Russian troops ‘forced to swim’ after Ukraine blows up dam & 15 armoured vehicles destroyed in fierce battle outside Pokrovsk

Day 1,343.


Today, as the fierce battle for Pokrovsk rages on – with Russian
troops now inside the city and 15 armoured vehicles destroyed on
its outskirts – we report on the dramatic destruction of a dam in
Russia that has cut off Moscow’s forces inside Ukraine. Later, we
speak to one of the leading architects behind the Western
initiative to seize $300 billion in frozen Russian state assets,
exploring how close this unprecedented move is to becoming
reality – and what it could mean for the future of the war.


Contributors:


Adélie Pojzman-Pontay (Journalist and Producer). @adeliepjz on X.


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


With thanks to campaigner, journalist and entrepreneur Hugo
Dixon.


WATCH OUR SPECIAL LIVE EPISODE


Link here: https://youtu.be/Mw_lWhp-flU


Questions from the audience are answered in the podcast version,
below:


Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/special-putin-could-strike-london-in-90-minutes-russias/id1612424182?i=1000733450202 


Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7DKehIQCz24eKK73xjP2e8 


Content Referenced:


Ukraine floods Russian troops in dam strike (The Telegraph):


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/10/27/russian-troops-cut-off-flooding-ukraine-hits-belgorod-dam/ 


Inside Ukraine’s fortress belt, where Nato doctrine no longer
applies (The Telegraph):


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/10/27/trump-freeze-frontlines-trouble-ukraine/ 


Western drones are underwhelming on the Ukrainian battlefield
(The Economist):


https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/10/23/western-drones-are-underwhelming-on-the-ukrainian-battlefield 


Russian army committing murder in Ukraine: Independent rights
commission (UN report):


https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/iicihr-ukraine/reports/report-independent-international-commission-inquiry-ukraine-un-general-assembly-a80497


Kyiv wants to cash in on OnlyFans creators’ unpaid taxes. There’s
just one problem: making porn is illegal in Ukraine (Meduza):


https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/10/08/turning-me-into-a-criminal 


Ukraine's OnlyFans Paradox: Tax the Sin, Punish the Sinner
(Iuliia Mendel’s Substack):


https://iuliiamendel.substack.com/p/ukraines-onlyfans-paradox-tax-the 


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