Battleground

In this episode of Battleground Ukraine, Saul David and Julius Strauss check in from the bustling Kyiv Railway Station after completing a train journey from Kharkiv. Despite ongoing Russian infrastructure attacks that have heavily impacted the national grid, Ukraine’s rail network continues to prove itself as the resilient, indispensable artery keeping the country moving in wartime.

The hosts explore how Ukraine’s r...

"History moves gradually, then suddenly."

As Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine crosses a somber milestone—matching the exact duration of the First World War at 1,568 days—co-hosts Saul David and Patrick Bishop analyse what feels like a definitive "hinge moment" in the conflict. This week, the tide is turning rapidly in Ukraine’s favour, driven by an extraordinary and relentless interm...

As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year , Europe finds itself facing a monumental geopolitical shift. With the United States under an erratic presidency taking a highly transactional, unpredictable approach to its historic alliances , the transatlantic network that has guaranteed Western security for eighty years is under profound strain. Can Europe truly step up to secure its own future , or is the dream of "strategic autonom...

In this episode, Patrick and Roger dive into what has officially become the new reality: Ukraine has gained the upper hand in the war against Russia.

We break down the stunning and deeply embarrassing Ukrainian drone strikes on St Petersburg and the Kronstadt naval base—timed perfectly to shatter Vladimir Putin's illusion of stability right as he hosted his flagship economic forum. Not only did these strikes degrade Russia's ...

As the brutal conflict continues, Ukraine is fighting a war on multiple fronts—not just in the trenches, but internally within the corridors of power against a long-standing weapon of Kremlin information warfare: the accusation of irredeemable corruption.

In this episode, hosts Saul David and Julius Strauss sit down in Kyiv with Andrii Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, for a brutally hone...

In this episode of Battleground Ukraine, Roger Moorhouse and Saul David analyse a week defined by Russian escalation, psychological warfare, and deep structural fractures behind the frontline.

The Kremlin has intensified its campaign of domestic terror, launching a brutal round of strikes against Kyiv. Among the targets was the newly refurbished Chornobyl Museum—a deeply symbolic attack on historical truth and memory. Russia's...

On their final night in Kharkiv, Saul, Boldi, Kim, and Julius gather for a debrief to reflect on a city caught between extreme opposites. Fresh off an overnight train from Odesa, they arrived just in time for International Women’s Day—witnessing a blue-sky celebration of smiles and flowers juxtaposed against the smoking ruins of a freshly struck residential building.

They dive deep into the unique friction of daily lif...

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a chilling question has continuously loomed over the international community: how real is the threat of a nuclear escalation? While the nuclear dimension has historically overshadowed the conflict, the rules of engagement and atomic posturing are constantly shifting.

In this episode, host Roger Moorhouse sits down with one of the world's leading nuclear experts, Matt Korda, to pull back th...

Four years and three months into a "five-day special military operation" that has dragged on as long as the First World War, Vladimir Putin continues to display a troubling resilience. In this episode of Battleground Ukraine, hosts Patrick Bishop and Saul David peel back the diplomatic theatre surrounding Putin’s high-profile summit in Beijing.

While the body language suggests genuine warmth between Putin and Xi Jinping , the...

In our latest on-the-ground episode of Battleground Ukraine, hosts Saul and Boldi take you directly behind the front lines of a major tactical breakthrough. Traveling down a high-priority supply highway newly shrouded under miles of anti-drone netting , the team infiltrates a hidden, highly secured battalion command post directing the live battle for Kupiansk.

Disguised as a civilian building to evade Russian surveillance , the bu...

In this special edition of Battleground Ukraine, Saul David and Patrick Bishop catch up with friend of the show - intrepid Hungarian war reporter Boldi Gyori, who has just returned from the front lines and the deeply scarred landscapes of Ukraine.

Boldi paints a vivid, surreal, and at times dystopian picture of a conflict that has evolved into a "forever war" for those living through it.

• The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Today: ...

In this week’s episode, Saul David and Patrick Bishop explore whether the tide has finally turned in the four-year conflict.

Following a series of strategic and symbolic blows to the Kremlin, the team asks: Are we witnessing the beginning of the end for Vladimir Putin’s "Special Military Operation"?

The Humiliation of Red Square: We break down Putin’s "feeble" May 9th Victory Parade. From the bizarre request for a t...

In the second part of our interview with Katya Ratushna, she recounts the harrowing final days of Avdiivka and shares her strategic vision for the future of the Ukrainian defence.

Following her account of Bakhmut in Part 1, Katya offers a raw perspective on the "fate" of being among the last to leave a city on its final night.

She offers an unfiltered look at:

• The Avdiivka Evacuation: A gripping account of a midnight escape ...

In this episode of Battleground, Patrick Bishop and Roger Moorhouse dive into the complex and shifting dynamics of the Ukraine conflict.

We begin by examining how the escalating tensions between the Trump administration and Iran are creating ripples that reach all the way to Kyiv.

As the U.S. appears to seek a rapid exit from its "Operation Epic Fury" in the Gulf, we analyse what this perceived strategic incoherence means for future...

If you would like to watch this podcast you can watch it on Spotify or you can find it on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@BattlegroundUkraine

In this episode, we welcome back a remarkable guest: Katya Ratushna. While some may recognise her from the Academy Award-nominated film Porcelain War, Katya is, above all, a seasoned soldier and a veteran of the Battles for Kharkiv, Bakhmut, and Avdiivka.

Speaking from her hometown of ...

In this episode of Battleground Ukraine, Roger Moorhouse and Saul David explore how Ukraine’s "kinetic sanctions" are successfully targeting the heart of the Russian economy where Western diplomacy has stalled. With 55% of Russia’s refining capacity now in the crosshairs, the strategic impact of long-range drone strikes is becoming impossible for the Kremlin to ignore.

We also discuss:

If you would like to watch this podcast you can watch it on Spotify or you can find it on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@BattlegroundUkraine

In this episode, we arrive in Kharkiv following an overnight train from Odesa to find a city of stark contrasts. While residents carry flowers for International Women’s Day in the beautiful spring sunshine, the scars of war are everywhere, from bombed-out buildings to the distant ...

In this episode of Battleground Ukraine, Saul David and Patrick Bishop dive into the pivotal shifts of the Ukraine War in 2026. From groundbreaking naval drone warfare to the "murky" world of energy diplomacy, we analyse why the Kremlin’s narrative is starting to crumble under the weight of economic reality and technological innovation.

In this episode Saul and Patrick look at:

• The Druzhba Pipeline & Hungary: Analysi...

If you would like to watch this podcast you can watch it on Spotify or you can find it on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@BattlegroundUkraine

We return to the historic port city of Odesa to witness the stark contrast between a city trying to maintain a sense of normalcy and the high-tech, high-stakes reality of the front lines.

In this episode, we explore the brittle state of Ukraine's energy grid, the mood of the locals to he...