Ukraine Russia War Talk

Hi Everyone, Phillips O'Brien and Mykola Bielieskov are back with another instalment of the Ukraine-Russia War Talk podcast. Its been a while, so we start with a detailed survey of the battlefield. Mykola has spent some time visiting brigades at the front and has first hand knowledge of the situation. Then we discuss the strategic air war on both sides--Russian attacks against Ukrainian citie...

Hi All, Mykola and Phillips are back with the latest episode. We start with a detailed discussion of how the tactical war at the front has evolved, in particular with the growth of drones as a weapon of war. We discuss how this has hampered movement and logistics, and what that means for how Ukraine is fighting. We then discuss the geopolitical situation with the war--with a sceptical eye towards...

Hi All, Phillips and Mykola are back with the latest episode. We start with a detailed discussion of what is going on in the battlefield, from Kursk to the Donbas. We then move into geopolitics and discuss both how Donald Trump is changing the war and then how European states are or are not changing enough to counteract this. As always, this episode is free and without commercials. If you would li...

Hello All, Mykola and I are back with the latest episode of the Ukraine-Russia War Talk Podcast. We start with a detailed discussion of what Trump aligning so closely with Putin means for Ukraine and the war. Even though this was recorded right before Trump ambushed Zelensky in the Oval Office, we have no illusions that Trump was to be trusted.  Also, we discuss the state of the war, how Ukraine h...

Hi All, Mykola and I are back with another episode of the Ukraine-Russia War Talk Podcast. Belated apologies its taken so long! We start with a discussion about what the new Trump administration means for Ukraine and the war. We then move on to discuss the state of the war in the Donbas and Kursk. We end with an overview of Ukraine's ranged strike campaign against Russian oil production.  As...

Hi All, Phillips and Mykola are back with a discussion of the war with a Ukrainian slant. We cover three main issues here. First we run through the situation on the battlefield, and try to put the ongoing discussion of a Ukrainian "collapse" in perspective. Then we discuss Ukraine and Russia and the difficulty of generating new forces--and touch upon the tricky question of conscription....

Hello everyone, Phillips and Mykola are back with their latest episode of the Ukraine-Russia War Talk Podcast. The big story is obviously the election of Donald Trump. To set up the discussion of this, we first discuss the situation on the battlefield, then Trump and what his election might mean. Finally, we segway into a discussion of the different victory or "peace" plans being mention...

Hi All, After a little break because of different travel schedules, Phillips and Mykola are back with the latest episode of the Ukraine-Russia War Talk podcast. We have lots to catch up on.  We start with the situation on the battlefield, then switch to the Ukrainian Victory Strategy, and finally discuss the arrival of North Korean troops to fight for Russia. We wont have such a long-break again....

Hello All, Phillips and Mykola and back with our latest episode.  We start with a detailed discussion of what is happening on the battlefield. We move first from the Donbas and then to the Ukrainian offensive into Kursk. Then we go into Ukrainian and US politics. We discuss the changes that President Zelensky is making in the Ukrainian government and how Ukraine is figuring in the US presidential...

This is part 1 of a special episode of Ukraine Russia War Talk. In it, Phil interviews Shaun Pinner. Shaun served as a Ukrainian Marine for years and is married to and lives in Ukraine. He fought from the start of the Russian Full-Scale Invasion and was one of those Ukrainian troops who was surrounded and then captured by the Russians in the ruins of Mariupol. We discuss his experiences in the Ukr...

This is part 2 of a special episode of Ukraine Russia War Talk. In it, Phil interviews Shaun Pinner. Shaun served as a Ukrainian Marine for years and is married to and lives in Ukraine. He fought from the start of the Russian Full-Scale Invasion and was one of those Ukrainian troops who was surrounded and then captured by the Russians in the ruins of Mariupol. We discuss his experiences in the Ukr...

Hello All, Phillips and Mykola and back with our latest episode. The biggest story of the last few days was definitely the Ukrainian offensive into Russia. We discuss the latest news and what we think is important about it. We also compare it to the doom-laden analysis that much of the press has had about the Donbas. Also, we follow that with some reflections on the ongoing Ukrainian ranged campai...

