Day 1,617.As yet more Russian Wildberries distribution sites reach for the stars, Ukrainian missile producer Firepoint wins the month’s top-trolling award by offering merch to anyone who correctly predicts their next target. Dom reports how ballistic-missile defence is the hot topic of military and diplomatic discussion at the moment, with offers from Poland, favours asked of SpaceX and, perhaps least surprising of all, a growing coolness from Donald Trump over the plan/idea/wishful thinking that Ukraine would be given the Patriot b...
Day 1,617.
As yet more Russian Wildberries distribution sites reach for the stars, Ukrainian missile producer Firepoint wins the month’s top-trolling award by offering merch to anyone who correctly predicts their next target. Dom reports how ballistic-missile defence is the hot topic of military and diplomatic discussion at the moment, with offers from Poland, favours asked of SpaceX and, perhaps least surprising of all, a growing coolness from Donald Trump over the plan/idea/wishful thinking that Ukraine would be given the Patriot blueprints. Alex Nichol reports that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff may be in Ukraine in the next few weeks, which would be their first trip to Kyiv despite making multiple visits to Putin in Moscow. Finally, Adélie discusses Ukrainian war poetry, with the man who brought the newest generation of poets to English-speaking audiences.
Contributors:
Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Alex Nichol (Telegraph Journalist).
Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
With thanks to Hugh Roberts (@hugh.g.a.roberts on Instagram) and the University of Exeter.
Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett
Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan
Social Producer: Tom Steed
Studio Director: Meghan Searle
Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley
Created by David Knowles
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:
If you’re interested in sponsoring Dom’s upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at events@telegraph.co.uk
Russian missile destroys US firm’s Kyiv drone factory (The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/30/us-firm-drone-factory-terminal-autonomy-ukraine-russia
Zelensky Asked Trump for a Favor From Elon Musk (The Atlantic)
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/07/zelensky-asked-trump-for-a-favor-from-elon-musk/688122/
Donald Trump ‘not sure’ he will let Ukraine build Patriot missiles (Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/d8c42f6b-4dba-4976-a907-c7c93bca0bbd?syn-25a6b1a6=1
War and peace: Ukraine’s ambassador in Washington joins our table (Christian Science Monitor)
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/monitor_breakfast/2026/0731/ukraine-ambassador-olga-stefanishyna?icid=rss
The Geopolitics of Russia’s Civil Nuclear Exports Four Years into the War (Centre for Strategic and International Studies)
https://www.csis.org/analysis/geopolitics-russias-civil-nuclear-exports-four-years-war
Ukrainian War Time Poetry:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx2YPXiQIIQvRHSFfabgsOZM_5G5eqj5O
Jantar Publishing House:
https://www.jantarpublishing.com/
Lines from the frontline: the poet soldiers defending Ukraine (The Conversation):
https://theconversation.com/lines-from-the-frontline-the-poet-soldiers-defending-ukraine-276676
Death of a Ukrainian Writer (New Yorker):
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-death-of-a-ukrainian-writer-victoria-amelina
The Buried Book That Helped Ukraine’s Literary Revival (The New York Times):
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/20/world/europe/ukraine-publishing-buried-book.html
More about Aliaksei Lazarau: https://x.com/Alx_lazarau/status/2050195969103307014
The petition to allow non-Ukrainian to be recognised as Hero of Ukraine: https://petition.president.gov.ua/petition/264020
EMAIL US:
Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Russians 'fear being killed in Red Square,' Kyiv claims
- Zelensky asks Elon Musk a favour
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