Day 1,517.

Today, amid another exchange of drone and missile strikes between Ukraine and Russia, we report on growing speculation that the European Union’s €90 billion loan for Kyiv could finally be approved as early as tomorrow. We also examine Ukraine’s efforts to develop its own alternative to US-made Patriot air defence systems. Then, later, we take a deep dive into a major new Western film, The Wizard of the Kremlin, exploring how accurately it portrays Vladimir Putin’s rise to power – and the wider questions raised by telling Russia’s story through a pre-war, fictional lens.

Contributors:

Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.

Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.

With thanks to Chief Film Critic at The Telegraph Robbie Collin and political scientist Anna Colin Lebedev.

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:

Exclusive interview: World faces new nuclear arms race (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/20/world-faces-new-nuclear-arms-race-head-of-un-atomic-agency/

Former tank commander reviews Challenger 3 (Hamish de Bretton-Gordon in The Telegraph):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PLOyJKtGKw

Russian nursery-school children taught to fly drones (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/21/russia-nursery-school-children-fly-drones/

Jude Law as Vladimir Putin? It’s a strangely flattering choice (Robbie Collin in The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/review-wizard-kremlin-putin-jude-law/

(Hom)mage du Kremlin, Anna Colin Lebedev:

In French: https://colinlebedev.fr/2026/01/22/hommage-du-kremlin/

In English: https://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article77848

Personal Website: colinlebedev.fr

Jude Law plays Putin in a film shot in Riga. Latvian officials say it serves Kremlin propaganda (Meduza):

https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/03/07/jude-law-plays-putin-in-a-film-shot-in-riga-latvian-officials-say-it-serves-kremlin-propaganda

The History Bureau, Putin and the Apartment Bombs (BBC):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m002q5dk

Ukraine pushing to produce home-grown ballistic defense system 'within a year,' Zelensky says (Kyiv Independent):

https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-pushing-to-produce-home-grown-ballistic-defense-system-within-a-year-zelensky-says/

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.

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Russian nursery-school children ‘taught to fly drones’ & reviewing controversial thriller 'The Wizard of the Kremlin'

Ukraine: The Latest

Russian nursery-school children ‘taught to fly drones’ & reviewing controversial thriller 'The Wizard of the Kremlin'