← Ukraine: The Latest
Ukraine: The Latest
'If you come, I'll kill you' - Ukrainian soldier hacks Zoom call with Russian recruits & weaponing chess in the occupied territories
00:35:26
Loading summary
Transcript66 lines
- [00:04]
Brooke Devard
The telegraph.
- [00:09]
David Knowles
My wife won't stop talking about Jerry. Jerry says he saved us money on car insurance. Mine too. Found her a better rate and didn't waste her time.
- [00:20]
Malcolm Payne
Who is this guy?
- [00:21]
David Knowles
Babe? Jerry checked again and found us an even better rate. Pulled 20 quotes from top insurers, showed them side by side, and helped me switch policies in the app.
- [00:31]
Peter Heine Nielsen
It's a car insurance?
- [00:33]
David Knowles
Yep. Let's just never happened. Do yourself a favor. Visit Jerry AI Acast
- [00:42]
Malcolm Payne
ACAST powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend
- [00:49]
Brooke Devard
hello hello, it's Brooke Devard from Naked Beauty. Join me each week for unfiltered discussion about beauty trends, self care journeys, wellness tips, and the products we absolutely love and cannot get enough of. If you are a skincare obsessive and you spend 20 plus minutes on your skincare routine, this podcast is for you. Or if you're a newbie at the beginning of your skincare journey, you'll love this podcast as well. Because we go so much deeper than beauty. I talk to incredible and inspiring people from across industries about their relationship with beauty. You'll also hear from skincare experts. We break down lots of myths in the beauty industry. If this sounds like your thing, certainly search for Naked Beauty on your podcast app and listen along. I hope you'll join us.
- [01:32]
Malcolm Payne
ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.
- [01:45]
David Knowles
I'm Francis Dernley and this is Ukraine. The latest Today, after one of the deadliest bombardments Ukraine has endured this year, we hear of new Russian infiltration missions on the front lines. Then how a masked Ukrainian soldier crashed a zoom call at a Russian military recruitment event, telling students he would be forced to kill them if they joined the army. And later, more evidence that the US seeks to bring Moscow out of the cold by inviting them to the G20. Then we bring you a special update from the world of chess and how names familiar to us like Peskov and Shoigu are involved in the Chess Federation. While the game is utilized as a tool of control in the occupied territories,
- [02:29]
Peter Heine Nielsen
bravery takes you through the most unimaginable hardships to finally reward you with victory.
- [02:38]
David Knowles
Russia does not want Feeschen Werther. If I'm president, I will have that war settled in one day.
- [02:51]
Peter Heine Nielsen
24 we are with you. Not just today or tomorrow, but for 100 years.
- [03:02]
David Knowles
Nobody's going to break us. We're strong.
- [03:05]
Peter Heine Nielsen
We're Ukrainians.
- [03:08]
David Knowles
It's Monday 27 April, four years and 62 days since the full scale invasion began and today I'm joined by not one, but two formidable maestros of chess. The Telegraph's chess correspondent and international master, Malcolm Payne, and former coach of two world champions and a grandmaster himself, Peter Heine Nielsen. But first, the latest developments of the weekend and this morning. The worst raid came in the early hours of Saturday morning and throughout the day in one of the largest aerial strikes on Ukraine this year, killing at least 10 and injuring over 67, according to officials. The wave included 47 missiles and 619 drones and primarily targeted Dnipro city in central Ukraine, where Dom was reporting on our last trip and where eight have been killed in the last 48 hours or so. The strikes also hit Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odessa and Kyiv Oblasts. Dr. Jade McGlynn was reporting for us from Kharkiv on Friday, and when I caught up with her over the weekend, she described a ferocious bombardment on the city. There was later that evening, Saturday into Sunday also saw a significant attack on the south, where at least 11, including two children were injured. In Odessa when the strike hit residential districts, blowing out windows across multiple areas. Port infrastructure was also affected, with an energy facility and vessel sustaining damage. In Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, more than 4,400 people were left without electricity, while in Sumy in the northeast there were also power outages reported. Another five were killed and at least 12 injured in those strikes, such was the severity. British fighter jets were actually scrambled in Romania overnight in response with two RAF Eurofighter Typhoon aircrafts given permission to engage the drones as they launched attacks on ports along the Danube as part of their regular NATO deployment. Kyiv, meanwhile, continued its bombardment of Moscow's energy infrastructure, striking an oil refinery in the Russian city of Yaroslavl and several targets inside Russian occupied territories overnight on April 26 that the