375. Ukraine’s Spring Surge

Battleground

Goalhanger

History

4.5 • 820 Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2026

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As we pass the fourth anniversary of Putin’s full-scale invasion, Patrick Bishop and Saul David explore whether the tide of the war is finally turning in Ukraine's favour. Following a winter of stasis, Ukrainian forces have reclaimed 400 square kilometres in mere weeks—outpacing Russia’s entire December gains. In this episode, we dive into the factors driving this sudden shift: The Starlink Effect: How Elon Musk’s decision to block Russian access has been exploited to the maximum by Ukrainian forces. The Personnel Crisis: With Russian casualties reaching a critical watershed, we discuss the "contract-niki" system and the ominous new legislation that could see Russian reservists deployed for "special tasks." Economic "Death Zone": We analyse the state of the Russian economy—where military spending is consuming the country faster than it can be repaired. The "Zero Line": A chilling look at a recent BBC documentary detailing Russian commanders executing their own men. In the second half, Patrick and Saul tackle listener questions from across Europe. We discuss the vulnerability of the Baltic states, the potential for a UK independent nuclear deterrent in a post-Trump NATO landscape, and a heated debate over the BBC’s controversial decision to scale back its Ukraine coverage. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Battleground with me, Patrick Bishop, and Saul David.
0:16.8	I don't know where you are, listener, but here in London, Spring House definitely sprung.
0:21.0	It was 18 degrees yesterday, summertime temperatures, and a blessed belief after the endless rain and leaden skies of the last weeks.
0:29.8	Actually, it feels like months.
0:31.4	And the news from Ukraine is having a similar effect on the spirits as the fabulous weather.
0:38.2	On the battlefield, Ukraine's forces are making steady gains.
0:42.1	In Russia, the economic situation is getting ever more bleak.
0:46.6	There are even hints, heavily promoted by President Zelensky,
0:50.4	that Vladimir Putin may not have much longer on this earth, which reminds me of a joke that
0:56.8	my wife heard at a Ukrainian fundraiser the other day. So, Vladimir Putin goes to a fortune teller
1:03.3	and asks him, when am I going to die? The fortune teller replies, I can tell you, you will die
1:09.4	on a Ukrainian national holiday. Putin says, yeah, but which
1:14.0	one? There is so many. I've no idea, says the fortune teller, but I do know that whichever day you
1:19.5	die will become a Ukrainian national holiday. Bo Bo. Good stuff, Patrick. And who knows? Well, after a long stretch of stasis and gloom,
1:29.7	there are signs that as we pass the fourth anniversary
1:31.8	of the start of Putin's full-scale assault on Ukraine,
1:35.4	the tide of the war is turning against Russia
1:37.8	and that Ukraine has reason to hope that after a dreadful winter,
1:41.7	things are starting to go their way.
1:43.9	Let's start with the battlefield.
1:45.9	In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have made their most significant battlefield advances since
1:50.5	2003, recapturing approximately around 400 square kilometres of territory since the end of January,
	...

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