Ukraine blows up railway bridges and Russian space centre & UK claims army will be '10 times more lethal' as new defence plan revealed

Day 1,586.

Today, as Vladimir Putin continues to make grossly exaggerated claims about Russia’s gains on the battlefield, we assess the latest military progress of both sides, before looking at the long-delayed and controversial defence investment plan finally announced by the British. More money for drones, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence: but does it go far enough, and how close is London to hitting the 5% NATO target demanded by President Donald Trump? Then we hear what the citizens of Kyiv think about Ukraine being on the pathway to membership of the European Union, and report on a manhunt underway in southern France after a parcel bomb exploded at a residential building in neighbouring Monaco, injuring wealthy Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolaiev.

Contributors:

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

Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.

James Crisp (Telegraph’s Europe Editor). @JamesCrisp6 on X.

Antonia Langford (Freelance Journalist in Kyiv). @Antonialford on X

Producer: Phil Atkins

Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett

Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan

Social Producer: Gabby Colvin

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:

Listen to our sister podcast Iran: The Latest:

Video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJnf_DDTfIVAif-vifC6F2aoPB8GIw6dk 

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/iran-the-latest/id1712903296 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7gPBO0qnZI1YBi25zaVT1c

The battle to bring Europe’s biggest military into the EU (James Crisp, Antonia Langford and Joe Barnes for The Telegraph)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/24/the-battle-to-bring-europes-biggest-military-into-the-eu/ 

Ukrainian tycoon injured in Monaco bombing (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/29/monaco-house-explosion-three-injured/ 

Meduza has identified over a thousand war veterans who have already received positions within the Russian government (Meduza, in Russian):

https://meduza.io/feature/2026/06/29/novaya-rossiyskaya-elita

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.

Thumbnail image credit: Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU)

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Ukraine blows up railway bridges and Russian space centre
• UK claims army will be '10 times more lethal' as new defence plan revealed

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