facility reportedly refines around 50 million tons of crude oil per year. Another significant attack was reported in Vologda Oblast, north of Moscow, where one of Europe's largest chemical plants was also hit. Now I'm old enough to remember when strikes on Russia by Ukraine were considered a red line and dangerously escalatory. Now they're so commonplace as to be mere footnotes in articles on other subjects. Crimea continues to be the focus of many Ukrainian activities, with three Russian ships and a fighter jet among the targets hit in an operation led by the SPU's Alpha Special Forces unit. On Saturday night, long range drones struck the naval base in the city of Sevastopol as well as the Belbek military airfield. The extent of the damage is still being assessed. Moving to the front lines. When Jade was reporting from Izyum near Kharkiv on Friday, you'll recall her mentioning hearing artillery in the distance. Our friends at the ISW confirm that Russian forces are attempting to advance along the international border northeast of the city. Their chief aim seems to be the town of Zemolyanki, using small assault groups. Increased activity has also been observed around Konstantinivka, with several Russian infiltration missions reportedly utilising motorbikes. Again, they faced Ukrainian counterattacks. Then those Ukrainians faced another attempted push by Russian forces there, though seemingly without success. An interesting data point from our friends at the ISW is the increased intensity of Russian strikes against Ukrainian rail infrastructure in 2026 compared to 2025. 81 locomotives were destroyed in just three months of 2026, versus 119 in the entirety of the second half of last year. And 145 freight wagons hit in the same time frame this year, more than either half of 2025. Perhaps most dramatic is the shift from early to late 2025, where bridge damage jumped from 2 to 62 and locomotive losses from 9 to 119. Quite remarkable statistics. What's unclear is whether this is having a tangible impact on Ukrainian logistics, or if it is more of an attempt to hit an easier target and claim success. Kyiv continues to claim the upper hand with drones on the front lines with the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Magyar, not to be confused with new Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, of whom more later has released a new compilation of middle strike attacks on military targets carried out over the past week, claiming their operational depth and effectiveness will only continue to grow. These videos are clearly designed to have a deterrent effect on Russian mobilization. And in a remarkable story that went viral at the end of last week, and which we wanted to look into more closely before reporting on it, a masked Ukrainian soldier crashed a zoom call at a military recruitment event at a Russian university in Krosnodar, southern Russia, telling students he'd be forced to kill them if they join the army. In the footage, he first poses as a member of Moscow's Rubicon drone unit, that elite force, and embarks on an anecdote about heroic Russian drone operators, before suddenly dropping the pretence and revealing himself as Ukrainian, vowing to kill any enlistees. I want to tell you this, he says. God forbid you come here. I will have no choice but to kill you. Each and every one of you who signs a contract the front line has not moved for four years. It has created a cemetery the size of two countries. Shortly afterwards, he appears to be cut off from the call by university staff, but not before he's warned them that your faces are all recorded now. It was a hectic weekend in the diplomatic realm too, with the Russian Foreign Ministry claiming that it's been invited to take part in the upcoming G20 summit in the US in December, sparking predictable outrage from many quarters. That's despite the fact that at the same time as President Trump has cancelled a planned trip by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Iran, criticizing Tehran for effectively stringing him along, Moscow has just invited Iran's foreign minister to St. Petersburg. We don't know how, if at all, the gunman storming the correspondence dinner will impact the timeline of any of this, only that it's changed the tone of the conversation and sub matter of discussion in D.C. our Washington correspondent Connor Stringer was actually there in the room when the attack happened, and we'll link to his article describing that experience in the show. Notes President Zelensky was in Azerbaijan meeting with the Azerbaijani president for talks focused on security and energy cooperation. Significant for lots of reasons we'll talk about later this week with our Russia analyst James Kilner. The next day he was back in Kyiv hosting the President of Moldova, Maya Sandu, sharing what he described as a substantive discussion on our shared path to towards the European Union. Those meetings follow Zelenskyy's second trip to Saudi Arabia at the end of last week to sign yet more defence deals. And finally, speaking of the eu, let's end with Hungary, where new