396. Katya’s War: From Kharkiv to Bakhmut

Battleground

Goalhanger

History

4.5 • 824 Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2026

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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 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 podbattleground@gmail.com

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Producer: James Hodgson

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to Battleground Ukraine with me, Saul David. Now, eagle-eyed listeners might have noticed
0:19.6	were a little behind our usual schedule this week.
0:22.7	We had a fascinating podcast following a visit we did to a Hartier command post near the front lines ready to go.
0:29.5	But as we've often discussed on this show, the fog of war isn't just a metaphor.
0:34.3	That particular episode is currently undergoing a final security vetting by the Ukrainian
0:38.8	Ministry of Defence. In a conflict where operational security is quite literally a matter of life
0:44.6	and death, we are, of course, more than happy to wait for their green light. We have to be
0:49.8	incredibly careful that we don't inadvertently reveal anything, locations or landmarks, that
0:55.8	the Russians could use to geolocate our positions or those of the troops. In this war,
1:01.7	a single stray frame or recognizable horizon can bring a missile strike down in minutes,
1:07.8	so we are taking every precaution. However, the delay has given us the opportunity
1:12.8	to pivot to a guest we are delighted to welcome back to the show. We first spoke with Katia Rautushna
1:19.1	last year shortly after she had returned from the surreal heights of the Oscars, where her film
1:24.4	Porcelain War was an Academy Award nominee. But above all else, Katia is a soldier.
1:30.3	She's been at the very sharpest end of this conflict since the very beginning,
1:34.3	a veteran of the initial Battle of Harkiv, and surviving the absolute crucibles of Bacmute and Abdevka.
1:41.3	We caught up with her recently in her hometown of Harkiv to talk about her experiences
1:47.4	and to get her perspective on the current state of the fight and the reality of life on the edge.
1:54.4	Katya, thank you for talking to us again. Here we are in your hometown of Harkiv. It's nice to be here, I must admit, even though it's a little bit noisy at night,
2:03.9	sometimes in the day, but basically nice to be here.
2:06.9	And sometimes I'm really glad to see you too.
2:09.1	Really glad to have this interview with you.
	...

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