Black Sea naval base in flames after huge Ukrainian drone attack as Trump asks Kyiv to limit strikes on oil tankers

Day 1,629 Today, just as Ukraine attacks a naval base, an oil terminal and port infrastructure in the Black Sea, we hear that US Vice President JD Vance asked Kyiv last month to stop drone strikes on oil tankers in the region. Then, we discuss the latest UN briefing about Ukraine’s POWs and civilian detainees imprisoned in Russia, and the horrible conditions they are being held in. Finally, our Russia expert James takes us through Syria’s evolving stance towards Russia and the economic fallout from the Wildberries strikes. Contributors: Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @Adeliepjz on X. Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X. James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno on X. Producer: Rachel Porter Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan Social Producer: Natalia Makahon Studio Director: Meghan Searle 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: If you’re interested in sponsoring Dom’s upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at [email protected] Ukraine Stops Reporting Russian Missile Data as Defenses Struggle (Bloomberg) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-11/ukraine-stops-reporting-russia-missile-data-as-defenses-struggle?srnd=homepage-americas Russian Civilian Deaths Are Growing Rapidly as Ukraine Expands Its Air War (New York Times) https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/11/world/europe/russia-ukraine-civilian-casualties.html Russian Turns to India to Gasoline and Ukraine Pummels Refineries (Bloomberg) https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-12/russia-turns-to-india-for-gasoline-as-ukraine-pummels-refineries Dom’s visit to a prisoner of war camp in Ukraine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZuemttm2OM JD Vance asked Ukraine to halt strikes on tankers using Russian port (Financial Times) https://www.ft.com/content/725b4d15-bd8d-4083-a04e-db016338af2e?shareType=nongift&syn-25a6b1a6=1 In Russia, wherever Putin goes, gasoline prices fall (Le Monde) https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/08/07/in-russia-wherever-putin-goes-gasoline-prices-fall_6756239_4.html Behind the Lines: Innocence No Defense for Young Crimean (CEPA) https://cepa.org/article/behind-the-lines-innocence-no-defense-for-young-crimean/ Russians raid homes of Crimean Tatars and take four women to FSB in Simferopol (Ukrainska Pravda) https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/10/15/8002814/ Crimea: Persecution of Crimean Tatars Intensifies (Human Rights Watch) https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/11/14/crimea-persecution-crimean-tatars-intensifies Crimean Tatar leader: ‘My people and country need defending’ (Hyphen) https://hyphenonline.com/2024/08/27/my-people-and-country-need-defending-nariman-dzhelyal-ukraine-crimea/ After four years of war, Ukrainian astronomy is battered but unbroken (Scientific American) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/war-pushes-ukraines-astronomy-to-the-brink/ EMAIL US: Contact the team on [email protected]. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible. HIGHLIGHTS: Black Sea naval base in flames after huge Ukrainian drone attack Trump asks Kyiv to limit strikes on oil tankers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.