The Secret Spy Network Feeding Russia’s War Machine

About this episode

<p>Ukraine is running desperately low on interceptor missiles, leaving its cities and people nearly defenseless against Russian missile and drone attacks. How Russia has been able to sustain those attacks has been a mystery — until now.</p> <p>Today, Jane Bradley, a Britain-based investigative reporter for The New York Times, explains her investigation into the spy network that has allowed the Kremlin to keep this war going.</p> <p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/jane-bradley" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Jane Bradley</strong></a>, a Britain-based investigative reporter for The New York Times.</p> <p>Background reading: </p> <ul> <li>A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/world/asia/russian-spy-flees-japan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russian spy who used the Aeroflot office in Tokyo to smuggle high-tech weapon components into Russia has left Japan</a> after a Times report.</li> <li>Operating out of a Tokyo high-rise, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/world/asia/russia-spies-japan-war-drones-electronics.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a military intelligence unit takes advantage of Japan’s weak espionage laws</a> to find the high-tech equipment that Russia needs to wage war.</li> </ul> <p>Photo: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times</p> <p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" rel="noopener noreferrer">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>