'Barbarism' as Moscow bombs historic Kyiv cathedral & British commandos seize Russian shadow fleet ship

Day 1,571.

In what could prove one of the most consequential weeks of the year for international diplomacy, Francis and Dom assess what a ceasefire in Iran might mean for the war – and whether it could help unlock a pathway towards peace after another bloody weekend in which a Russian attack left one of Kyiv’s most historic cathedrals in flames. They also examine the significance of British Royal Marines boarding and seizing a Russian shadow fleet tanker, and report the latest on Ukraine’s EU negotiations as formal accession talks kick off today. Finally, Dom considers the sweeping military reforms now being undertaken by Kyiv that could have profound consequences for Ukraine’s armed forces and those fighting on the frontline.

Contributors:

Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.

Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.

Producer: Rachel Porter

Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett

Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan

Social Producer: Tom Steed

Studio Director: James England

Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley

Created by David Knowles

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:

Our sister podcast Iran: The Latest: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran--the-latest/

Trump negotiators to visit Moscow after birthday call with Putin (The Telegraph)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/14/iran-ukraine-g7-witkoff-kushner-russia/ 

Russia bombs historic Kyiv cathedral (The Telegraph)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/15/russia-bombs-kyiv-cathedral/ 

Royal Marines seize Russian shadow fleet tanker in Channel (The Telegraph)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/14/british-armed-forces-russian-oil-tanker-english-channel/ 

Inside six-hour mission to storm Putin’s shadow oil tanker (The Telegraph)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/14/inside-six-hour-mission-to-storm-russias-shadow-oil-tanker/ 

EU countries weigh ‘tearing apart’ bloc’s diplomatic service (Financial Times)

https://www.ft.com/content/a7278d93-98fc-4fa7-a14c-d0c089b693dd?syn-25a6b1a6=1 

Russian MP warns Putin: We’re on the brink of social collapse (Antonia Langford for the Telegraph)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/13/russian-mp-warns-putin-were-on-the-brink-of-social-collapse/ 

It Was Meant to Unify. Now the G7 Is Dogged by Chaos and Divided by Trump (New York Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/world/europe/g7-summit-evian-trump.html 

Donald Trump stages show of political domination with UFC bout on White House lawn (Financial Times)

https://www.ft.com/content/11f71770-5872-4769-9ea5-a21f12151e10?syn-25a6b1a6=1 

EMAIL US:

Contact the team on [email protected]. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• 'Barbarism' as Moscow bombs historic Kyiv cathedral
• British commandos seize Russian shadow fleet ship

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