Russian nursery-school children ‘taught to fly drones’ & reviewing controversial thriller 'The Wizard of the Kremlin'
4/21/202651 min
Day 1,517.
Today, amid another exchange of drone and missile strikes between Ukraine and Russia, we report on growing speculation that the European Union’s €90 billion loan for Kyiv could finally be approved as early as tomorrow. We also examine Ukraine’s efforts to develop its own alternative to US-made Patriot air defence systems. Then, later, we take a deep dive into a major new Western film, The Wizard of the Kremlin, exploring how accurately it portrays Vladimir Putin’s rise to power – and the wider questions raised by telling Russia’s story through a pre-war, fictional lens.
Contributors:
Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.
Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.
With thanks to Chief Film Critic at The Telegraph Robbie Collin and political scientist Anna Colin Lebedev.
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:
Exclusive interview: World faces new nuclear arms race (The Telegraph):
Former tank commander reviews Challenger 3 (Hamish de Bretton-Gordon in The Telegraph):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PLOyJKtGKw
Russian nursery-school children taught to fly drones (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/21/russia-nursery-school-children-fly-drones/
Jude Law as Vladimir Putin? It’s a strangely flattering choice (Robbie Collin in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/review-wizard-kremlin-putin-jude-law/
(Hom)mage du Kremlin, Anna Colin Lebedev:
In French: https://colinlebedev.fr/2026/01/22/hommage-du-kremlin/
In English: https://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article77848
Personal Website: colinlebedev.fr
Jude Law plays Putin in a film shot in Riga. Latvian officials say it serves Kremlin propaganda (Meduza):
The History Bureau, Putin and the Apartment Bombs (BBC):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m002q5dk
Ukraine pushing to produce home-grown ballistic defense system 'within a year,' Zelensky says (Kyiv Independent):
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAdelie Pojzman-Pontay· Host0:00
[intro music] The Telegraph.
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