Battleground

On this week's big interview, Patrick speaks to Francis Scarr from the BBC's monitoring service, Francis is a member of its Russia team who analyse Russian TV and social media, and specialises in the TV political talk shows, which dominate the schedules. Francis shares his fascinating array of knowledge about the Russian media landscape and draws from his own personal experiences from years spent...

This week on Battleground: Ukraine - Patrick and Saul David discuss a fascinating week in which the word breakthrough has been heard everywhere. The Ukrainians are claiming a series of small victories that collectively could bring about a decisive and favourable shift in their fortunes. Also in the news is the spectacular cruise missile attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevasto...

In this final instalment from our travels to Ukraine, Saul, Patrick and producer James sit down in the historic central square of the Polish city of Krakow, to reflect on the previous days spent in Ukraine and what they took away from it all. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - battlegroundukraine@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson Twitter: @PodBattleground Learn more abou...

This week Saul and Patrick react to the news that Ukraine continues to make important gains on the battlefield, particularly south of Bakhmut and in western Zaporizhia, and has also been degrading Russia’s defensive capability in Crimea. They also take a look away from the battlefield, where President Joe Biden doubled down on his support for Ukraine in a meeting of the United Nations General Asse...

For this week's big interview, we have some more material from our time in Ukraine, this time from the outskirts of Kyiv at a child psychiatry centre, where children are receiving treatment for war trauma. We spoke to Oksana Sliepova - the director of the children's club 'positive' and two of the club's members - 12 year old Nastia and 15 year old Sofia, who told us about their experiences of the...

This week Patrick and Saul discuss the big news developments of the past week, Ukraine has taken out two Russian warships at the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sebastopol using cruise missiles. Also in the news, Vladimir Putin met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in the far east of Russia, and there’s been some very encouraging predictions from US intelligence suggesting that a big Ukrain...

In this episode of Battleground: Ukraine, Patrick and Saul have a fascinating interview with Taras Byk - a political strategist, who before the war worked with leading anti-corruption fighters, such as the mayor of Mikolaiv, and who is now working on a project that supports the breakup of the Russian Federation.  Saul and Patrick also speak to a young Ukrainian couple, Lydia and Dennis, about thei...

In this episode Saul and Patrick digest the news that seemingly the Ukrainian counteroffensive is gaining some traction on the western Zaporizhia oblast front, reports that President Putin will be asking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to help him out, and the rather negative development that there’s been another corruption scandal inside the army with President Zelensky announcing he has sacked t...

This week we bring you more material recorded from our time in Ukraine, this time Saul speaks to Pete Smith - HALO's programme manager in Ukraine - who gave us a briefing on the situation regarding mines and unexploded ordinance in Ukraine, before taking us out to visit a minefield in the outskirts of Kyiv. Saul also speaks to the HALO teams translator Ivan, who tells us about how he managed to es...

Joining Saul on this significant week in the war in Ukraine, and stepping in for Patrick is the excellent Roger Moorhouse. Together, Saul and Roger digest the news that Ukraine is starting to make significant inroads into the main Russian defences, a pledge from Brussels to give the war-torn country EU membership by 2030 at the latest, and confirmation from Russia that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss...

In this week's big interview, Saul speaks to friend of the podcast Colonel Pavlo Khazan, for the first time in person from his base in an undisclosed location in Kyiv. They discuss what activities him and his soldiers have been involved in recently and also the significance of their experience and knowledge in drone warfare. Patrick and Saul also discuss their first impressions of Kyiv after their...

In this episode - Saul and Patrick discuss what's been quite an eventful week, with the much welcome news that the Netherlands and Denmark, with American approval, will give at least 61 F-16 fighters to Ukraine when their pilots have completed the necessary training. There also look at some significant gains for Ukraine on the battlefield, controversial reports in the Washington Post, and a Russia...

In this emergency podcast Saul and Patrick react to the extraordinary news that Yevgeny Prigozhin has died, after his private plane was shot down in Russian airspace near Moscow. They discuss what actually happened as well as who did it, what does it mean, and is Putin now weaker or stronger? If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - battlegroundukraine@gmail.com Producer: Jame...

