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/

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