Lunchtime in Kyiv...

Striking claims from defence/intelligence insiders. 'The UK intelligence community (UKIC) is facing an existential challenge. It is being out-competed by providers of open-source intelligence and data companies, who can sell their insights to any customer' cetas.turing.ac.uk/publications/e…

Ukraine war
'During (seven weeks) the 99-strong force lost 10 people, with another 66 wounded so seriously they could no longer fight – a casualty rate of 76%'

Dan Sabbagh

theguardian.com/world/2024/mar…

The Ukraine war as you have never seen it - isolated, desperate and nerve-shredding. Filmed from soldiers' helmet cams - Ukraine, Enemy in the Woods, BBC Two 9pm tonight

theguardian.com/world/2024/mar…

Dan Sabbagh Efforts in the Black Sea and Crimea won’t help the Ukrainians liberate the occupied lands. This is a recipe for a frozen conflict.

Britain's strategy for Ukraine 2024 (per Sunday Times) - go defensive on land because there are not enough weapons available

Realistic perhaps, but what happens if the US never comes through? Isolating Crimea one idea; taking it back without land power, another

James Heappey quits, saying it is time to 'step away from politics' and 'pursue a different career'.

Who will the Tories replace him with? How many competent, available MPs are there on the backbenches?

Tories biggest donor said Labour MP Diane Abbott 'should be shot' in internal company meeting.

By my colleagues Rowena Mason, matthew weaver and Henry Dyer

'The Conservative party declined to comment.'

theguardian.com/politics/2024/…

Godalming & Ash Constituency [Jeremy Hunt's Prospective Seat] Voting Intention:

LDM: 35% (-1)
CON: 29% (-24)
LAB: 25% (+17)
RFM: 8% (New)
GRN: 3% (+2)

Via Survation., 16-20 Feb.
Changes w/ GE2019 Notionals.

Is GB News a hiding in plain sight earnings racket for Conservative MPs? Channel has paid out 600x more to Tories compared to Labour. Perhaps Ofcom will notice... by my colleague Peter Walker

theguardian.com/media/2024/feb…

No body in the MoD is talking about conscription in 'any traditional sense of the term' says head of the armed forces Tony Radakin in a lunchtime speech.

Extraordinary that he feels the need to say this - a rebuke to head of the army Patrick Sanders....

Johnny Mercer, a government minister, gives evidence to the SAS inquiry today. But, extraordinarily, the MoD will 'neither confirm nor deny' the detail of his upcoming evidence...

#officialsecrets

Outgunned and exhausted: what hope for Ukraine if US military aid dries up? Slow motion defeat from 2025 if Europe doesn't step up...

theguardian.com/world/2024/feb…

A triumph for asymmetric warfare

Western officials believe war ship destroyed

Sea drones knock out a Russian corvette

A Russian failure or a wake up call for all navies?