Putin’s forces trying to ‘bypass and infiltrate’ frontline city & was Epstein's ‘sex empire’ a Russian honeytrap?

36 snips

Feb 2, 2026

Poppy Wood, Education Editor at The Telegraph who helped investigate the Epstein files, joins to unpack startling links between Jeffrey Epstein and Russian figures. She explores flight records, emails suggesting access to top officials, and whether Epstein was a state-directed honeytrap or a self-serving grifter. The conversation stays focused on the most striking connections and the political fallout across Europe.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ADVICE

Whitelist Critical Starlink Terminals

Verify and whitelist critical Starlink terminals to prevent misuse by adversaries.
Disconnect unverified terminals to block hostile drone operations and secure infrastructure.

INSIGHT

Cascade Energy Shutdown Amid Cold

Ukraine suffered a cascade power shutdown affecting metros, water and heating amid extreme cold.
Officials attributed it to frozen lines and system protections, while repairs restored stability by Monday.

INSIGHT

Air-Defence Strain And Reload Gaps

Ukrainian air defences face missile shortages and overload tactics by Russia.
Russia intensifies simultaneous attacks to exhaust systems that cannot reload quickly.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Day 1,439.

Today, as Vladimir Putin’s so-called “energy ceasefire” is reportedly broken once again, we report on another weekend of devastating Russian strikes on Ukraine – including an attack that killed 15 miners when drones hit their bus during a near Dnipro, and a strike on a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhya that injured at least six. We then examine mounting claims that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was not only close to the Kremlin, but may have acted as a foreign agent on Russia’s behalf.

Contributors

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

Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.

Poppy Wood (Education Editor). @poppyeh on X.

SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST’ WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:

http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter

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.

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Epstein’s links to Putin and Kremlin spies raise fears he was Russian agent (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/01/epstein-links-to-putin-and-fsb-raise-fears-he-was-a-russian/

Putin targets migrant smuggling networks to boost his ranks (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/putin-targets-migrant-smuggling-networks-to-boost-his-ranks/

Putin ‘will send thousands of criminals to wreak havoc across Europe’ (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/01/putin-send-thousands-criminals-wreak-havoc-across-europe/

International law meant to limit effects of war at breaking point, study finds (The Telegraph):

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/feb/02/more-than-100000-civilians-killed-war-crimes-out-of-control-study

Slovakia PM's national security adviser resigns over Epstein links (BBC):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnvgljj1dygo?xtor

Epstein Library Database (DoJ):

https://www.justice.gov/epstein

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:

The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatest

Subscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatest

Email: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.