Battleground

In this episode, they discuss the series of small victories claimed by Ukraine and the cruise missile attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters. They also cover the US decision to supply long-range ATAC-M missiles, the work of Club Positive in Ukraine, and the presence of Colombian and Cuban soldiers in Ukraine.

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.comProducer: James HodgsonTwitter: @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Assembly, and they have a look at reports being spread by Russian opposition figures that Vladimir Putin’s staunch Chechen ally Ramzan Kadyrov, has either died in hospital or is seriously ill.If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - battlegroundukraine@gmail.comProducer: James HodgsonTwitter: @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 war and about the club. We also have in the second half of the podcast, a moving interview with Oleg - a Bucha resident who buried some of the victims of Russian brutality in his hometown and described some harrowing accounts of his time there during its occupation by Russian forces. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - battlegroundukraine@gmail.comProducer: James Hodgson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The podcast discusses Ukraine's successful destruction of Russian warships, Putin's meeting with Kim Jong Un, and the possibility of a breakthrough in the war. It explores a controversial partnership and conflicting opinions on weather's influence on warfare. Battlefield strategy, recent actions, and the impact of weather conditions are also discussed, along with a listener's anecdote about a Russian plane crash and its implications.

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 their views and experiences of the war and their view of Ukraines future.If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - battlegroundukraine@gmail.comProducer: James Hodgson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 the longtime minister of defence Oleksii Reznikov.There is also some interesting insight into the capabilities of the F-16 fighter jet, and some fascinating listeners questions.If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - battlegroundukraine@gmail.comProducer: James Hodgson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete Smith, Programme manager at HALO trust in Ukraine, discusses the challenges of clearing mines and unexploded ordinance in Ukraine. They explore the complex minefields in south Ukraine and the organization's growth. They also talk about the contamination caused by landmines and UXO in Ukraine, including cluster munitions. The podcast also discusses life on the frontlines in Kyiv and features an interview with a translator who witnessed the war in Mariupol.

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 of Wagner, was indeed on board that private jet that crashed between Moscow and St Petersburg.They also discuss some thought provoking listeners thoughts and questions.If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - battlegroundukraine@gmail.comProducer: James Hodgson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 first full day in the Ukrainian capital.If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - battlegroundukraine@gmail.comProducer: James Hodgson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices