Battleground

The clock is ticking on Vladimir Putin's presidency as Ukraine’s 40-day deep-strike campaign forces a "logistics lockdown" on occupied territories. This week, Saul David and Patrick Bishop break down the surgical precision of Starlink-guided Zvezducha drones paralyzing Russian supply lines.

They also confront tough realities on both sides of the frontline, discussing catastrophic Russian casualty rates alongside a troubling investigation into misconduct within an elite Ukrainian regiment. Plus, a look at rumoured friction between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Valerii Zaluzhnyi over potential autumn elections, and a breakdown of the UK’s messy new defense investment plan.

Highlights:
The Starlink Scalpel: How mid-range drones are causing a slow strangulation of Russia’s means of waging war.
Babel’s Investigation: Addressing unprecedented abuse allegations within Ukraine's 425th Separate Assault Regiment.
Wartime Elections?: Why talks of a political showdown with Valerii Zaluzhnyi have left the hosts mystified.
Listener Q&A: Unpacking post-war partition scenarios and why targeting civilian aviation remains a high-risk gamble.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
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Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of their latest journey through Ukraine, the team gathers in Lviv to reflect on a deeply moving and sobering trip.

The day begins with dramatic news: Hungarian journalist and team fixer, Boldi, was detained for five and a half hours of polite but intense questioning by the SBU (Ukrainian Secret Service). After attempting to investigate a Russian rocket strike on the strategic Druzhba oil pipeline near Brody.

Key Reflections from the Ground:
The "National Shrug": The team discusses how initial wartime shock has shifted into a grim, everyday resignation as citizens adapt to a conflict with no clear endpoint.
Tragedy and Fortitude: Remembrances of the trip's most haunting faces, from a grieving resident outside a destroyed Kharkiv apartment to Nastia’s heartbreaking process of identifying her fallen husband in Odesa.
Defiance in the Everyday: Inspiring stories of resilience, including a zookeeper protecting animals under active shellfire and the crowded, vibrant streets of Kharkiv celebrating International Women’s Day.
Signs of a Sea Change: A look at small tactical victories near Kupiansk, the clearing of Dnipro Oblast, and a powerful interview with Katya, a fearless female combat soldier who survived the brutal sieges of Bakhmut and Avdiivka.

The team concludes with a look at the collective, undeniable energy of the Ukrainian people that continues to inspire anyone who witnesses it.

Julius Strauss writes the blog Back from the Front and also owns and runs Wild Bear Lodge, a bear-viewing lodge, in Canada. Check out both in the links below:
Substack: https://backfromthefront.substack.com/
Wild Bear Lodge: https://wildbearlodge.ca/

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
Follow us on:
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Instagram - podbattleground
Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Battleground, hosts Patrick Bishop and Roger Moorhouse explore what feels like a momentous and highly unpredictable phase of the war in Ukraine.

They unpack the strategic fallout from the G7 summit in Evian, where Donald Trump declared that America has "nothing to do with this war"—a stark statement contrasted by reports of his private, enthusiastic meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukraine's long-range strikes. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov laments the shifting diplomatic landscape.

Patrick and Roger also dive deep into the current battlefield realities, dissecting Russia's infiltration tactics and propaganda stunts in the critical city of Kostiantynivka. They look at the severe logistics degradation and worsening manpower shortages facing the Kremlin, highlighting a wave of aggressive draft raids across European Russia that are sparking local panic and resistance.

Key Topics Discussed:
The American Calculus: Analysing Trump's transactional foreign policy, his controversial G7 comments, and the conflicting signals coming from his private conversations with Ukrainian leadership.
The Battle for Kostiantynivka: Separating battlefield reality from Kremlin propaganda as Russian forces attempt to squeeze the "Fortress Belt" city in Donetsk Oblast.
Russia's Forced Mobilisation: The political risks of the Kremlin's brutal new recruitment tactics, highlighted by a viral confrontation in Penza and widespread draft raids.
Listener Q&A:
The media's oversimplified war narratives versus front-line stasis.
Ukraine’s innovative "Trophy Lab" program for reverse-engineering captured Russian military tech.
The future of European and NATO defence spending in a post-war climate.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
Follow us on:
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Instagram - podbattleground
Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Saul David and Julius Strauss travel to western Ukraine to visit the remarkable Superhumans Center in Lviv—a state-of-the-art reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation hospital addressing a staggering crisis of an estimated 100,000 amputees nationwide.

They sit down with Eddie Scott, a British volunteer who survived catastrophic, near-fatal injuries while conducting humanitarian work in Ukraine. Instead of returning to the UK, Eddie chose to stay and now serves as the centre’s Senior Media Manager and global ambassador. In a deeply moving and raw conversation, Eddie shares his journey of physical and psychological recovery, the unique spirit of unity he finds in Ukraine, and delivers a blistering, urgent message to a Western world he fears is growing dangerously indifferent to the ongoing conflict.

Julius Strauss writes the blog Back from the Front and also owns and runs Wild Bear Lodge, a bear-viewing lodge, in Canada. Check out both in the links below:
Substack: https://backfromthefront.substack.com/
Wild Bear Lodge: https://wildbearlodge.ca/
Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com

Follow us on:
X - @PodBattleground
Instagram - podbattleground
Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a remarkably mixed bag of an episode, Roger Moorhouse and Saul David explore whether the war is finally "coming home" to ordinary Russians as a systematic Ukrainian degradation campaign triggers widespread fuel shortages and chaos across fifty-three Russian regions.
The team breaks down Ukraine's multi-strand, hybrid strategy: disabling crucial land bridges to isolate the Crimean Peninsula, mocking Moscow's air defenses with daylight refinery raids, and the geopolitical shockwave of Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko publicly apologizing to President Zelensky. They also dive into a historical comparison to the 1944 Normandy breakout, asking if we are on the cusp of a major Russian battlefield collapse.

Featured Interview: Later in the episode, intrepid Hungarian war reporter Boldi Gyori joins the podcast from Budapest. He shares deeply moving—and at times gruesome—firsthand accounts from his recent trip to the liberated but heavily targeted city of Kherson. Boldi details the terrifying reality of the Russian "human safari," where drone pilots use civilians for target practice, distance-mining litters the streets with "flower petal" explosives, and local volunteers brave "the blue hour" to evacuate the vulnerable and the deceased.
(Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of civilian suffering and war casualties.)

Plus, in the Q&A:
A look at the clandestine partisan group Atesh.
The likelihood of a desperate Kremlin executing a false flag operation.
Why Vladimir Putin recently cut the Kremlin's security cameras over cybersecurity threats.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
Follow us on:
X - @PodBattleground
Instagram - podbattleground
Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.