Prime Minister Peter Magyar has pledged to travel to Brussels on Wednesday for informal talks with the president of the European Commission at unlocking EU funds. We have no time to waste, he said. That would suggest him striking a far warmer tone with Brussels than his predecessor, Viktor Orban, who announced on Saturday that he'd be stepp stepping down from Parliament while signaling that he intends to remain head of the party for DES if it re elects him at its congress. It follows speculation that he and others in his inner circle are looking into US visa options, hoping to join sympathetic organizations there. The new prime minister said that Orban linked oligarchs are transferring tens of billions to the uae, the us, Uruguay and other distant countries, calling on the chief prosecutor to detain the criminals and to not allow them to flee to countries where extradition would be unlikely. Staggering reversals in Hungary, but let's go to our guests now and return to a subject which connects to a broader theme of recent months, the gradual return or attempted return of Russian athletes and artists to be permitted to compete in international competitions under their national flags. Two people leading the charge against Moscow's attempts to utilise one sport for political and propaganda purposes. Join me on the podcast today. Chess correspondent Malcolm Payne, and for the first time, longtime listener to the podcast, Peter Heine Nielsen. Peter won a record nine consecutive World Chess Championship titles as a coach, including with the world's top ranking player, Magnus Carlsen. Welcome both. Well, Malcolm, we've got history here. I brought the chessboard as an echo of our time in Odessa when we had the bomb shelter gambit, which was Dom's failed move, I think, in an attempt to beat you. Not that we stood any chance against you at all, but we've been covering chess now on the podcast for at least a year with you, and looking at the ways in which Russia has been deploying it, and I don't think that's over egging it, and it rather upset Russian TV listeners may recall that we were featured, Yumi and Dom, because of the focus we were giving to Ukrainian chess. I mean, Russia really feels that this is their sport. Malcolm, just to start, can you bring us up to speed on where exactly we are on Russia trying to get back into the chess world in an official capacity?
- [12:56]
Malcolm Payne
Yeah, I mean, it's bad news, broadly speaking, in that on December 14, there was the congress of the governing body of world Chess, fide, Federacio International, and the Russian president of fide, Arkady Dvorkovich, former Deputy PM of Russia, decided to hold the meeting on zoom, which, as anyone who's ever been on a zoom meeting will know, means that the person who's running the meeting, runs the show in its entirety, decides who gets to speak and in what order and for how long. And the meeting was a complete travesty, as was the electronic voting. In fact, ultimately there was a vote that allowed Russian teams to compete in official global chess competitions, which was obviously outrageous, and we're sort of launching a court action against that. But, you know, it's a fait accompli. And as I speak now, there's a Russian team competing in the World Senior Championships in Duras, Albania. So that was the first major negative development. Then, more positively, a journalist from the European observer was leaked the contents of the 20th set of European Union sanctions against Russia, and these included sanctions against Russian sports officials, including Arkadyukovych. I suspect this might be as a result of what's happened? That might have been one of the things that triggered it. The chess world was obviously extremely excited in part and interested in another part in this potential development. But before the sanctions were able to be implemented, of course, there was a Hungarian veto, but subsequent to that, of course, there was the election. Orban was defeated by Magyar, and at that point the EU decided that it was time to try and get the 20th set of sanctions instituted, given that the Hungarians, although they're present at the meeting, were on their way out anyway, and the key for them was to get the 90 billion loan organized for Ukraine. And that one went through. But my information, which I have to say I find incredible, if it's true, my information is that the Orban government's parting shot to the EU was please take the Russian sports officials off, which, if true, is absolutely astonishing. But we do know that during the Chess Olympiad at Budapest in 2024, in September, Dvorkovi went off to see the Hungarian Foreign Minister, Cesato. He of the leaked telephone calls with Lavrov, which I'm sure you've covered. So, you know, we know there is a relationship there, and that's pretty much where we're at. We're waiting perhaps for the 21st set of sanctions and see who they encounter.
- [15:26]
David Knowles
And in terms of the justification that was given, Malcolm, for Russia's return, as it were, what is the argument that is put forward to enable this?
