<p><strong>Day 1,517.</strong></p><p>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, <em>The Wizard of the Kremlin</em>, 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.</p><br><p><strong>Contributors:</strong></p><p>Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X.</p><p>Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.</p><p>With thanks to Chief Film Critic at <em>The Telegraph</em> Robbie Collin and political scientist Anna Colin Lebedev.</p><br><p><strong>NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS &amp; BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:</strong></p><p>Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>CONTENT REFERENCED:</strong></p><p>Exclusive interview: World faces new nuclear arms race (The Telegraph):</p><p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/20/world-faces-new-nuclear-arms-race-head-of-un-atomic-agency/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/20/world-faces-new-nuclear-arms-race-head-of-un-atomic-agency/</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>Former tank commander reviews Challenger 3 (Hamish de Bretton-Gordon in The Telegraph):</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PLOyJKtGKw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PLOyJKtGKw</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>Russian nursery-school children taught to fly drones (The Telegraph):</p><p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/21/russia-nursery-school-children-fly-drones/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/21/russia-nursery-school-children-fly-drones/</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>Jude Law as Vladimir Putin? It’s a strangely flattering choice (Robbie Collin in The Telegraph):</p><p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/review-wizard-kremlin-putin-jude-law/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/review-wizard-kremlin-putin-jude-law/</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>(Hom)mage du Kremlin, Anna Colin Lebedev:&nbsp;</p><p>In French: <a href="https://colinlebedev.fr/2026/01/22/hommage-du-kremlin/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://colinlebedev.fr/2026/01/22/hommage-du-kremlin/</a></p><p>In English: <a href="https://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article77848" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article77848</a></p><p>Personal Website: <a href="http://colinlebedev.fr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">colinlebedev.fr</a></p><br><p>Jude Law plays Putin in a film shot in Riga. Latvian officials say it serves Kremlin propaganda (Meduza):</p><p><a href="https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/03/07/jude-law-plays-putin-in-a-film-shot-in-riga-latvian-officials-say-it-serves-kremlin-propaganda" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/03/07/jude-law-plays-putin-in-a-film-shot-in-riga-latvian-officials-say-it-serves-kremlin-propaganda</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>The History Bureau, Putin and the Apartment Bombs (BBC):</p><p>https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m002q5dk</p><br><p>Ukraine pushing to produce home-grown ballistic defense system 'within a year,' Zelensky says (Kyiv Independent):</p><p><a href="https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-pushing-to-produce-home-grown-ballistic-defense-system-within-a-year-zelensky-says/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-pushing-to-produce-home-grown-ballistic-defense-system-within-a-year-zelensky-says/</a></p><br><p><strong>EMAIL US:</strong></p><p>Contact the team on <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a> . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible.</p><br><p><strong>HIGHLIGHTS:</strong></p><ul><li>&nbsp;Russian nursery-school children ‘taught to fly drones’</li><li>Reviewing new film 'The Wizard of the Kremlin'</li></ul><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>