CIA head meets Russian spy chiefs in Moscow & Putin's fuel crisis deepens as Ukraine hits 16 key sites

Day 1,642.

Today, after the CIA apparently finds a way through Russian air defences, sneaking their director into the country with the Kremlin spokesman later denying any knowledge of a US military plane landing in Moscow, and with the Vatican’s Foreign Minister turning up nearby, we ask what was so interesting about Moscow yesterday. Then, after his call for elections blew up in his face, Ukraine’s ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov made another political gaffe by saying, much to Moscow’s delight, that his country is ‘slowly losing the war’. All this while Ukraine strikes 16 targets across Russia, including oil facilities and another Wildberries warehouse. Later, we get our regular deep dive into Russian cucumbers and other economic indicators as well as a look at the latest cooling in relations between Russia and Armenia.

Contributors:

Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.

James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno on X.

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:

Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest  

CONTENT REFERENCED:

If you’re interested in sponsoring Dom’s upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at events@telegraph.co.uk

Russia to extend diesel export ban through September, sources say (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-extend-diesel-export-ban-through-september-sources-say-2026-08-25/ 

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

HIGHLIGHTS:

• CIA head meets Russian spy chiefs in Moscow
• Putin's fuel crisis deepens as Ukraine hits 16 key sites

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