Revealed: How Putin is using civilian fishing ships to spy on the West
Day 1,698. Today, as Russia’s ‘humanitarian’ ballistic missiles land in Kyiv, diplomatic efforts continue to try to get a trilateral meeting between Zelensky, Putin and Trump, with the latter saying "we are closer to peace than ever". And as Ukraine’s General Staff says Russia suffered the highest daily loss since the start of the full-scale invasion, Kyiv also claims to have advanced behind Russian lines around Kupiansk. And we have a Telegraph exclusive that shows how Russia is using civilian fishing trawlers to spy on the UK’s critical undersea cables, with one NATO official telling us: “Some of these ships have never seen a single fish on their deck”. Contributors: Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X. Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X. Gareth Corfield (Transport correspondent). @GazTheJourno on X. Producer: Phil Atkins Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan Social Producer: Natalia Makohon Studio Director: Meghan Searle Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley Created by David Knowles 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://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest CONTENT REFERENCED: Buy tickets to War Room, a new interactive event in London: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph-events/the-war-room/ Exclusive: Putin sends fishing trawlers to spy on Britain (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/21/exclusive-putin-sends-fishing-trawlers-to-spy-on-britain/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/22/donald-trump-peace-ukraine-war-russia-kyiv-strikes-witkoff/ Zelensky’s ex-aide argues she’s not a Russian spy – but Ukraine should surrender (The Telegraph): https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/10/17/iuliia-mendel-zelensky-aide-who-wants-ukraine-surrender/ Europe’s dependence on America in space is hard to escape (The Economist): https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/10/20/europes-dependence-on-america-in-space-is-hard-to-escape Watch out Brussels and Kyiv, Poland’s conservatives are veering right (Politico): https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-pis-split-right-wing-parties-2027-election/ EMAIL US: Contact the team on [email protected]. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible. HIGHLIGHTS: Revealed: How Putin is using civilian fishing ships to spy on Britain Russia suffers highest daily casualty toll of the war H