Hello All, Phil and Mykola are back with the latest episode of Ukraine-Russia War Talk. We discuss the battlefield situation in depth, with analysis of what Ukrainian and Russian strategy seems to be now and going forward. Then we discuss the Washington NATO Summit, which was a very modest improvement on last year's Vilnius Summit. Then we end with a discussion of US politics and what it migh...

Hello All, Phillips and Mykola are back with the latest episode. We start with a discussion of the upcoming NATO summit, and our frustration with the dithering about Ukrainian membership. Then we talk about the US presidential crisis and how it might effect Ukraine. Finally a survey of what is happening at the front line (plus a little rant at the end). As always, this episode is free and without...

Hi All. latest episode from Mykola and Phil. We start this one with a description (within limits) of Mykola's experience attending a briefing session with Ukrainian intelligence. Then we discuss the situation on the front line, particularly the Donbas and the Russian Kharkiv Offensive. Finally some (not terribly enthusiastic) discussion of the recent security agreements that have been offered...

Mykola and Phillips are back with their latest Ukraine-Russia War Talk Podcast. We go into detail about the big story of the week, the decision by the Biden Administration to allow Ukraine (to a limited degree) to fire into Russia. We discuss how its taken so long, what it might do, and Ukrainian opinion on the matter. Then we discuss Ukrainian strategy going forward in the war, and in particular...

We start by discussing the developments since May 10, when the Russian offensive towards Kharkiv commenced. We then move into the ranged campaign with Ukrainian attacks in Crimea and against Russian oil refineries. We also delve into (rather angrily) the US policy of forbidding Ukraine from using US-made systems to attack military targets in Russia. This is making the war longer, bloodier and more...

Hello All, Mykola and Phil are back with the latest episode. In it we delve into the situation on the front line. There has been some amazingly pessimistic reporting from the front line over the last few weeks, and we try to put what is happening into perspective. The Russians are showing, even with massive fire advantage, the ability to make only small advances. Finally, we talk about the resumpt...

Hello all, a week later than normal, Phillips and Mykola are back with our latest episode. For the first time in months, there (seems to be) good news about US aid being approved.  We talk about what this means for Ukraine, and what the many months without aid have done. We then discuss the situation on the battlefield and the continuation of Ukraine's growing ranged campaign against Russia--...

Mykola and Phillips are back with another instalment of the Ukraine-Russia War Talk Podcast. This episode starts with a detailed discussion of the Ukrainian strategic air campaign, particularly against Russian fuel. We then segway into a discussion of the US government (bizarrely) asking Ukraine to stop it.  Then we move into a discussion of more changes at the top of the Ukrainian national securi...

Hello All. Mykola and Phillips are back with a new episode surveying what we think are the biggest stories in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. This week we start with a detailed discussion of the outside world, in particular focussing on the important change in tone coming from Europe over the last 2 weeks. President Macron seems to have had a conversion. Then we discuss two New York Times...

Mykola and Phil start this podcast with a detailed discussion of the state of the battlefield with Ukraine on the defensive. We then discuss the air war with Ukraine shooting down a very large number of Russian jets. Finally, a discussion of the state of play when it comes to getting Ukraine the aid it needs--complete with a short rant by Phil As always, this podcast is free and without commercial...

Phil and Mykola are back to go over the most important stories of the last two weeks. Its been extremely eventful, starting with President Zelensky's decision to remove General Zaluzhny from command and replace him with General Syrskyi. This has heralded a major shake-up throughout Ukrainian command. We also discuss the fighting around Avdiivka and Ukrainian defensive strategy. Without wester...

Hello All, Mykola and Phillips are back with a discussion ranging around the most important stories in the Russo-Ukraine War over the last two weeks. We start with a detailed discussion of the political crisis over the command of Ukrainian forces which seems to be happening between President Zelensky and General Zaluzhny. Whatever happens, it would be good if this were resolved soon. Then we surve...

Just released the latest episode from Mykola Bielieskov and myself of the Ukraine-Russia War Talk podcast. We range over three main stories in this episode. First, the status of the fighting including the Ukrainians shooting down of the A 50 and the course of Ukrainian Active Defense on the front line. Next we go into the UK defense commitments to Ukraine, what we think is important and what might...