Frontline: The War in Ukraine and Global Security

“The only way to keep this system afloat is to construct it in a manual way and replace the old guys with the new generation.” Putin must replace his management system to survive, as his inner circle is now “of his age or older”, says political scientist and analyst Nikolai Petrov. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Drafting troops from St Petersburg and Moscow would be a massive gamble.” The strikes on St Petersburg and Moscow are making Putin’s grip on power “more tenuous”, as the cities are home to the Russian leader’s largest support base: the oligarchs, says Cormac Smith, a former British diplomat to Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Crimea is becoming a burden for Russia.” Ukraine has paralysed life in Crimea with its recent attacks on energy grids and infrastructure, increasing the burden on Putin, says former Major General Chip Chapman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“These longer to medium range strike drones are able to pick off the Russian trucks and trains.” Ukraine isolates Crimea through a thoughtout campaign which denies Russian land forces freedom of movement and freedom of manoeuvre, says The ISW’s George Barros. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode of Frontline, Kate Gerbeau speaks to Major General Richard Shirreff about Ukraine’s “Darwinian innovation” and he reacts to the breaking news of the UK defence minister’s resignation.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I understand Putin hasn’t been outside, as it were, for weeks, if not months now.” Putin is “terrified” of venturing outside of his “highly defended palaces or the Kremlin” as he fears being taken out by Ukraine, says Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, the author of ‘Tank Command.’  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Scott Lucas & Maddie Hale Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Every authoritarian regime has an internet kill switch which they can employ, but the population do get generally quite disturbed when those things happen and it can exacerbate your economic model.” Putin’s paranoia is “elevated” as outrage from internet blackouts in Russia sparks fears of assassination for its president, says former Major General Chip Chapman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...

“We could walk back into the occupied territories without a shot being fired.” Ukraine has “clawed back the battlefield” by targeting Putin’s “achilles heel” with its strikes on Russia’s oil refineries, says former British Army soldier and journalist Shaun Pinner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“If you were to get shooting Putin, if it were…if we have that in the channel or the Danish narrows, we could very quickly be in a chapter five Nato confrontation.” Putin could quickly find himself in a sticky situation if someone “gets fed up with him”, says The Standard’s defence editor and writer for The Independent and the i Robert Fox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...

“It’s got an arm like the Mossad that can hunt down Russian generals and anyone else who is responsible for war crimes.” Putin's commanders will “spend the rest of their lives looking under their cars and checking over their shoulders” as the GUR will make their lives miserable, says Lieutenant General Ben Hodges. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Putin ally Viktor Orban has stepped down after losing the Hungarian election, Michael Bociurkiw, Ukraine based journalist and former diplomat discusses what it means for Ukraine, Russia and European security on Frontline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon on how Ukrainian deep strikes are putting pressure on the Kremlin while Putin’s forces fail to advance Olesia Horianinova, Co-Founder of The Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center discusses Ukraine’s reforms appearing to solve the problem of recruitment in the military and  a similar crisis emerging in Russia’s theatre destabilising the Kremlin's power.  And S...

“There are people saying one of the lessons the Kremlin has reiterated to it is the strength of American air power with what happened against the Ayatollah in Tehran and what happened to Maduro in Venezuela…maybe that fed Putin’s own paranoia.” Putin’s disappearance from the political stage after Iran war ruins his last-ditch attempt to sort Russia-Ukraine negotiations, says former UK defence atta...

“These are the acts of a scared little man.” Vladimir Putin has switched off wifi access in Moscow and is avoiding the Kremlin by “hiding in a bunker somewhere” over fears to the risk to his own life, says financier and political activist Sir William Browder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Tkiie, Ukrainian news anchor and TV host, on how rising RUssian casualties are making putin’s war less and less popular among his people  Scott Lucas Professor of International Politics, University College Dublin gives us insight into the American perspective of the war. And why Trump’s concession to Iran over the Straits of Hormuz hurt him, could be a big win for Putin and a big loss...

“Russian territory is so large that Ukrainian drones can evade Russian air defences.” Putin’s full-scale war against Ukraine has “backfired against Russia” as Ukraine ability to produce millions of drones can stop his offensive, says Ukrainian news anchor and TV host Daniel Tkiie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“This is about the fifth person in his inner circle who was about to be arrested for corruption.” Putin’s problems amount as his éminence grise, Vladislav Surkov, “suddenly disappeared”, says Kremlinologist and nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Diane Francis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The weaknesses they have shown are very serious indeed…the quality of troops and fighting spirit, despite all their deprivations, the Ukrainian side is beginning to expose what a dreadful mess the Russian units are in .” Ukraine have been taking advantage of Putin’s weaknesses on the battlefield as Russian troops turn on each other, says The Standard’s defence editor Robert Fox. Hosted on Acast....

“In terms of ability, competence, sophistication, Ukraine is streaks ahead.” Ukraine’s ability to develop sophisticated strategies with their drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and airfields is making “Putin and his advisers think”, says former clerk in House of Commons for the defence committee Eliot Wilson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It’s bringing the fight a lot closer to the Russian military inside Russia.” Ukraine’s newly developed long-range missile packages have breached Putin’s walls and are targeting oil refineries and infrastructure inside Russia, says former US special envoy to Ukraine, Ambassador Kurt Volker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia continues to lose Ukrainian territory omn the southern fronts after Starlink bans sent Russian logistics and comms into crisis says Prof. Scott Lucas on Frontline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Now we’re seeing Ukrainian cruise missiles come online...there’s the possibility they can get the upper hand again.” Ukraine is developing their capabilities when it comes to cruise missiles as they are more accurate, says director of military sciences at RUSI Mathew Savill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Putin will be worried about his survival as talks and military offensives fail to hand the Donbas to Russia, warns John Lough from the New Eurasian Strategies centre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Putin’s generals or his elites around him may see that enough is enough and he could be forced out.” Targeting Russia’s oil supply will bring Putin “to his knees” as it will hit the war economy where it hurts, says analyst at the Atlantic Council Michael Bociurkiw. [3:13 PM] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.