Putin’s forces suffer 35,000 casualties in March – the highest rate of the war – as 17 killed in Russia’s deadliest attack of 2026
4/16/202640 min
Day 1,512.
Today, as Russian forces suffer more than 35,000 casualties in Ukraine in a single month – the highest rate of the war so far – we report on fresh strikes across Ukraine that have killed at least 17 civilians, including a 12 year old boy. We assess the outcome of the latest Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base, and examine the dramatic first moves of Hungary’s new prime minister, who has vowed to shut down state television, describing it as “North Korean-style propaganda”. And later, we bring you the latest from Russia, including reaction in Moscow to the political fall of Viktor Orbán.
Contributors:
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno on X.
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:
Child among 14 killed in Russian strikes (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/16/wave-of-russian-strikes-kills-14-in-ukraine/
Ukraine’s drones dent Russia’s war-fuelled oil windfall (Financial Times):
https://www.ft.com/content/d49e288f-b74e-44a8-a2f3-ec87f7cb5c27?syn-25a6b1a6=1
‘The pope versus the president: how Leo became Trump’s fearless foe’ (Financial Times):
https://www.ft.com/content/4f67aa87-9210-402d-bfef-b71b294d65cb?syn-25a6b1a6=1
Pope Pius II’s memoirs (Vol. I; Harvard University Press):
https://itatti.harvard.edu/publications/commentaries
The Border by Erika Fatland:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57950362-the-border
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.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsVolodymyr Zelenskyy· Soundbite0:00
[intro jingle] The Telegraph.
Francis Dearnley· Host0:05
[intro music] I'm Francis Darnley, and this is Ukraine: The Latest. Today, as Russian forces suffer more than thirty-five thousand casualties in Ukraine in a single month, the highest rate of the war so far. We report on fresh strikes across the country that have killed at least seventeen civilians in Kyiv, Odesa, and elsewhere, including a twelve-year-old boy. We then assess the outcome of the latest Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein and examine the dramatic first moves of Hungary's new prime minister, who's vowed to shut down state television, describing it as North Korean-style propaganda. Then later, we bring you the latest from Russia, including reaction in Moscow to the fall of Viktor Orbán.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy· Soundbite0:52
Bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory. [gunshot] The Russians does not want peace.
JD Vance· Soundbite1:05
If I'm president, I will have that war settled in one day, twenty-four hours.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy· Soundbite1:17
We are with you, not just today or tomorrow, but for a hundred years.
Francis Dearnley· Host1:22
Nobody's gonna break us. We are strong.