/287145/landeuro_ukrainian_innovation_at_the_speed_of_relevance 

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Day 1,276.

Today, as Ukraine strikes again inside occupied Crimea and in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossisk, we report how Moscow appears to be amassing forces in the north and east. We hear how Donald Trump has set another two-week deadline to know whether Putin is serious about peace and we examine what any deployment of the COTW might look from our reporter who has spent many moons on the ground in question

Contributors:

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

Svitlana Morenets (Ukrainian journalist and staff writer, The Spectator). @SvMorenets on X.

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

With thanks to Col. Kevin Jackson, Chief of Staff of the US Army V Corps.

Content Referenced:

Lavrov: Putin not ready to meet Zelensky

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/22/ukraine-russia-war-putin-zelensky-peace-ceasefire/

Sign up to Svitlana's newsletter here:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/ukraine/

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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.

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest

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Day 1,275.

Today, as Russia’s foreign minister accuses the Coalition of the Willing of “undermining” efforts to secure peace in Ukraine – comments later described as nothing but “noise” – Vladimir Putin makes clear how serious he is about negotiating peace by launching another mass aerial attack. Far from ending the war, we hear how Donald Trump is apparently going to “step back” from peace talks “for now”. Plus, we look at how Ukraine has demonstrated the next stage of drone development with a strike on Russian forces in the Black Sea, and interview the commander of Finland’s armed forces.

Contributors:

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

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

With thanks to the Commander of the Finnish Army, Lt Gen Pasi Välimäki

Content Referenced:

US will only give ‘minimal’ security guarantees to Ukraine, Europe warned (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/21/us-elbridge-colby-minimal-security-guarantees-ukraine/ 

Trump steps back from Russia and Ukraine peace talks for now, sources say (The Guardian):

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/21/trump-ukraine-russia-peace-talks 

Why Steve Witkoff Is Trump’s Master of Disaster (Foreign Policy):

https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/19/steve-witkoff-trump-putin-russia-ukraine-war-diplomacy 

Witkoff delivered Russian medal from Putin to family of American who was killed fighting for Russia in 2024 (CNN):

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/20/politics/witkoff-delivered-medal-from-putin-family-american-killed 

A Letter to America’s Discarded Public Servants (William J Burns in The Atlantic):

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/10/trump-retribution-public-servants/683914/

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

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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.

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Day 1,274.

Today, as President Donald Trump says the US may provide air support to back a Ukraine peace deal, we assess reports that as many as 10 European countries are considering putting boots on the ground if Russia agrees to end its war. Then we take a step back and try to make sense of the historic past few days. What, if anything, has changed? Then we hear a dispatch Adelie recorded in Ukraine at the funeral of journalist Victoria Roshchyna.

Contributors:

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

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

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

Content Referenced:

US air force could police Ukraine’s skies to ensure peace (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/19/us-air-force-police-ukraine-skies-peace-deal-russia-trump/ 

Ten European countries ‘ready’ to send forces to Ukraine (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/20/ukraine-russia-war-latest-news-trump-peace/ 

‘Nearly two million more casualties’: The numbers that show Russia is years from victory (Roland Oliphant in The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/08/19/russia-is-years-from-victory-trump-putin/ 

Dance Of The Flamingos: Ukraine’s FP-5 Heavy Cruise Missile (Covert Shores):

http://www.hisutton.com/Ukrainian-FP-15-Flamingo-Cruise-Missile.html

Trump Revokes Security Clearances of 37 Former and Current Officials (New York Times):

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/us/politics/trump-security-clearances.html 

‘The Steel Porcupine’ – Russia's campaign of extermination by Benjamin I. Goldhagen:

https://www.thesteelporcupine.com/ 

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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.

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Email: [email protected]

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Day 1,273.

Today, as we get more clarity on what the Europeans proposed to Donald Trump in the historic White House summit yesterday, we hear the latest from the battlefront as Russian progress appears to have been stymied, and then do a deep dive into Moscow’s reaction to this week’s diplomatic developments. What exactly are they signalling?

Contributors:

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

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

James Kilner (Foreign Correspondent). @jkjourno on X.

Content Referenced:

Ukraine ‘offers Trump $100bn arms deal’ for security guarantees (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/19/ukraine-russia-war-latest-news-trump-peace/ 

Frank Gardner’s security guarantees reflections (BBC):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cz93ve1p952t

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

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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

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Email: [email protected]

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