# 427. Election Bans, Drone Offensives & National Resilience

An episode of [Battleground](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1617276298), 13 Aug 2026, 56 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6a22b52017f169d6433fb960/e/6a7e01f7f8e81c43958d0a3f/media.mp3

The war in Ukraine reaches a critical new phase as Patrick Bishop and Saul David analyse Ukraine’s unprecedented, deep-strike drone campaigns into major Russian cities—and the Kremlin's nervous crackdown on domestic anti-war opposition ahead of upcoming elections. Plus, long-time friend of the podcast Askold Krushelnycky joins the show after returning from a grueling trip to Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Kyiv. Askold gives a sobering update on the grim reality facing Ukrainian forces in the east, the strain on air defences, the political tension surrounding Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and why a cornered Vladimir Putin presents a dangerous threat as the conflict wears on. Finally, Patrick and Saul unpack the rising threat of Russian cyber and disinformation programmes in Europe and answer listener questions on national resilience and defence spending. 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 Follow us on: X - @PodBattleground Instagram - podbattleground Producer: James Hodgson A Goalhanger Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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