‘Humiliated’ Putin poses with fake submarine after navy parade cancelled & Ukraine strikes Iranian tanker in Caspian Sea

Day 1,613.

As Putin is forced to cancel his annual Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg for the second year in a row – forced to stand by an image of a submarine instead – we report on another major weekend on the battlefield for both Russia and Ukraine, including a strike by Kyiv on an Iranian-linked tanker in the Caspian Sea. Meanwhile Volodymyr Zelensky is in London to meet with new British PM Andy Burnham for the first time, as the Ukrainian president warns of a new mobilisation drive by Moscow amid mounting Russian losses. Then we hear from the WELT offices in Germany about their wargame that caused such a stir, NATO’s Secretary General had to respond.

Contributors:

Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.

James Rothwell (Berlin Correspondent). @JamesERothwell on X.

With thanks to Caroline Drüten, international security correspondent at WELT.

Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett

Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan

Social Producer: Tom Steed

Studio Director: Meghan Searle

Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley

Created by David Knowles

NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:

‘Ernstfall: What if Russia Attacks NATO? Inside a German Wargame’ (WELT Podcast):

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ernstfall-what-if-russia-attacks-nato-inside-a/id6785429115

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033GHuBrh6zwl1mq4TVeY6

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/21/new-missile-at-centre-of-anglo-german-golden-age-of-defence/

Fabrice Deprez’s Substack describing Kramatorsk:

https://eastradar.substack.com/p/the-long-war-60?triedRedirect=true

Kazakhstan’s Tokayev Urges Putin to Freeze Ukraine War (Kyiv Post)

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/81070

Kremlin Shrugs Off Reports of US-Ukraine Air Truce Plan, Says It’s ‘Too Early’ (Kyiv Post)

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/81124

EMAIL US:

Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• ‘Humiliated’ Putin poses with fake submarine after navy parade cancelled
• Ukraine strikes Iranian tanker in Caspian Sea

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