‘Staggering’ Russian losses as ‘tens of thousands of troops’ stall in Putin’s spring offensive & interviewing Ukrainians who fought for Russia
Ukraine: The Latest
Louisa Wells / Francis Dearnley
4.8 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 24 March 2026
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Day 1,489.
Today, amid confirmation that Vladimir Putin’s spring offensive in Russia’s war in Ukraine has begun, we report on the assaults along the frontline that have driven a sharp rise in Russian casualty figures. We then examine the truth behind growing rumours of unrest and widespread internet outages in Moscow. We also speak to a senior official in the office of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán about allegations that Budapest’s diplomats shared details of European Union meetings with Kremlin officials. And later, we look at the controversial cases of Ukrainians who fought for Russia and are now prisoners of war in Ukraine – asking what drove them to switch sides in the conflict.
Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno on X.
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
With thanks to parliamentary state secretary of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Cabinet Office, Balázs Hidvéghi, and freelance journalist Jen Stout.
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:
Wave of Russian strikes kill five in Ukraine (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/24/wave-of-russian-strikes-kill-five-in-ukraine/
Ukraine strikes Russian oil export hub (The Telegraph):
Ukraine names Hungarian officer allegedly behind spy network busted in 2025 (Kyiv Independent):
What makes a traitor? Interviews with Ukrainians who fought for Russia reveal how they became Putin’s soldiers (Jen Stout in Prospect):
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/europe/ukraine/72210/what-makes-a-traitor
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.
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. |
| 0:05.0 | I'm Francis Dernley and this is Ukraine, the latest. |
| 0:13.0 | Today, amid confirmation that Putin's spring offensive has begun, |
| 0:17.0 | we hear more details of the assaults which triggered the huge increase in Russian casualties, |
| 0:23.0 | before learning the truth behind the latest rumours of unrest and internet outages in Moscow. |
| 0:28.1 | We also speak to a senior figure in the office of Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary |
| 0:32.3 | about the accusations that Budapest's diplomats have been sharing details of EU meetings with |
| 0:36.8 | Kremlin officials, |
| 0:38.1 | and later hear about Ukrainians who fought for Russia and are now prisoners of war in Ukraine. |
| 0:44.1 | What made them betray their country? |
| 0:47.4 | bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory. |
| 0:57.1 | The Russian does not want peace. |
| 0:58.9 | First, we're fighting, with our help for the Ukraine, |
| 1:02.4 | also our freedom and our European Writers. |
| 1:07.6 | If I'm president, I will have that war settled in one day, 24 hours. |
| 1:11.5 | We are with you, not just today or tomorrow, but for a hundred years. |
| 1:16.6 | We can't as a European, let's be gained the Russia in Ukraine. |
| 1:21.2 | Nobody's going to break us. We're strong. We're Ukrainians. |
| 1:27.1 | It's Tuesday, the 24th of March, four years and 28 days since the full-scale invasion began. |
| 1:33.9 | And today, I'm joined by our Russia analyst James Kilner and later Adelae Pojman-Ponte interviews journalist Jen Stout. |
| 1:41.6 | But first, the latest military and political updates from me. |
| 1:45.9 | Russian forces have launched their spring, summer, 2026 offensive. That's now the assessment |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Louisa Wells / Francis Dearnley, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Louisa Wells / Francis Dearnley and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.