Kremlin insider: ‘we don't plan to win the war’ & FSB claims 150,000 Russians used special ‘helplines’ to denounce fellow citizens

Day 1,464.

Today, we bring you live dispatches from the north, east, and south of Ukraine following fresh Russian attacks overnight, as a United States delegation meets Ukrainian officials to prepare the next round of trilateral peace talks with Russia in Geneva. We also provide the latest updates on resistance activities in the occupied territories, and take a broader look at the state of Russian society after four years of Putin’s full-scale war – including the impact of sanctions, suppression, economic strain and, yes, updates on skyrocketing cucumber prices.

Contributors

Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.

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

Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @adeliepjz on X.

Dr Jade McGlynn (War Studies Department of King's College). @DrJadeMcGlynn on X.

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

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://youtu.be/oBdgGjJYVt0

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Russians load up on antidepressants after four years of war (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/15/russians-antidepressants-war-ukraine-prozac-putin/

Traumatised and unable to speak: The Ukrainian children haunted by war (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/27/traumatised-ukrainian-children-haunted-by-war/

Paratroopers prepare for possible Ukraine peacekeeping mission (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/26/paratroopers-prepare-for-possible-ukraine-peacekeeping/

Is the Trump-Starmer bromance over? (The Spectator):

https://spectator.com/article/has-it-all-gone-wrong-between-trump-and-starmer/?edition=us

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