Russian resort city 'ablaze' after Ukrainian air raid & Trump calls nuclear bluff of Putin’s hawk-in-chief.

Day 1,258.

Today, after a weekend in which Ukrainian drones brought the war to Russian tourists flying into the Black Sea resort of Sochi, the week starts with news of another long-range strike against Russian air assets. Plus, we look ahead at what is likely to be another lively week on the diplomatic front, before hearing the second of our two-part dispatch on military innovation in US Army Europe.

Contributors:

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

Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.

With thanks to the 173rd Bayonet Innovation Team of the U.S. Army.

Content Referenced:

Ukraine uncovers drone procurement corruption scheme (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/02/ukraine-uncovers-drone-procurement-corruption-scheme/

Russia’s advance in Ukraine accelerates for fourth straight month (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/01/russias-advance-ukraine-accelerates-fourth-straight-month/

Trump’s Ukraine Policy Deserves a Reassessment (Eliot Cohen in The Atlantic):

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/07/trump-ukraine/683661/

SIGN UP TO THE NEW ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:

https://secure.telegraph.co.uk/customer/secure/newsletter/ukraine/

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.

NOW AVAILABLE 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.