Putin spends 50% of state budget on military, says intelligence service & Russia tests turning pigeons into drones

23 snips

Feb 5, 2026

Guest

James Kilner

Guest

Antonia Langford

James Kilner, Russia analyst for The Telegraph, explains Kremlin media framing and strains on the economy. Antonia Langford, Kyiv-based reporter, shares frontline life, blackouts and the strange pigeon biodrone story. They discuss peace talks in Abu Dhabi, prisoner swaps, military spending and novel Russian drone experiments.

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INSIGHT

Starlink Blackouts Hit Russian Frontline

Ukraine's registration scheme and SpaceX cooperation reportedly disconnected many Starlink terminals used by Russian forces.
Russian front-line units faced major disruption, highlighting dependency on commercial satellite services.

INSIGHT

Russias Focus On Logistics And Drone Operators

Russia increasingly targets Ukrainian logistics and drone operators at intermediate depths to shape battle conditions.
This forces Ukraine to rely more on ground drones and adapt supply and rotation procedures.

INSIGHT

Massive Reorganisation Of Russian Drone Forces

Russia is reorganising an 87,000-strong unmanned systems force separate from experimental Rubicon units.
Consolidation aims to improve decision-making and reduce fragmentation in drone operations.

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