- [15:34]
Malcolm Payne
There was no coherent argument put forward. Quite unconstitutionally, though, they managed to get a statement in the participation of the Russian Olympic Committee's lawyer, who spat out some nonsense about how their teams were coming back into this, that and the other, which was patently untrue, the detail. But as far as I'm aware of, out of about the best part of 200 sports federations in the world, I think it's five or six, one of which is chess has allowed Russians back. No, the meeting. The meeting was a complete travesty and there were all sorts of unconstitutional things happening. But, you know, if you can imagine a zoom meeting with the best part of 150 people, it was impossible to do anything, really.
- [16:12]
David Knowles
Well, let's bring you in here, Peter. I mean, there's lots of subjects that we're going to talk about together, not least the use of chess in the occupied territories. But what was your reaction to the developments Malcolm's just described?
- [16:23]
Peter Heine Nielsen
I was not surprised at all. I mean, this is the narratives we know. I mean, they are talking. Let's don't mix sports and politics. And you know, leave the athletes out of this. And they will also argue that there is this ongoing trend that Russia is, you know, getting back into sports, so we should also do it and things like that. So that is very expected. And it's something that the Russian Chess Federation has Talked about since 2022 already, actually. So it has been an ongoing process that was going in that direction. And chess has always one of the absolutely least sanctioned sports towards Russia. I mean, Russian individual athletes has never been sanctioned, unlike in other sports, for instance, except for perhaps one individual, but not in general like this. So it is the way it's going in chess. And also, what sort of Malcolm is saying about Dvorkovic and sanctions? I think in the chess world, we have basically gotten used to that. If something really needs to change, help has to come from the outside. I mean, EU sanctions could be a game changer. But this idea of that our own democratic system is capable of handling it. I think many is, to put it mildly, skeptical about the ability to do that.
- [17:38]
David Knowles
Well, I want to talk to you, Peter, about some of the subjects that we were talking about off air beforehand. Fascinating. I, I must say I hadn't appreciated this, the, the involvement within the Chess Federation of Russia's leadership. I mean, can you just talk us through some of the. The names that will be familiar to listeners who are involved in the chess world?
- [17:57]
Peter Heine Nielsen
I mean, there is many. I mean, Peshkov, for instance, he is the leader of the board of trustees of the Russian Chess Federation. I mean, he's regularly covered here. And it's true he will go and do speeches on, well, what Putin now has decided or defend some kind of something undefendable. And then he will also give comments about the chess world. He's very much into details, and it basically feels like you can set your clock after it, that, okay, this Russian won something within 24 hours. Peskov would say something. If he wouldn't do it, it's probably because Putin will have an official statement one or two days later. So Peshkov is very much there, but there are many. For instance, Medinsky recently, we know him as the chief negotiator. Right. He's heavily connected to the Russian Chess Federation. He has, I think it's called the military society, who is opening a lot of chess clubs in occupied territories. So he is involved there. I mean, he was at the opening ceremony quite recently and big tournament in Moscow. And also when they were showing some pro war movie and their chess clubs, he would go there and make a speech. So many are involved but also, if we talk on, well, Shoigu perhaps slightly less in favor these days, but still quite. And was very much in the beginning of the war. He also sits off the board of trustees, and that is the political angle. But if you take the financial, it's going to be Timchenko, one of the, I think, top five richest guys. Right. Then there will be Gureyev as well. He has been sponsoring World Championship matches. He has been awarding, I think, two trophies in World Championship matches and such. So it's an incredible number of elite. I calculated more than 10 of the persons in their leadership was actually sanctioned by now. And it's people we have met, most of them I don't know, but I assume normal people have not met that many sanctioned people. But we have just gotten used to it and see it as a fact in the world of chess.
- [19:48]
David Knowles
Extraordinary. Absolutely extraordinary. And we were looking together at the list of appearances by Russia's political leadership at chess World Championship matches. So in 2014, Putin was there in Sochi. In 2016, Peskov. You were saying you had some memories of that, Peter.
