Putin spends 50% of state budget on military, says intelligence service & Russia tests turning pigeons into drones

Putin spends 50% of state budget on military, says intelligence service & Russia tests turning pigeons into drones

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: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(1084)

Civilians killed as Trump announces ‘energy ceasefire’ ahead of resumed peace talks

Civilians killed as Trump announces ‘energy ceasefire’ ahead of resumed peace talks

Day 1,436.Today, as Donald Trump announces an “energy ceasefire” we ask: what it means, has it started and can it hold. Our correspondent in Turkey tells us China is supplying critical components of R...

30 Tammi 47min

Zelensky warns of ‘massive’ attack ahead of Sunday peace talks & rumours swirl of Ukraine-Russia energy ceasefire

Zelensky warns of ‘massive’ attack ahead of Sunday peace talks & rumours swirl of Ukraine-Russia energy ceasefire

Day 1,435.Today, as President Zelensky warns that Russia is preparing “a new massive strike”, we examine growing speculation that an undeclared truce may be in place regarding strikes on energy infras...

29 Tammi 48min

Drones strike Ukrainian passenger train in ‘act of terrorism’  & Russia suffers more losses ‘than any major power since WW2’

Drones strike Ukrainian passenger train in ‘act of terrorism’ & Russia suffers more losses ‘than any major power since WW2’

Day 1,434.Today, as Russia kills five civilians in a drone attack targeting a passenger train in Ukraine, we report on how a senior European diplomat has said the world must call this what it is: terr...

28 Tammi 51min

Putin's negotiators ‘soften hardline stance in private’ & Trump links security guarantees to Zelensky ceding territory

Putin's negotiators ‘soften hardline stance in private’ & Trump links security guarantees to Zelensky ceding territory

Day 1,433.Today, amid increased Russian military pressure in the Donbas, and as Ukraine faces what the NATO Secretary General calls its “harshest winter for a decade”, we bring you the latest from the...

27 Tammi 40min

Zelensky: US security guarantees ‘100% ready’ & Russian city hit with ‘most massive’  strike of the war

Zelensky: US security guarantees ‘100% ready’ & Russian city hit with ‘most massive’ strike of the war

Day 1,432.Today, as Kyiv endures sub-zero temperatures, we report on Russia’s latest mass aerial attack on the city, carried out even as trilateral so-called peace talks were taking place in Abu Dhabi...

26 Tammi 59min

US joins Russia and Ukraine in first trilateral talks of the war & Trump under fire for claiming NATO allies ‘avoided’ Afghanistan frontline

US joins Russia and Ukraine in first trilateral talks of the war & Trump under fire for claiming NATO allies ‘avoided’ Afghanistan frontline

Day 1,429.Today, as President Trump prompts further outrage with his claim NATO troops “avoided the frontline” in Afghanistan, we consider whether President Zelensky was right to call out Europe in hi...

23 Tammi 55min

Zelensky launches attack on Europe's leaders & Trump predicts Ukraine war will end ‘soon’

Zelensky launches attack on Europe's leaders & Trump predicts Ukraine war will end ‘soon’

Day 1,428.Today, as President Zelensky savages Europe’s leaders at Davos, especially for blocking the use of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine, we assess President Trump’s apparent retreat from hi...

22 Tammi 57min

Ukraine aims to kill 50,000 Russians per month & Trump row over Greenland derails postwar deal

Ukraine aims to kill 50,000 Russians per month & Trump row over Greenland derails postwar deal

Day 1,427.Today, as Donald Trump heads to Davos with what he calls “good news” about Greenland, we examine prime minister of Canada Mark Carney’s extraordinary speech at Davos where he warned that we ...

21 Tammi 48min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
politiikan-puskaradio
tervo-halme
rss-podme-livebox
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
the-ulkopolitist
otetaan-yhdet
rss-asiastudio
aihe
rikosmyytit
rss-hyvaa-huomenta-bryssel
rss-merja-mahkan-rahat
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
rss-aijat-hopottaa-podcast
rss-raha-talous-ja-politiikka
viisupodi