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

An episode of [Battleground](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1617276298), 2 Oct 2026, 1 h 02 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6a22b52017f169d6433fb960/e/6abea6146d06b1436e89f928/media.mp3

Want to support Matt's charity cycle raising money for SuperHumans? You can find his donation page here. www.justgiving.com/page/u2u 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 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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