Russia burns through best missiles in ‘desperate’ Ukraine fightback & Putin 'losing power of speech'

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 ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk . 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.