CHEAP DRONES & EXPENSIVE WARS | Voices from the Front & The Wire Tap

Is Russia really winning in Ukraine, or is the Kremlin’s battlefield narrative beginning to unravel? And are decisions being made in Washington putting Ukrainian lives at greater risk? In this latest episode of Voices from the Front, I’m joined once again by war correspondent and author of Dogs of Mariupol, Tom Mutch, for a frank discussion about the rapidly changing situation in Ukraine, the realities of the frontline and the increasingly troubling decisions coming out of Washington. Tom has recently returned from Zaporizhzhia, where he was embedded with a Ukrainian drone unit conducting operations against Russian forces. He shares his firsthand experiences of how Ukraine is using long-range drones to threaten Russia’s southern land corridor to Crimea, and how technology is fundamentally changing the battlefield. We also examine the controversial restrictions affecting Starlink and Starshield, their potential consequences for Ukraine’s drone operations and air defences, and the serious questions surrounding the White House’s involvement. With Russian missiles continuing to strike Ukrainian cities, who is responsible for decisions that could leave millions more vulnerable? We discuss: * The Starlink scandal: What happened, how restrictions affected Ukrainian military operations and why accountability matters. * Trump and the Kremlin: Russian oil sanctions relief, Washington’s increasingly hostile rhetoric towards Zelensky and the implications for Ukraine. * The real battlefield picture: Ukrainian advances around Lyman, Operation Vivaldi, Russian losses and the Kremlin’s increasingly questionable claims of success. * Tom’s Zaporizhzhia embed: An extraordinary firsthand account of Ukrainian drone teams targeting Russian logistics and supply routes towards Crimea. * The changing face of warfare: Artificial intelligence, unmanned ground vehicles, interceptor drones and the technological revolution taking place on the frontline. * Russia’s manpower problems: Mounting casualties, foreign recruitment and the possibility of another stealth mobilisation. * What comes next: Can Russia sustain its offensive operations, what does Ukraine’s improving battlefield position mean, and where could this war be heading over the coming months? We also discuss the growing distinction between the war being presented in political speeches and the one actually being fought, and why Russia’s increasingly destructive attacks against Ukrainian cities should not distract from its difficulties on the battlefield. The battlefield is not moving in only one direction, and the Kremlin is not having everything its own way. Tom’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TomAtWar The Defector - https://www.wsj.com/world/russian-defector-deadly-sabotage-campaign-a95d163c?utm_source=chatgpt.com 🇺🇦 Voices from the Front, reporting and perspectives from those who know this war firsthand. If you value independent reporting from Ukraine, please consider subscribing, sharing this episode and supporting my work. Thank you John Mahoney, HoldingTheLine(HTL), Urban Hermit, Liz Alexander, Leslie in CA, and many others for tuning into my live video with Thomas Mutch! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Is Kyiv really a frontline city? and how does the Ukrainian capital today compare with the desperate battle to defend it in February 2022? In this episode of Voices from the Front, I sit down with Operator Starsky (Andrii Kulish), a former Ukrainian National Guard serviceman and military commentator who witnessed the opening stages of Russia’s full-scale invasion. We revisit the Russian assault on Hostomel, the battle to defend Kyiv, and the extraordinary resistance that prevented Moscow from capturing Ukraine’s capital. But our conversation goes much further. With journalists recently describing Kyiv as a frontline city, we examine the crucial difference between living under Russian missile and drone attacks and fighting on Ukraine’s actual frontlines, where soldiers and civilians face FPV drones, artillery, glide bombs and Russian ground forces. We also discuss Russia’s escalating attacks on civilian infrastructure, Ukraine’s increasingly effective long-range strikes against Russian oil refineries and military logistics, the changing nature of drone warfare, and the challenges facing Ukraine as another difficult winter approaches. Finally, we ask the question everyone wants answered: Can there really be peace in Ukraine before the end of 2026? Two military veterans, two very different experiences of the Russian invasion, and a frank conversation about what this war looks like beyond the headlines. From the defence of Kyiv to the zero line, this is the war through the eyes of those who have lived it. Operator Starsky on YouTube 🇺🇦 Voices from the Front, firsthand Ukrainian perspectives, military analysis and independent reporting from inside Ukraine. Thank you Sheryl, HoldingTheLine(HTL), PaulM, Liz Alexander, Leslie in CA, and many others for tuning into my live video with Operator Starsky! