Russia’s new ‘dandelion’ tank armour; Kremlin attacks ‘wet dreams of British perverts’ & how Iran regime collapse would impact Ukraine
Ukraine: The Latest
Louisa Wells / Francis Dearnley
4.8 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 12 January 2026
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Day 1,418.
Today, as thousands remain without power in Kyiv, we examine President Zelensky’s pledge to carry out more operations “inside” Russia and analyse Moscow’s latest tank and weapons innovations. We then unpack an extraordinary outburst from a Russian spokesperson, who dismissed the “wet dreams of British perverts”, before considering what the fall of Iran’s regime would mean for the war in Ukraine. Later, we return to the issue of Ukraine’s stolen children, with new details on the military training they are being forced to undergo.
Contributors
Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.
Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Journalist and Producer). @adeliepjz on X.
With thanks to Olesia Bida (Journalist, The Kyiv Independent's War Crimes investigations). @olesyabida on X.
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Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.
CONTENT REFERENCED:
Our sister podcast Battle Lines’ episode discussing flashpoints in 2026:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3aQpnrqUDE
UK Defence Secretary John Healey: “I would kidnap Putin” (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/10/john-healey-i-would-kidnap-vladimir-putin/
Britain to spend £200m preparing troops for Ukraine (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/09/britain-200m-spend-troops-ukraine-deployment/
Russia’s ‘dandelion’ tank armour might just work (The Telegraph):
Zelensky hopes reshuffle will give him a better hand at home and away (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/11/zelensky-hedges-his-bets-with-cabinet-reshuffle/v
Investigating Russia's military camp system for children (Kyiv Independent documentary): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZGmv2EQdGk
Russian spies target £70-a-night hotel near Nato HQ (The i):
https://inews.co.uk/news/nato-warns-of-russian-spies-4145755
LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:
The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The Telegraph. |
| 0:06.0 | I'm Francis Dernley and this is Ukraine, the latest. |
| 0:14.0 | Today, as thousands are still without power in Kiev, we discuss President Zelenskyy's pledge to conduct more operations inside Russia, |
| 0:21.6 | and look at Moscow's recent tank and weapons innovations. |
| 0:25.1 | Then we hear what upset a Russian spokesperson so much, they call them the wet dreams of British perverts, |
| 0:31.1 | before considering what the fall of the Iran regime would mean for the war. |
| 0:36.1 | Then later, we give you an update on the subject of Ukraine's |
| 0:39.1 | stolen children, hearing more about the military training they're forced to endure. |
| 0:45.1 | bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory. |
| 0:56.0 | The Russian does not want peace. First, we're |
| 0:57.0 | with our help for the Ukraine |
| 1:00.0 | also our freedom and our European |
| 1:04.0 | Writers. |
| 1:05.0 | If I'm president, I will have that war settled in one day, |
| 1:08.0 | 24 hours. |
| 1:09.0 | We are with you, not just today or tomorrow, but for 100 years. |
| 1:14.4 | We can't, as European, let us gain the Russia in Ukraine. |
| 1:18.9 | Nobody's going to break us. |
| 1:20.9 | We're strong. |
| 1:22.1 | Where Ukraine is. |
| 1:24.9 | It's Monday, the 12th of January, three years and 324 days since the full-scale invasion began. |
| 1:32.1 | And today, I'm joined by our Associate Editor of Defence, Dominic Nichols, and later you'll hear Adelae Pojeman Ponte sit down with Alessia Bida of the Kiev Independent. |
... |
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