Day 1,244.

Today, after another sleepless night for millions in Kyiv, we bring in experts to look at the shifting strategy of the Russian intelligence services, and hear a firsthand account of Putin’s seizure of power and the complicity of Russia’s elite. How did a fledgling democracy die?

Contributors:

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

Roland Oliphant (Senior Foreign Correspondant). @RolandOliphant on X.

With thanks to Irina Borogan (investigative journalist) @irinaborogan on X and Andrei Soldatov (investigative journalist). @AndreiSoldatov on X.

Content Referenced:

‘Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation’ by Andrei Soldatov & Irina Borogan:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Dear-Friends-Moscow-Generation/dp/1541704452 

Russia strikes Kyiv metro entrance as civilians shelter inside (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/07/21/russia-strikes-kyiv-lukianivska-metro-bomb-shelters-ukraine/ 

Texas man joins Russian army to “earn respect,” gets lied to as he is sent to front line instead of welding job (Euromaidan Press):

https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/07/16/texas-man-joins-russian-army-to-earn-respect-gets-lied-to-as-he-is-sent-to-front-line-instead-of-welding-job/ 

Ukrainian hackers wipe databases at Russia's Gazprom in major cyberattack, intelligence source says (Kyiv Independent):

https://kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-intel-hackers-hit-gazproms-network-infrastructure-sources-say-07-2025/ 

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