Spy chief Budanov named as new Head of Zelensky’s Office as Russia falls for assassination ploy

Spy chief Budanov named as new Head of Zelensky’s Office as Russia falls for assassination ploy

Day 1,408.

At the start of the fifth calendar year of the full scale invasion, attacks across Ukraine saw the beginning of 2026 marked with yet more death, injury and destruction across Ukraine. It has also seen General Budanov named as Andrii Yermak’s replacement, a remarkable double-cross operation by Budanov’s military intelligence department and a rebuttal by the CIA into claims by Moscow earlier this week that Ukraine tried to attack Putin directly. We report how Australian tanks have been in action around Pokrovsk, Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov has been rushed to hospital and Finnish authorities have boarded and seized a Russian vessel in the Baltic. Plus, we have an interview with a journalist looking at Colombian fighters who have joined Ukraine’s foreign legion.


Contributors

Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.

Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Journalist and Producer). @adeliepjz on X.

With thanks to Natalie Gallon (Journalist). @natalielgallon on Insta.


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:

Colombian soldiers fighting for Ukraine, WLRN

https://www.wlrn.org/americas/2025-10-28/ukraine-russia-war-colombia-soldiers


A Colombian amputee soccer player’s new battle in Ukraine, WLRN

https://www.wlrn.org/americas/2025-10-29/ukraine-russia-war-colombian-soldiers-soccer-amputee


Frontline report: Australian Abrams tanks enter combat at Pokrovsk, bolstering Ukrainian counterattacks

https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/01/01/frontline-report-2025-12-31/


LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:

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Revealed: Trump and Putin’s $12 trillion partnership plan & wargaming a Russian attack on NATO with Lt Gen Ben Hodges, former commander of US Army Europe

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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...

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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 kil...

2 Feb 42min

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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...

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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 Jan 48min

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