Putin ‘has started World War III’, says Zelensky on eve of invasion’s fourth anniversary
Ukraine: The Latest
Louisa Wells / Francis Dearnley
4.8 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 23 February 2026
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Day 1,460.
Today, reporting live from Ukraine on the eve of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, we cover fresh bombardments on both Ukrainian and Russian territory, the investigation into an explosive device that killed a police officer in Lviv and injured dozens more, and President Zelensky’s claims that Ukrainian forces have liberated 300 square kilometres in southern Ukraine – and that the Third World War has “already begun.” Plus, we hear reflections from our Europe Editor, and our Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, who was inside No 10 Downing Street when Vladimir Putin launched the invasion in February 2022, on the calculations made in London at the outset of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Contributors
Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.
James Crisp (Europe Editor). @JamesCrisp6 on X.
David Blair (Chief Foreign Correspondent). @davidblairdt on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.
Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Journalist and Producer). @adeliepjzon X.
NOW AVAILABLE IN 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/watch?v=uLAhzX5V56Y
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Zelensky accuses Putin of starting World War Three (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/23/zelensky-putin-russia-ukraine-world-war-three/
Russia kills Ukrainian civilians as anniversary of invasion approaches (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/22/russia-strikes-kyiv-with-ballistic-missiles/
Ukraine strikes long-range missile plant 1,400km behind Russian lines (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/21/ukraine-strikes-long-range-missile-factory-russia/
Ukrainian held after bombs kill policewoman, 23, in Lviv (The Telegraph):
Healey: I want to send British troops to Ukraine (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/02/21/healey-i-want-to-send-british-troops-to-ukraine/
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The Telegraph. |
| 0:09.3 | I'm Francis Dernley. |
| 0:11.2 | I'm Don Nichols. |
| 0:12.4 | And I'm Adelie Pogne Ponce. |
| 0:14.4 | And this is Ukraine, the latest. |
| 0:16.6 | Today, in a historic week for Europe, we bring you the latest news live from London and Ukraine. |
| 0:22.9 | What better way to show our continued commitment to covering the war in Ukraine than by starting |
| 0:27.1 | a video podcast and where better to do it than here in the country? We've come over the fourth |
| 0:32.8 | anniversary since the full-scale invasion started. Not to mark the anniversary, we'll leave that to |
| 0:37.0 | those outlets that don't look at this thing every day, but we've come to take the temperature of civilians |
| 0:41.3 | and soldiers alike, get an update on the operational situation, see how the attacks on energy |
| 0:46.1 | infrastructure are impacting people in their daily lives, and just take the temperature of |
| 0:50.9 | Ukraine at the start of year five of this war. Thanks for sticking with us. |
| 0:55.4 | We've just arrived in Ukraine this morning. |
| 0:57.5 | It's a beautiful day out here. |
| 0:58.8 | The temperature is a lot warmer than it's been in the last few weeks. |
| 1:02.2 | The sun is shining and snow is thawing in the streets. |
| 1:05.1 | But that doesn't mean the energy crisis is over. |
| 1:08.0 | For thousands of people across the country, the war has come to their living rooms, |
| 1:12.1 | making survival every day harder. We'll be reporting from different parts of the country over the |
| 1:17.0 | next few days. Stay with us. |
| 1:19.7 | Bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory. |
... |
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