- [20:05]
Peter Heine Nielsen
Yeah, I mean, well, it's weird. It's memories I got afterwards because, well, there was this Russian guy with a mustache who was hanging out with the Russian chess delegation. I was part of the Norwegian chess delegation. Right. But I was heavily into chess, and it was a very tense moment. The match has ended. 6. 6. So there will be a playoff. I mean, well, you can imagine like, let's say, penalty kickoff in football, and Magnus Carlsen was having his title on the line against the Russian challenger in, In. In New York. But, But Peskov was there, and he was basically sitting in the room next to us. I mean, imagine some very small locker rooms. But we will sit and discuss the strategy and I will be with no Wheaton team. And when Magnus didn't win the second game, you could hear this huge roar of jubilation from the Russian team room. But, well, luckily there was silence after game three and four. So from our perspective, it ended well. But I remember, I mean, it almost feels like Forrest Gump, like now. But I was calling my wife afterwards. I mean, it was after midnight because we played in New York, right? And she was saying, oh, Peshkov was there. And I thought, who is Peskov? But of course, now everybody knows it. Also, if you read the Muller report, you could see that the World Championship match was at least suggested that they were trying to get in touch with the new Trump administration, who was, I think the election was the day before the match started and such. And you can see interview with Peskov where he has chess in the background. He starts, he talks about, you know, the President elect and such. So, yeah, it feels quite familiar also. Well, in the terms of anecdotes, in 2012, the World Championship match was Moscow and the players was invited to put in afterwards, Arnold and Gelfand and they went there for tea. And it's only when I think about it now that it starts feeling that you shouldn't drink tea. Exactly. There. Right. But that was, that was what they did at the time. So there is a long history there and it's just been seen as a fact. But of course, it's names that we hear so often in a much more serious context. Listening to your show.
- [22:04]
David Knowles
Yes. And that's why I wanted to draw attention to it really, because it is just staggering to see those familiar names being so involved in, in chess. And perhaps we can come in a moment to the use of chess as a literal weapon in the occupied territories particularly. But Malcolm, just to come back to you, first of all, what more can be done to try and stop this inevitable slide?
- [22:26]
Malcolm Payne
Well, indeed, what more could be done? I mean, I've written to the government on several occasions and the point I try to make to them, which I think is almost impossible to get across in writing, I guess you've just got to be there and drum it into them. Is the point that Peter has illustrated so beautifully here that chess is unbelievably important to the Russians. And if you want to hurt them, if you want to make sanctions effective, if you want to find a way that really goes to the crux of their being, if you like, in a similar way that banning rugby teams hurt the apartheid state in South Africa, you would ban their chess players or you would take action, at least in that area. And I can't get it through to ministers when I see them. Although I had no problem convincing the all party parliamentary group on chess when we met recently in Parliament that this is a golden opportunity. It's something they could do really easily. But every time I just get the same, you know, rather bland letter from the minister saying, well, look, we really appreciate what we're doing, we're right behind you, you know, Slavia, Ukraine, etc. But we respect the independence of global chess and sports organizations. You know, it's a bit like that famous KitKat advert. I can't remember the details, but very nice, but no use at all. And this is really what more we can do, is we can have a little bit of attention from our government on this matter. Just a few minutes, just to think about what might be done, and then something could be done.
- [23:50]
David Knowles
And I understand that you're. You're making a. A move of yourself, Malcolm.
- [23:56]
Malcolm Payne
Yeah, I mean, the. The last time Okadi Dvokovic stood for election as the president of fide, he won comprehensively. Peter challenged him once, but, you know,
- [24:08]
Peter Heine Nielsen
that was the wise. Wise challenge.
- [24:09]
Malcolm Payne
Yeah. Yeah. Well, Peter, together with Andre Barishpol, it's. You have a ticket, a president and a. And a deputy president, if you like. Like, I'm thinking of challenging Mr. Dvorkovic for the presidency of the global chess body. And I can tell you, if I won, it would certainly go in a different direction, and it wouldn't be towards Moscow. But the point is that what I've said is that I will only challenge Mr. Dvorkovic if he's sanctioned by the European Union, because unfortunately, the makeup of the global chess body, you know, it's a bit like the UN it's one country, one vote. So you will have a country, you know, just to take a random one, say, in one of the Pacific islands, where there may be no chess tournaments and three chess players, but they will have a vote. And that system makes it impossible to get anything done or indeed, to fight an election effectively against someone with considerable resources. So I remember a previous election where all the Russian embassies were mobilized to write to the Chess Federation. Absolutely astonishing idea that. Trying to get across to FCDO officials that a nation state would consider the presidency of a global sports organization that important, that it mobilized its embassies and its chess, you know, very difficult to get through to them. Whereas I have the letters on my computer. I have the letter written to the Australian Chess Federation, to the Brazilian Chess Federation, to the Peruvian Chess Federation, and. And there was even a telegram that was leaked by the Israeli Chess Federation, which came from the Israeli Foreign Office. It was absolutely fantastic that Netanyahu went to the World Cup. He was invited by Putin to have a chat about various things in the Middle east over a football match. And during this meeting, Putin said to Netanyahu, benjamin, you will get your chap in the Chess Federation to vote for my chap, won't you? I mean, Netanyahu was thinking, like, what the hell is he talking about? But, of course, he relayed it to. It got relayed to the Israeli Chess Federation. And I saw the communication from the Israeli Foreign Ministry to the Chess Federation saying, we just want to tell you that during a meeting between Netanyahu and Putin. Putin raised the question of the presidential election of fide. Absolutely astonishing, as you say.
- [26:21]
David Knowles
I mean, it is astonishing. And if it seems extraordinary that we're focusing a lot on chess today, it's even more extraordinary how much that the Russians speak about this. I mean, far more than we are are on this podcast. An amazing thing, really, from the perspective, I think, of many listeners and countries around the world. But, Peter, bringing you back in here, we mentioned the occupied territories and this is of course a subject that we cover in detail on Ukraine, the latest, particularly with Jade, every fortnight or so. But you've been looking into this issue and how chess plays into the Russian strategy there.
- [26:56]
Peter Heine Nielsen
Yeah, we have been involved in sort of court cases, both internally in the FIDA system and now with an appeal to cas. Afterwards, I got into details inspired by your podcast and understanding what goes on in the occupied territories. But there is a tremendous amount of Russian chess happening there, right? I mean, they really care about chess. And of course in Crimea and Sevastopol, I mean, they are fully enrolled in the chess federation structure. But also after 2022, the four sort of other republics, they started having official chess federations there and a lot of tournaments there. They have both from the Russian Chess Federation I mentioned, also from Medinsky and his sort of military society. And even Putin's party United Russia has, with Sergei Kayakin, also opening a lot of chess schools. So there is a tremendous amount of things happening there to organize chess. It is illegal by sports rules. Right. This is Ukrainian territory, which another sports federation cannot rule. But also, I mean, it is, well, I think part of this general process of turning Ukrainian identity into a Russian identity. And this is the narrative. We really fight about that because, well, many in the chess world, especially Russian influence, but not necessarily will also say that, well, why are we really trying to stop children playing chess tournaments and things like that. And well, of course that is not our primary aim, but I think it's exactly weaponized. And you can also see that it's based on Russian laws from the Duma that we should integrate these territories by using sports and by using chess. You can see the resources and the people involved in the process. I mean, when Medinsky is opening chess clubs at the same time as he's the chief negotiator in the so called peace process and such. I mean, it is powerful people who seem to think this is very important and, well, it's spread all over there. And generally we have been talking to deaf ears when we say, okay, this is illegal. So we actually had to go through a very long sort of legal process to try and get it stopped. But at least we have verdicts saying it should be stopped. But as we talk, the Russian team championship has just started in Sochi, and there is, I think, three or four teams from Crimea and one team called the People's Republic of Luhansk. Right. So, I mean, we're not exactly fully there yet, but. But legally, at least, we have won important victories.
- [29:24]
David Knowles
I'm just looking at some of the numbers that you compiled before we came on air, Peter. So 2,873 tournaments organized in Crimea and in the city of Sevastopol, but in the Chess Federation of Russia rating database since 2016. Teams from Crimea have participated in Russian chess events since 2016. Teams from other newly annexed republics, inverted commas started appearing in 2023. So. So these are not small numbers, not sort of handfuls of incidents here. They are significant. And I remember interviewing a young lady from the occupied territory some months ago on the podcast, and one of the things that she referenced to me in that conversation was the way in which chess was suddenly appearing in schools, much more in the occupied territories, as part of this ambition by the authorities to impose a sort of cultural. Chess is very widely played in Ukraine, but this sort of idea of Russian dominance in this area, as well as trying to find a way in which there can be bridges built between the two sides. But it is quite extraordinary to see it weaponized in. In this way and in a way that feels, I think, alien to. To many listening.
