Day 1,253.

Today, after a quieter night in the skies, we turn our focus to renewed tank movements on the ground and covert operations at sea – before sitting down with the director of the Oscar-winning ‘20 Days in Mariupol’ to discuss his new film, ‘2000 Metres to Andriivka’. Plus we share how Elon Musk reportedly stopped Starlink operations during an important Ukrainian counterattack.

Contributors:

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

Hamish de Bretton Gordon (Former Tank Commander). @HamishDBG on X.

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

With thanks to our guest, Mstyslav Chernov.

Content Referenced:

Learn More’ About 2000 Meters To Andriivka’:

https://releasing.dogwoof.com/2000-meters-to-andriivka 

Musk ordered shutdown of Starlink satellite service as Ukraine retook territory from Russia (Reuters):

https://www.reuters.com/investigations/musk-ordered-shutdown-starlink-satellite-service-ukraine-retook-territory-russia-2025-07-25/ 

Why Ukraine can't afford to demobilize its soldiers (Kyiv Independent):

https://kyivindependent.com/why-ukraine-cant-afford-to-demobilize-its-soldiers/ 

Understanding Russia’s Black Sea strategy (Chatham House):

https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/07/understanding-russias-black-sea-strategy 

100 years of Telegraph Puzzles: Can you complete our first ever crossword?:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/28/100-years-the-telegraph-crossword-week-long-celebration/ 

Puzzles Main Page:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/puzzles/ 

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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.

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