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Russia spent another night hammering Ukraine, but the geography of this war is changing, and increasingly the consequences are travelling in both directions. In this episode of Voices From The Front & The Wire Tap, we break down a violent night across Ukraine, including the explosions and jet drones over Dnipro, Russia’s continuing attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure, and what increasingly looks like preparation for another brutal winter campaign. But while Russia attacks Ukrainian cities, Ukraine is increasingly taking the war back into Russia. We discuss Ukrainian strikes reaching Moscow, Sochi, Russian oil infrastructure and the pressure being applied to Crimea and the Southern Land Corridor, and why Putin may have very good reasons for wanting the world’s attention focused elsewhere. We also challenge the growing description of Kyiv as a “frontline city.” Kyiv is unquestionably under serious attack, but comparing life in the capital with places such as Sumy, Kharkiv or communities genuinely sitting against the frontline risks completely distorting what soldiers and civilians there are actually experiencing. Then there is the technology. Shaheds are flying higher, electronic warfare is evolving, reconnaissance and decoy drones are probing Ukrainian defences, while AI-driven systems are increasingly entering the fight. The battlefield is changing extraordinarily quickly, and distances that once offered protection are disappearing. We also get into Trump, Belarus, sanctions, Russia’s international relationships, the UN Security Council, the information war and the uncomfortable political interests surrounding a conflict that shows absolutely no sign of ending soon. And, in true Wire Tap fashion, part of the conversation happens during an actual blackout in Ukraine, the studio simply switches to backup power and carries on. This is what reporting the war from Ukraine looks like. No studio talking points, no sofa analysis. Just two people living it, watching it change in real time, and trying to make sense of where it goes next. Thank you Sheryl, HoldingTheLine(HTL), Laura K, HJD playing outside, Christine Nobbs, and many others for tuning into my live video with Chris Sampson! Join me for my next live video in the app.

What does journalism from Ukraine actually look like when you’re the one going out, finding the story and taking the risks? I’m joined by Devin Woodall, photojournalist, filmmaker and editor-in-chief of East/West FM, for a candid conversation about independent journalism from inside a country at war. We talk about working close to the frontline, documenting stories the mainstream media often misses, the cost and risks behind producing original journalism, and the ethical decisions that come with filming people during some of the worst moments of their lives. But we also get into something increasingly difficult to ignore: the growing gap between journalism and content creation. While independent journalists are spending their own money, travelling to the front and taking real risks to document what is happening, an entire online industry has developed around repackaging other people’s work from thousands of miles away, often making considerably more money doing it. Where does reporting end and regurgitation begin? And in an algorithm-driven media world where outrage and clicks increasingly pay the bills, what happens to the truth? A frank conversation about journalism, Ukraine, money, ethics, algorithms and why actually being here still matters. Follow Devin & East/West FM * YouTube: East/West FM on YouTube * Substack: The East/West Column * Instagram: East/West FM on Instagram If you enjoyed the conversation, please give Devin and the East/West FM team a follow and support the original journalism they’re producing from Ukraine. Related Articles My thanks to Chris Sampson, PJ Schuster, HoldingTheLine(HTL), Laura K, Liz Alexander, and many others for tuning into my live video with Devin Woodall! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Former British diplomat to Ukraine Cormac Smith joins me for a wide-ranging and uncompromising conversation about where Russia’s war is heading, and why he believes the West needs to stop calling what Moscow is doing “hybrid warfare.” From Putin’s next roll of the dice and the growing threat to NATO, to Ukraine’s deep strikes inside Russia, mounting Russian losses, disinformation and the battle for Western public opinion, we look beyond the daily headlines at the bigger picture. We also discuss the increasingly troubled US-led peace process, Ukraine’s refusal to accept territorial capitulation, and why events on the battlefield may tell a very different story from the one many people in the West are hearing. Cormac’s warning is simple: Ukrainians have been telling the West for years that this is bigger than Ukraine. The question now is whether Europe understands what may be coming next. Related Articles: