Battleground

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 Kharkiv, Katya shares her journey from a civilian digging trenches in 2014 to a special operations soldier fighting in the most contested sectors of the full-scale invasion. She offers a raw, unfiltered perspective on:


The Early Days of Resistance: How she and a group of 22 friends started the war with their own personal weapons and armour, patrolling Kharkiv in a small Ford Fiesta packed with RPGs.


The challenges of Service: A candid discussion on the "conflict of senses" regarding mobilisation and the social complications facing Ukraine as veterans remain on the front lines without enough replacements to rotate out.


The "Zoo" of Bakhmut: The chaotic reality of urban combat, where diverse units often struggled with communication and friendly fire, and the heartbreaking silence of friends who have since disappeared.


The Final Night: A vivid account of the May 2023 withdrawal from Bakhmut—navigating burning anti-tank mines and manoeuvring a Humvee through exhausted troops as the scent of cherry blossoms signalled a somber end to a fierce campaign.

Join us for Part 1 of this powerful interview as Katya dismantles stereotypes and explores why mindset is the most critical survival tool on the modern battlefield.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at [email protected]

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Producer: James Hodgson

A Goalhanger Podcast
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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:


The Vanishing Victory Parade: Why Moscow has stripped its iconic Red Square celebration of vehicles and cadets, citing "terrorist threats."


The Cyber Front: From the "Tehran-style" internet clampdown in Russia to a daring Ukrainian hack of a military recruitment event at a Russian university.


Robot Wars: The implications of the first-ever capture of a military position using exclusively unmanned systems and the mounting Russian personnel losses.


Domestic Discontent: How the "Special Military Operation" is finally coming home to the Russian people through "black rain," internet restrictions, and VPN cat-and-mouse games.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at [email protected]


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Producer: James Hodgson

A Goalhanger Podcast

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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 sound of explosions.

We sit down with Public Affairs Officer at the Khartiia Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine, Volodymyr Dehtyarov discuss the evolving tactical landscape of the conflict. He details how Ukraine is adapting with a new, meticulous approach to urban operations that prioritises minimising casualties.

Key topics include:

The New Minister of Defence: Why the appointment of a young, tech-savvy leader is seen as a pivotal move for the Ukrainian military.

A New Way of Fighting: A deep dive into the recent operation in Kupiansk, where meticulous planning and drone-heavy tactics achieved a staggering 20-to-1 casualty ratio.

The Drone Revolution: How the battlefield has become "transparent and lethal," leading to the replacement of traditional armoured vehicles with fibre-optic aerial drones and unmanned ground vehicles for logistics and strikes.

Cognitive Warfare: The ongoing battle against Russian bot networks and the role of artificial intelligence in shaping public narrative and social division.

Julius Strauss writes the blog Back from the Front and also owns and runs Wild Bear Lodge, a bear-viewing lodge, in Canada. Here are the hyperlinks:

Substack: https://backfromthefront.substack.com/

Wild Bear Lodge: https://wildbearlodge.ca/

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at [email protected]

Follow us on:

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Producer: James Hodgson

A Goalhanger Podcast
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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: Analysing new Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s proposal to drop the EU veto in exchange for Russian oil flow.


Russia’s Economic State: Why Swedish intelligence believes the Kremlin is hiding a massive budget gap and 15% inflation rate behind "massaged" data.


Military Technology Breakthroughs: The impact of the final SpaceX M-code satellite launch on Ukraine's precision strikes and the rise of "un-jammable" GPS.


Naval Drone Innovation: A world-first as Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces intercept a Russian Shahid drone using a surface vessel.


The Information War: Why Russian GRU hacking campaigns and disinformation failed to sway the Hungarian electorate.

Support the Show:
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Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at [email protected]

Follow us on:

X - @PodBattleground

Instagram - podbattleground

Producer: James Hodgson

A Goalhanger Podcast
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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 help us understand the complex, sometimes ambivalent, moods of a population weary of conflict.

And, we go inside a civilian drone school to meet the soldiers of the 39th Marine Brigade. They share insights on:

The Drone Revolution: Why FPV (First Person View) drones are the "cooking pot" of modern military innovation and why they are now essential for successful assault operations.

A New Military Culture: The rise of "patronage services" providing mental and physical rehabilitation for wounded soldiers and their families.The

Recruitment Crisis: An honest look at why it is difficult to find motivated recruits and how the army is evolving to prioritise specialised skills over "Soviet-style" tactics.

Julius Strauss writes the blog Back from the Front and also owns and runs Wild Bear Lodge, a bear-viewing lodge, in Canada. Here are the hyperlinks:

Substack: https://backfromthefront.substack.com/

Wild Bear Lodge: https://wildbearlodge.ca/

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at [email protected]

Follow us on:

X - @PodBattleground

Instagram - podbattleground

Producer: James Hodgson

A Goalhanger Podcast
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices