Ukraine: The Latest

Day 994.Today, we look at renewed Russian efforts to retake Kursk before Trump returns to the White House, consider the evidence Europe is responding to the threat of an American withdrawal, and assess potential new appointments in for the new government Washington. Then, later, we hear the euphoric memories of a Ukrainian officer who served in the historic Kharkiv counteroffensive.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Assistant Comment Editor). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.With special thanks to our guest, a Ukrainian officer we shall not name who served in the historic Kharkiv counteroffensive.Content referenced:Putin rushes to recapture Kursk from Ukrainians before Trump takes office (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/11/11/putin-kursk-assault-ukraine-trump-north-korea/Donald Trump expected to nominate China hawk Marco Rubio for secretary of state (FT):https://www.ft.com/content/5ec67430-7c68-4783-bf88-92c82e9d7f6fBrussels to free up billions of euros for defence and security from EU budget (FT):https://www.ft.com/content/eb0de7f4-5ba1-460a-a83d-1a7302fc1536Russian forces damage Kurakhove Reservoir dam in Donetsk Oblast (Kyiv Independent)https://kyivindependent.com/russian-forces-damage-dam-of-kurakhove-reservoir-in-donetsk-oblast-ukraine-says/?mc_cid=0e0eef55ad&mc_eid=08d0680a95Starmer to demand Biden hands Ukraine missing $20bn before Trump takes over (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/11/11/keir-starmer-demand-biden-ukraine-20bn-before-trump-talks/Subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 993.Today, after a weekend in which Ukrainian forces launched their largest ever drone attack on Moscow, and Russian losses in Ukraine reached a record daily high, we reflect on the Prague Defence Conference, with discussions centred heavily on President-elect Donald Trump.Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Venetia Rainey (Co-host Battle Lines podcast). @venetiarainey on X.With thanks to Admiral Rob Bauer (Chair of the Military Committee NATO), Hanno Pevkur (Defence Minister of Estonia), and Lawrynas Kasčiunas (Defence Minister of Lithuania).Subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 990.Today, we consider the Trump peace plan reportedly being mooted by his staffers, hear live from another vital summit of European leaders, and discuss a ‘shopping list’ of weapons and permissions Western leaders could action over the next two months to support Ukraine. Later, following the missile damage to Kharkiv’s iconic Derzhprom building, we do a deeper dive into the impact of this war on Ukrainian heritage and architecture.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Assistant Comment Editor). @FrancisDearnley on X.James Crisp (Europe Editor). @JamesCrisp6 on X.Michael Bohnert (Engineer & Researcher, RAND Corporation. @mbohnert on X.With thanks to Ievgeniia Gubkina, Ukrainian architect, architectural and urban historian, and curator. @BartlettArchUCL on X.Articles Referenced:Trump mulls Ukraine peace plan: British troops patrolling an 800-mile buffer zone (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/11/07/donald-trump-ukraine-peace-plan-british-troops-buffer-zone/Trump Promised to End the War in Ukraine. Now He Must Decide How (Wall Street Journal):https://www.wsj.com/world/trump-presidency-ukraine-russia-war-plans-008655c0Subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 989.Today, as the White House seeks to send Ukraine as much as it can before Trump’s inauguration, we discuss the potential appointments the president-elect might make, and – later – hear about the mood near the frontlines to the political earthquake.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Assistant Comment Editor). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Jonah Goldberg (Editor-in-Chief, The Dispatch). @JonahDispatch on X.Adrian Simpson (of Mission Ukraine). AdrianSimp85802 on X.Dr Claudia Major (German Institute of International and Security Affairs). @SWPBerlin on X.Mission UkraineYou can learn more about the volunteer organisation here:https://www.missionukraine.uk/Content Referenced:Trump’s victory means Europe has no choice but to arm – and fast (Francis in The Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/07/donald-trump-victory-europe-now-has-two-months-save-ukraine/Biden team prepares to rush last-minute aid to Ukraine (Politico)https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/06/biden-trump-ukraine-assistance-00187897Trump win casts fresh doubts over Wall Street's China strategy (Reuters)https://www.reuters.com/markets/trump-win-casts-fresh-doubts-over-wall-streets-china-strategy-2024-11-07/Subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.ukHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 988.Today, as Ukraine hits a Russian naval base on the Caspian Sea and North Korean troops enter combat for the first time, we examine the fallout from the US presidential election and ask: is Donald Trump the best thing that’s ever happened to NATO?Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Francis Dearnley (Assistant Comment Editor). @FrancisDearnley on X.Adam Kinzinger (Former Republican Congressman, now senior political commentator at CNN) @AdamKinzinger on X.Dr Dalibor Rohac (American Enterprise Institute Fellow & Eastern Europe expert) @DaliborRohac on X.Subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 987.Today, as Ukraine, and the world, waits with bated breath for the results of the US presidential election, we look at the situation on the battlefield as Moscow seeks to strengthen its foothold, and hear more about how ordinary Russians view the war.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Assistant Comment Editor). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.James Kilner (Moscow Desk). @jkjourno on X.Content referenced:'To Avoid Another Munich, Europe Must Act to Secure Ukraine' (100+ Experts' Letter):https://www.democratic-strategy.net/_files/ugd/dcfff6_bc38b0fbac1b473bb5b0989446c08f67.pdfChina’s Xi Jinping poses as hunky Putin sidekick in FSB calendar (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/11/01/chinas-xi-jinping-poses-hunky-putins-sidekick-calendar/ Instruction manual for digging mass graves given to Russian troops (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/11/03/instruction-manual-digging-mass-graves-russian-troops/Google Maps ‘reveals location’ of secret Ukrainian military positions (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/11/03/instruction-manual-digging-mass-graves-russian-troops/Russia Suspected of Plotting to Send Incendiary Devices on U.S.-Bound Planes (Wall Street Journal)https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-plot-us-planes-incendiary-devices-de3b8c0aStolen Cheese! (BBC)https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ygw9ye90poSubscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 986.Today, as Moldova resists alleged Russian meddling in Sunday's presidential vote, we report on how Russia is arming drones with thermobaric 'lung-busting' warheads, according to a leading Forensic Research Institute.Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Roland Oliphant (Senior Foreign Correspondent). @RolandOliphant on X.Content Referenced:Russia Deploys Deadly New Weapon in Drone Race With Ukraine (Newsweek)https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-drones-shahed-race-deadly-new-weapon-1979040Subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 983.Today, we discuss the North Korean general sent to lead troops in Ukraine, hear the latest from Georgia, and consider the impact of the First World War on Putin’s worldview, and how the treaty that ended the battles of the Eastern Front serves as a warning for today.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Assistant Comment Editor). @FrancisDearnley on X.Venetia Rainey (Co-host Battle Lines podcast). @venetiarainey on X.Marika Mikiashvili (Analyst and Lecturer). @Mikiashvili_M on X. Dr Thomas Clausen (Historian and Analyst). @DrThomasClausen on X.Content Referenced:Our sister podcast Battle Lines, which Venetia co-hosts:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/battle-lines/id1712903296Ukraine’s frontline is ‘crumbling’ against Russian advances, says general (The Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/10/30/ukraine-crumbling-russia-zelensky-victory-plan-kyiv/North Korea’s new ICBM missile records longest flight time yet (The Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/10/31/north-korea-new-icbm-missile-longest-flight-time/Close ally of Kim Jong-un is leader of North Korean troops in Russia, says Ukraine (The Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/10/31/kim-jong-un-vladimir-putin-ukraine-pyongyang-troops-gen-kim/South Korea weighs arming Ukraine after North Korean deployment (FT)https://www.ft.com/content/e7ca9021-1321-46c8-9b0c-2009a4c0dd50Subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Day 982.Today, further to updates on the front and in the political realms, we are joined by Danylo Mokryk, a war crime reporter, and Evan Williams, a multi-award winning producer and director, about their recent documentaries on the subject of war crimes. A warning: today's episode features graphic descriptions.Contributors:Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Francis Dearnley (Assistant Comment Editor). @FrancisDearnley on X.Danylo Mokryk (Investigative Journalist, The Kyiv Independent). @DMokryk on X.Evan Williams (Producer and Director). @evanwilliams_tv on X.Content Referenced:Danylo Mokryk's investigative documentary Shadows Across the River: https://kyivindependent.com/shadows-across-the-river/ Evan Williams's new film On The Cranes Call:https://thecranescallfilm.com/ Ukraine and Russia in talks about halting strikes on energy plants (Financial Times)https://www.ft.com/content/69a57022-aeed-4bfe-8ada-b2ccd38f162aHow Ukraine Can Defeat Russian Glide Bombs (RAND):https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/06/how-ukraine-can-defeat-russian-glide-bombs.html#:~:text=The%20most%20practical%20counter%20to,air%20capabilities%2C%20and%20electronic%20warfare.The new face of European illiberalism (Financial Times):https://www.ft.com/content/78f49467-1e2c-4c4f-9908-897ce8d5319dSubscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk