Ukraine: The Latest

Day 1,443.
Today, after an apparent assassination attempt on a senior Russian general in Moscow, we examine the major Russian bombardments across Ukraine that followed the second day of peace talks in Abu Dhabi. Are the United States, Ukraine, and Russia any closer to a ceasefire? We then hear from an NGO delivering vital humanitarian supplies to Ukraine’s frontline cities, and speak to the head of a hospital in President Zelensky’s hometown.

Contributors
Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.

With thanks to Brock Bierman of the NGO Ukraine Focus, and Vitality Gorba-linsky.

SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter
Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Learn more about Ukraine Focus:
https://ukrainefocus.org/

Russian general who ‘orchestrated’ Skripal poisoning shot in Moscow (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/06/russian-general-vladimir-alekseyev-shot-moscow/

Macron wants Britain to pay up to £2bn to join Ukraine weapons scheme (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/05/macron-wants-uk-pay-up-to-2bn-eu-ukraine-weapons-scheme/

Mother of Kenyan forced to be a Russian suicide bomber ‘traumatised’ (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/05/mother-kenyan-tricked-human-bomb-trauma/

Nuclear pact relies on ‘handshake’ after US-Russia treaty expires (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/05/nuclear-pact-relies-handshake-us-russia-treaty-expires/

Revealed: Russia’s secret $2.5bn cash shipments to Iran (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/06/revealed-russias-secret-25bn-cash-shipments-to-iran/

Pentagon invites 2 Ukrainian drone makers to 'The Gauntlet' (Kyiv Independent):
https://kyivindependent.com/pentagon-invites-2-ukrainian-drone-makers-to-the-gauntlet-1-1-billion-in-contracts-at-stake/?mc_cid=1d62a63d34&mc_eid=08d0680a95

Russia destroyed 60% of Ukraine’s gas production—so where does Ukraine get gas now? (Euromaidan):
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/02/05/russia-destroyed-ukraine-gas-production-what-replaced-it/

Italy foils 'Russian cyber-attacks' at Winter Games (BBC):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cqj25wyjx1no

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:
The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest
Email: [email protected]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,442.
Today, as reports suggest Russian troops are in turmoil across the frontline after being denied access to Starlink satellite communications, we return to Abu Dhabi for the latest developments in the ongoing trilateral peace talks between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia. We then hear live from Kyiv with firsthand reactions and descriptions of the situation on the ground, before turning to the Russian press for insight into the state of Russia’s economy – and an extraordinary story about Moscow’s efforts to turn pigeons into drones.

Contributors
Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.
Antonia Langford (Journalist in Kyiv). @antonialford on X.
James Kilner (Foreign Correspondent). @jkjourno on X.

SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter
Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Russia spends half its state budget on military (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/04/russia-spent-half-its-state-budget-on-military-in-2025/

How Russia uses neural chips to turn live pigeons into drones (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/04/russia-implants-chips-spy-pigeons-brains-cyborgs-war/

The last foreign correspondent to file from a war zone via carrier pigeon (Airmail):
https://airmail.news/issues/2024-7-27/the-view-from-here

Record-breaking Russian strikes during peace negotiations (Centre for Information Resilience):
https://www.info-res.org/eyes-on-russia/articles/record-breaking-russian-strikes-during-peace-negotiations/

Sanctions having ‘significant impact’ on Russian economy, says EU special envoy (The Guardian):
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/05/sanctions-significant-impact-russian-economy-interview-eu-special-envoy-david-osullivan

Keith Kellogg says he left Trump's White House to be 'free to talk' about Ukraine (Kyiv Independent):
https://kyivindependent.com/keith-kellogg-says-he-left-trumps-white-house-to-be-free-to-talk-about-ukraine/

Russia claims US 'ignored' offers to extend nuclear arms control agreement as key treaty set to expire (Kyiv Independent):
https://kyivindependent.com/russia-claims-us-ignored-offers-to-extend-nuclear-arms-control-agreement-as-treaty-set-to-expire/

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:
The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest
Email: [email protected]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,441.
Today, as Donald Trump claims Vladimir Putin has “kept his word” by not striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, we report on the resumption of trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi involving the US, Ukraine, and Russia. We examine whether French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for Europeans to “restore their own channels of communication” with Moscow will deliver any tangible results, and assess whether the recent drop in the price of gold could weaken Putin’s war economy. And later, we speak to Sir Bill Browder about Europe’s continued failure to seize and use frozen Russian state assets to fund Ukraine’s war effort, the significance of the €90 billion loan agreed in Brussels instead. Is it enough?

Contributors
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.
Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Journalist and Producer). @adeliepjz on X.
With thanks to Sir Bill Browder. @Billbrowder on X.

SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter
Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

CONTENT REFERENCED:
The gold bubble has financed Putin’s war machine – but that may be over (Ambrose Evans Pritchard in The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/03/gold-bubble-financed-vladimir-putins-war-machine-over/

German warships ‘sabotaged by workers’ (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/03/german-warships-sabotaged-workers-hamburg-port/

For Peace, More Ukrainians Consider the Once Unthinkable: Surrendering Land
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-donbas-region.html

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:
The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest
Email: [email protected]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,440.
Today, as Ukrainians endure temperatures of minus -20 degrees Celsius and Russia marks the end of its so-called “energy ceasefire” with a new mass aerial attack, we ask what is stopping Donald Trump from simply urging Vladimir Putin to spare Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for another week. We report on NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s address to Ukraine’s parliament, examining what he meant by the “difficult choices” Kyiv may face in pursuit of peace. And later, with the START nuclear treaty due to expire this month, Adélie speaks to two researchers about nuclear signalling – and how to interpret what Moscow and Washington really mean behind their public statements.

Contributors
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.
Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Journalist and Producer). @adeliepjz on X.

SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter
Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Frontline Club event in London on Wednesday:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/screening-qa-kharkiv-war-diaries-tickets-1979708915659

Maiu Sandu Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRnZUTGo1MI

Putin waits until Kyiv hits -20C before knocking out power with missiles (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/03/putin-kyiv-power-coldest-temperature-missile-drone-attack/

EU demands Britain pays fee to join weapons fund (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/02/eu-demands-britain-pays-fee-to-join-weapons-fund/

Ukraine agrees multi-tier plan for enforcing any ceasefire with Russia (The Telegraph):
https://www.ft.com/content/0f26d56d-98cd-4999-8908-4a851a2de773

Russia’s Nuclear Signaling in the War Against Ukraine: A Chronology of the Biden Era, (Peace Research Center Prague):
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a1448b4d0e62862b5a5a0e7/t/693eaa34207a1646b8b562aa/1765714484234/Horovitz_Smetana_et_al-Russia_Nuclear_Signalling_Chronology_Dec25_SMALL.pdf

Barack Obama’s X Post:
https://x.com/BarackObama/status/2018323947230540249

Napoleon stopped short soldiers from being sacked (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/02/napoleon-bonaparte-stopped-short-soldiers-being-sacked/

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:
The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest
Email: [email protected]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,439.
Today, as Vladimir Putin’s so-called “energy ceasefire” is reportedly broken once again, we report on another weekend of devastating Russian strikes on Ukraine – including an attack that killed 15 miners when drones hit their bus during a near Dnipro, and a strike on a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhya that injured at least six. We then examine mounting claims that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was not only close to the Kremlin, but may have acted as a foreign agent on Russia’s behalf.

Contributors
Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.
Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.
Poppy Wood (Education Editor). @poppyeh on X.

SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:
http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter
Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It’s free for everyone, including non-subscribers.

CONTENT REFERENCED:
Epstein’s links to Putin and Kremlin spies raise fears he was Russian agent (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/01/epstein-links-to-putin-and-fsb-raise-fears-he-was-a-russian/

Putin targets migrant smuggling networks to boost his ranks (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/putin-targets-migrant-smuggling-networks-to-boost-his-ranks/

Putin ‘will send thousands of criminals to wreak havoc across Europe’ (The Telegraph):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/01/putin-send-thousands-criminals-wreak-havoc-across-europe/

International law meant to limit effects of war at breaking point, study finds (The Telegraph):
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/feb/02/more-than-100000-civilians-killed-war-crimes-out-of-control-study

Slovakia PM's national security adviser resigns over Epstein links (BBC):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnvgljj1dygo?xtor

Epstein Library Database (DoJ):
https://www.justice.gov/epstein

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:
The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest
Email: [email protected]
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.