<p><strong>Day 1,457.</strong></p><p>Today, amid reports that Russian forces’ loss of Starlink is reducing the intensity of drone attacks along the frontline, we examine claims that Russian commanders are charging soldiers up to £30,000 to avoid deployment to the most dangerous sectors. We then bring you the latest from the first meeting of Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace”, and finally hear the view from Belarus as Putin seeks to place more nuclear missiles there.</p><br><p><strong>Contributors</strong></p><p>Dominic&nbsp;Nicholls&nbsp;(Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.</p><p>Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.</p><p>Rozina Sabur (National Security Editor). @RozinaSaburon X.</p><p>With thanks to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.</p><br><p>SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL – WATCH EVERY EPISODE WITH MAPS &amp; BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:</p><br><p>From next week, every episode will be available on our YouTube channel. Subscribe here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest</a></p><br><p>CONTENT REFERENCED:</p><br><p>US presses NATO for major reset, ending mission in Iraq (The Telegraph):</p><p><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/us-presses-nato-reset-cut-foreign-missions-allies-peacekeeping-iraq-kosovo/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.politico.eu/article/us-presses-nato-reset-cut-foreign-missions-allies-peacekeeping-iraq-kosovo/</a></p><br><p>Russian commanders demand £30k to spare soldiers from front line (The Telegraph):</p><p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/19/russian-commanders-demand-30k-spare-soldiers-front-line/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/19/russian-commanders-demand-30k-spare-soldiers-front-line/</a></p><br><p>Over 1,000 Kenyans enlisted to fight in Russia-Ukraine war, report says (BBC):</p><p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8w266769go" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8w266769go</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>