442. Operation Vivaldi & The Rise of the Unmanned Forces: Inside Ukraine's Drone Revolution

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In this episode of Battleground, hosts Patrick Bishop and Roger Moorhouse dive into the latest developments from the front lines in Ukraine, featuring a deep dive into the successful "Operation Vivaldi" counteroffensive in the Donbas. Later, Belgian war correspondent Arnaud De Decker joins to share insights from his exclusive, behind-the-scenes interview with Robert Brovdi (aka "Magyar"), head of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.

Key Topics Covered:

• Operation Vivaldi: How Ukraine liberated over 250 square kilometres in the Donbas using ground-dropping robots, heavy bomber drones, and clever deception tactics (Maskirovka).
• Inside the Underground Command: Journalist Arnaud De Decker describes his high-security journey to a secret command centre monitoring live battlefield feeds across hundreds of screens.
• Exclusive Interview Insights with "Magyar": Robert Brovdi’s take on why deep-strike drone attacks in Russia are only 5% of daily missions, the strategic goal of replacing infantry with unmanned systems, and the chilling prospects of autonomous AI warfare.
• Life in Kyiv & Winter Expectations: Frontline realities versus civil resilience in Kyiv as winter approaches under changing Russian drone tactics.
• Cyber Warfare & Mailbag: A report on Poland's Cyber Legion initiative and listener questions on the future of tanks and European missile defence systems.

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

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