Putin strikes NATO: Romania hit in 'major escalation' & interviews with ‘brainwashed’ Russian PoWs
Ukraine: The Latest
Louisa Wells / Francis Dearnley
4.8 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 29 May 2026
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Day 1,554.
Today, as Romania kicks Russian diplomats out of the country following a drone strike last night that has injured civilians in the eastern city of Galati, we ask, why is it so easy for Romania to name the perpetrator of such attacks when others still seek to avoid apportioning blame. We then look at reports Russia is continuing to be hit hard on the southern corridor, including now by drone-landed mines, followed by the second part of Francis’s special dispatch from the La Biannale art festival in Venice, today looking at the decision to permit the reopening of the Russian Pavilion and his encounter with Pussy Riot. And we finish with an audio dispatch from me, after my visit to a prisoner of war camp in western Ukraine.
Contributors:
Dom Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
With thanks to the soldiers, artists, and curators at the ‘Still Joy’ exhibition in Venice, and to Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot.
Producer: Rachel Porter
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
Additional thanks to Tom Steed and Natalia Makohon for dubbing.
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:
Dom’s full documentary interviewing POWs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJwjbWheClk
Francis’s first dispatch from Venice and La Biennale:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay2UT-SeKDI
Learn more about ‘Resistance Imprisoned’:
https://www.ritschfisch.com/exhibition/resistance-imprisoned/
Learn more about the PinchukArtCentre’s exhibition ‘Still Joy’ (running until 1st August):
https://pinchukartcentre.org/en/exhibitions/still-joy-from-ukraine-into-the-world-biennale-arte-2026
Russian drone hits Romanian apartment block in ‘grave escalation’ (The Telegraph):
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:
- Putin strikes NATO: Romania hit in 'major escalation'
- Dom Nicholls interviews ‘brainwashed’ Russian PoWs
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The Telegraph. |
| 0:09.5 | I'm Domnichols and this is Ukraine the latest. |
| 0:12.2 | Today, as Romania kicks Russian diplomats out of the country following a drone strike last night that has injured civilians, we ask, |
| 0:19.4 | why is it so easy for Romania to name the perpetrator |
| 0:22.2 | of such attacks when others still seek to avoid apportioning blame? |
| 0:26.6 | We then look at reports Russia is continuing to be hit hard |
| 0:29.6 | on the Southern Corridor, including now by drone-landed mines, |
| 0:33.6 | followed by the second part of Francis' special dispatch |
| 0:36.6 | from the Labiennale Art Festival in Venice. |
| 0:39.6 | Today, looking at the decision to permit the reopening of the Russian pavilion |
| 0:43.3 | and his encounter with Pussy Riot. |
| 0:46.2 | And we finish with a dispatch from me after my visit to a prison of war camp in Western Ukraine. |
| 0:52.4 | Bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory. |
| 1:02.1 | The Russia does not want peace. |
| 1:03.9 | First, we're fighting, with our help for the Ukraine, |
| 1:07.4 | also our freedom and our European |
| 1:11.6 | Writers. |
| 1:12.6 | If I'm president, I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours. |
| 1:16.6 | We are with you, not just today or tomorrow, but for a hundred years. |
| 1:21.6 | We can't, as European, let's gain the Russia in Ukraine. |
| 1:25.6 | Nobody's going to break us. We're strong. We're Ukrainians. |
| 1:32.2 | It's Friday the 29th of May, four years and 94 days since the full-scale invasion began. |
... |
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