- [30:34]
Peter Heine Nielsen
I think so. And I think also one of the Ukrainian sports papers was documenting that. Well, it becomes a way also of registering persons, right, that, you know, well, if you want to play in your children dress club, you have to register your address and your personal ID number and you become part of the Russian chess database. And, well, fast forward that till they turn 18 at some point. Right? I mean, it is not how things should be. And it's. Well, it's illegal, but also part of this Russification of areas that shouldn't be Russificated, and especially not via sport. So this idea that chess is used as a safe haven to have kids, do something, you know, nice while they are on the occupation. I mean, I think feed President Dwarkovic. He says, well, what is the problem? It's a humanitarian project. And no, it's really not. And I think I'm glad that the court has said that it's really not. It's very illegal.
- [31:36]
David Knowles
We asked you here because we care and your car insurance doesn't. They've raised your rate every year and you haven't even checked.
- [31:45]
Peter Heine Nielsen
I thought that was normal. A lot of people do.
- [31:47]
Brooke Devard
That's why there's Jerry. Jerry pulls up to 20 quotes from
- [31:51]
David Knowles
top insurers in minutes, shows them side by side and lets you switch in the app.
- [31:55]
Brooke Devard
No jumping sites, no re entering info, no spam calls.
- [31:59]
David Knowles
It helps you cancel your old policy and keeps checking for better rates. We want better for you. Jerry does too. Don't settle. Visit Jerry AI Acast now at McDonald's.
- [32:10]
Malcolm Payne
A McDouble is $2.50 so you can get your gym gains on or just get lunch. Lunch for only 250. Get more value on the under three dollar menu. Limited time only.
- [32:20]
David Knowles
Prices and participation may vary. Prices may be higher for delivery. Want to upskill in one of the most effective ad channels out there? With ACAS Ads Academy you can learn
- [32:30]
Peter Heine Nielsen
everything you need to plan and run
- [32:32]
David Knowles
podcast advertising campaigns completely free. Whether you're new to audio or ready to sharpen your skills, our self paced
- [32:38]
Peter Heine Nielsen
courses fit your schedule and finish with
- [32:41]
Malcolm Payne
an industry recognized certification.
- [32:43]
David Knowles
So if you want to grow your expertise and stand out in a competitive industry, head to go.acast.com academy. Well gentlemen, I'm exceedingly glad that you're not here in the studio with me and I'm actually playing you at chess. If I I don't think I would stand more than surviving five minutes against either of you. So it's but it's been an absolute pleasure to have you both on again. Let's go to our final thoughts now. Just a very brief one from on the Telegraph website at the moment you can see some extraordinary footage of Ukrainian troops using a robot to rescue an elderly woman who was fleeing from Russian shelling. So the 77 year old was carried on the back of an unmanned ground vehicle for hours after members of the 60th Separate Mechanized Brigade spotted her via a drone camera near the city of Le Man. Aerial footage shows the woman leaning on two walking sticks and struggling to walk down a crater scarred road in the ambassador battled Donetsk region. To avoid frightening her, the serviceman draped the robot with a blanket and attached a note that said grandma hop on. Highly recommend watching that footage. It's as I say on the website we'll have a link in the show notes But Malcolm, where would you like to leave listeners today?
- [34:02]
Malcolm Payne
The first thing to say is that there has been some good news if you like, that Ukrainian chess is flourishing. The Ukrainians won the European team championship which Was, was celebrated by pretty much everyone who was there. I would say that was great news. And a young Ukrainian boy who I was actually trying to bring to the uk I was involved in evacuating some of Ukraine's top junior chess players and finding them homes here. But this lad decided he didn't want to leave his father and he's in Kharkiv, so he's right on the front line. And this kid's now 17 and has just won the European Individual Championships. I mean, he was the 195th seed. He's not even a Grandmaster yet. It's the most astonishing results. So there are little patches of good news and we're hopeful of more victories in Cass, the call to arbitration and sport. And I guess we just have to wait and see if Mr. Dvorkovic will be sanctioned, in which case I will challenge him for the presidency of fide. And then I'm just fantasizing about Keir Starmer taking Emmanuel Macron to a home game at the Emirates and saying, emmanuel, in this election for the President of the World Chess Federation, you will get your bloke to work for my bloke, won't you?
