Shahed Drone ‘Toys’ and Russian Militarisation

Day 1,345.

Today, as Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet in South Korea, we ask whether Ukraine can ever expect China to face real consequences for its support of Russia throughout the war. We also examine Vladimir Putin’s ongoing air campaign to cripple Ukraine’s energy infrastructure – including last night’s major assault – and bring you the latest stories from inside the Russian Federation, from renewed public protests to fresh signs of deepening economic stagnation.

Contributors:

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

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

James Kilner (former Foreign Correspondent). @jkjourno on X.

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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.

WATCH OUR SPECIAL LIVE EPISODE

Francis’s Interview with Serhii Plokhy on the nuclear arms race:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmcJqyD8eXs

Apple: https://shorturl.at/Hq3la 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7oSVN1czV0hqnvi0fAomea 

CONTENT REFERENCED:

Trump orders Pentagon to ‘immediately’ start testing nuclear weapons (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/10/30/trump-nuclear-weapons-testing-russia-poseidon-drone/ 

Donald Trump claims victory after ‘amazing’ trade talks with Xi Jinping (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/10/30/trump-xi-meeting-south-korea-trade-war/ 

Geert Wilders’ Dutch PM hopes in tatters (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/10/29/geert-wilders-hopes-of-becoming-dutch-pm-in-tatters/ 

Exploding Shahed drone toys sold to Russian children (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/10/30/exploding-toy-replicas-of-drones-sold-to-children-russia/ 

Ukraine is bracing for the harshest winter since 2022 (Tomorrow’s Affairs):

https://tomorrowsaffairs.com/ukraine-is-bracing-for-the-harshest-winter-since-2022 

Red hands and pig heads: Russia’s plan to destabilize France goes on trial (POLITICO):

https://www.politico.eu/article/red-hands-and-pig-heads-russias-plan-to-destabilize-france-goes-on-trial/

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