In this episode of Battleground: Ukraine - Saul and Patrick speak from the political heart of Ukraine - Independence Square in central Kyiv, where they discuss their first thoughts and observations of the Ukrainian capital, before having to rush to shelter as Russian Missiles enter the skies of Kyiv. Saul also speaks to Joshua Darnell - an American volunteer in the Ukrainian Army, who describes so...

Saul and Patrick are back from Ukraine, a trip which has deeply advanced their understanding of what’s going on, at every level, which is something they've needed this week as the situation is pretty hard to read. They asses the latest progression of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, some intriguing stories of further dissension between elements of the Russian forces, as well as some hugely signifi...

Joining Saul and Patrick in the historic centre of Lviv in Western Ukraine, are two old friends of the podcast - Joe Lindsley and Askold Krushelnycky. In our first podcast recorded on the ground in Ukraine, Saul and Patrick discuss their first impressions, the reaction of locals to air raid siren's sounded over Lviv, and the need for more air-defence systems for Ukraine. If you have any thoughts o...

Saul and Patrick are currently on the road in Poland on their way to a long overdue tour of Ukraine - where they’ll be meeting up with some old friends of the podcast and making some new ones. They look back at the previous week where there have been some interesting developments on the diplomatic front, Ukrainian cross river operations, and a remarkable North Korean Cyber attack on... Russia. If...

Joining Patrick and Saul for this week's big interview is Professor of Military History at Birmingham University - Jonathan Boff, who specialises in the First World War. He discusses the collapse of the Russian Army during the First World War, draws comparisons between the Russian army back then and now, and discusses how reparation payments may play out after this current conflict is over. If you...

This week Saul and Patrick consider recent Ukrainian gains on the battlefield, the ramping up of Ukrainian drone strikes on targets inside Russia and in the Black Sea, including high rise office buildings in Moscow. They also discuss Russia’s response to pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal and the latest coming out of Belarus - where the Wagner saga rumbles on. If you have any thoughts or ques...

Join us for the second part of our extraordinary interview with Aiden Aslin - the British national captured by Russian forces after the siege of Mariupol. In this part of his gripping story he describes the brutality of his time in captivity, where he was violently beaten and was forced to conduct recorded video interviews for propaganda purposes, before finally, he was released as part of a priso...

This week, Saul and Patrick reflect on what has been a busy week both on and off the battlefield. They discuss the significance of Zelnsky’s statement that the Ukrainian counteroffensive may increase in tempo. They also reflect on Igor Girkin’s arrest and whether it could be part of a wider crack down by Putin on Russian ultra-nationalists.  If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them...

In this episode Saul and Patrick speak to Briton Aiden Aslin, who travelled to Ukraine in 2018 and enlisted with the Ukrainian 36th Naval Infantry Brigade. He describes his time on the frontlines in the Donbas before the full scale invasion was launched in February 2022, when he was deployed to Mariupol. Aiden was then surrounded by Russian forces in the Siege of Mariupol where he describes what i...

Analysing a notable week in the war in Ukraine, Saul and Patrick discuss the significance of Ukraines second spectacular attack on the Kerch Bridge, the unrest in the Russian military leadership that has led to multiple sackings and removals, and some further discussion on the use of cluster munitions - whether their effectiveness outweighs the questionable moral implications. If you have any thou...

This week Saul and Patrick speak to Dmytro Plieshakov - a Ukrainian tech entrepreneur, who currently runs a startup focused on countering disinformation, called Osavul. They work closely with the Ukrainian government providing them with AI technology that can identify Russian influence operations online and better counter them. Dmytro describes examples of Russian disinformation campaigns and what...

Reflecting on what has been news packed week, Patrick and Saul analyse the important developments. In Vilnius, the NATO summit has just ended with some signs that tensions are growing between leading Nato members and Kyiv, on the battlefield there are reports that Ukrainian forces are suffering heavy casualties as the counteroffensive grinds on, but there are indications that progress is being mad...