- [35:13]
David Knowles
We can but dream team, Malcolm. And I've just brought up a photograph of, of the 17 year old Ukrainian chess player actually meeting with President Zelensky after that extraordinary victory that you just referenced there. But Peter, so you've been a long time listener to the podcast. You and I have liaised over, over X quite a bit over the years. It's a real pleasure to have you on for the first time. Where would you like to leave listeners today?
- [35:34]
Peter Heine Nielsen
Well, I mean, maybe also like we have here with chess, that it's incredible what Ukrainians managed with the few resources, right? I mean, they became the European champions with team six seated 10th. Now they win seeded 100 and something individual. And well, it reminds me, well, if you look at it in the war situation, right, they have done incredible with sort of small resources and they seem to be becoming more and more self sufficient and sort of managing difficult situations. Right. I mean, we see in the chess world pictures of chess clubs being bombed, but people playing, you know, chess in bomb shelters. I know that to her son they started bringing special chess tables that were stable enough to stand in, you know, under sort of bombardments and such to play chess. And well, it feels weird that you play chess under such circumstances, but also nice in a way. But in general, I think not chess. But in general, we should be very thankful for Ukrainian for what they are doing. I live in Lithuania. I mean, we understand very well that, well, we might be helping them, but in reality they are providing security to us. So I would generally just like to say thanks.
- [36:41]
David Knowles
Well, thank you very much, Peter. Thank you Malcolm. I resign after the end of this episode to you both. We'll be back everybody, same time, same place tomorrow. Until then, all the very best from all of us. Thank you. Ukraine the Latest is an original podcast from the Telegraph created by David Knowles. Every episode featuring us in the studio maps and battlefield footage is now available to watch on our YouTube channel. Subscribe at www.YouTube.com Crainethelatest. There's a link in the description. If you appreciate our work, please consider following Ukraine the latest on your preferred podcast app and leave us a review as it helps others find the show. Please also share it with those who may not be aware we exist. You can also get in touch directly to ask questions or give customers comments by emailing ukrainepodelegraph.co.uk we continue to read every message. You can also contact us directly on X. You'll find our handles in the description. As ever, we're especially interested to hear where you're listening from around the world. And finally, to support our work and stay on top of all of our Ukraine news, analysis and dispatches from the ground, please subscribe to the Telegraph. You can get one month for free, then two months for just one pound at www.telegraph.co.uk Ukraine the latest Ukraine the Latest was Today produced by Phil Atkins. Executive producers are Francis Dernley, Louisa Wells and David Knowles. My name is David Knowles.
- [38:19]
Malcolm Payne
Thank you all for listening. Goodbye. Lots of places can expose you to identity theft.
- [38:35]
David Knowles
Oh no.
- [38:37]
Malcolm Payne
That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity, which is way more than anyone can do on their own. If we find anything suspicious, like new
- [38:47]
David Knowles
loans or changes to your financial accounts,
- [38:49]
Malcolm Payne
we alert you right away. All through text, phone, email or the Lifelock app. Get the alerts that could make all the difference. Save up to 40% your first year@lifelock.com Spotify terms apply. Ever walk past a place for rent
- [39:04]
David Knowles
and wish you could just take a peek inside? Maybe even explore the layout. Envision the natural light streaming through the windows, or plan where your vinyl record collection would go.
- [39:14]
Malcolm Payne
At apartments.com you can with tools like
- [39:18]
David Knowles
their 3D virtual tour, you can see the exact unit you could be living in.
- [39:22]
Malcolm Payne
Really envision yourself in your new home.
- [39:25]
David Knowles
With apartments.com, the place to find a
- [39:27]
Peter Heine Nielsen
place
- [39:30]
Malcolm Payne
Acast powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.
- [39:37]
Brooke Devard
Hello hello, it's Brooke Devard from Naked Beauty. Join me each week for unfiltered discussion about beauty trends, self care journey, wellness tips and the products we absolutely love and cannot get enough of. If you are a skincare obsessive and you spend 20 plus minutes on your skincare routine, this podcast is for you. Or if you're a newbie at the beginning of your skincare journey, you'll love this podcast as well. Because we go so much deeper than beauty, I talk to incredible and inspiring people from across industries about their relationship with beauty. You'll also hear from skincare experts. We break down lots of myths in the beauty industry. If this sounds like your thing, search for Naked Beauty on your podcast app and listen along. I hope you'll join us.
- [40:20]
Malcolm Payne
ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.