Battleground

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 special on-the-ground edition of Battleground Special Forces, Saul David and Julius Strauss travel to the outskirts of Kharkiv and Kyiv to examine the catastrophic opening hours of the 2022 Russian invasion.

Through eyewitness accounts and visits to the sites of intense urban combat, they reconstruct how Russia’s most elite units—the GRU-trained Spetsnaz and the VDV Airborne—faced fierce resistance that derailed the Kremlin’s "two-day" victory plan.  

This episode features:

• The Siege of School 134: A detailed look at the 13-hour gun battle in Kharkiv where dozens of elite Spetsnaz soldiers made a final, hubristic stand before the building was destroyed by a gas explosion.  

• The Battle for Hostomel (Antonov) Airport: The strategic "linchpin" operation involving helicopter assaults and a desperate back-and-forth struggle for the gateway to Kyiv.  

• The Human Cost in Bucha: A somber visit to the Bucha cemetery, where the rows of civilian victims bear witness to the 32-day Russian occupation.  

Join Saul and Julius as they explore the "battlefield detritus" and the layers of history in a region still caught between recovery and the ongoing realities of war.  

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

The Battleground team returns to Ukraine to witness how a whirlwind year of shifting geopolitics and a brutal winter have transformed the nation.

On our first day in Odesa, hosts Saul David and Julius Strauss explore a city that remains a stunning architectural gateway to the country, despite being a primary target for Russian drones and missiles.

In this episode, we sit down with friend of the podcast, Boldizsar Gyori, to discuss Odesa’s complex history and its critical role as the port that keeps the Ukrainian economy afloat through the grain corridor.

We also hear two deeply moving firsthand accounts from two young Ukrainian women, Katerina and Tatyana, who share their harrowing experiences living under occupation in Kherson and Bucha.

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

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

As the war between America, Israel, and Iran escalates, the ripple effects are being felt acutely in Ukraine.

In this episode, Patrick and Saul analyse the "extraordinary diplomatic developments" emerging from the White House, where President Trump appears to be equating Western support for Ukraine with Russian support for a repressive Iranian theocracy.

Meanwhile, Saul provides a firsthand update following his recent trip to the front lines, and on the ground in Ukraine, we separate fact from fiction regarding General Gerasimov’s latest claims of Russian breakthroughs, contrasting them with the reality of "kill zones" and the successful liberation of territory in Zaporizhzhya.

Finally, we answer your questions on the persistent rumours of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s survival, whether the West can truly bankrupt Russia’s "shadow fleet" as oil prices soar, and more.

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

In this episode of Battleground, Saul David and Patrick Bishop dive into a packed mailbag to answer your thoughts and questions on the elite units and daring raids that defined 20th-century special operations.

Among the topics of discussion in today's episode are: operations by Norwegian SOFs during WW2, the daring Italian manned-torpedo raids on the British fleet at Alexandria in 1941, and Operation Jaywick - the audacious 1943 raid on Singapore Harbour.

Join the Conversation:
If you have a question about the history of special forces or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at [email protected] or follow us on X @PodBattleground.

Producer: James Hodgson

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

Recording from an overnight train traveling across Ukraine, Saul David and Julius Strauss reflect on an intensive week-long journey from Odesa to Kyiv. In this episode, they bear witness to the jarring dualities of a country at war—reporting directly from the site of a devastating missile strike on a Kharkiv apartment block.

They also share insights from Odesa on the repair of the electrical grid and the ongoing struggle against infrastructure attacks. And do an analysis of the ongoing dispute with Hungary and Ukraine’s growing diplomatic influence in the Gulf.

Join Saul and Julius for an atmospheric debrief on the endurance of the Ukrainian spirit, captured in transit as they head toward the final leg of their tour.

Join us as we conclude our deep dive into one of the most significant Special Forces operations in British history.

If you would like to watch this podcast you can watch it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uaEu09gbu5k

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/

If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - [email protected]

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices