Join us as Saul David and Roger Moorhouse digest the latest news from Ukraine, including the intense pressure mounting on Kyiv as the Trump administration reportedly issues an ultimatum to Zelensky to concede territory—likely the Donbas—to end the war.

Despite this, they look at analysis that shows that Ukraine can win a protracted war of attrition against Russia's exaggerated claims of victory.

We are also delighted to be joined by friend of the show Boldi Gyori, who updates us on the latest developments on the ground in Ukraine and also discusses his recent experience behind the front line with Ukrainian electricity repairmen.

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

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground

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In the second episode of our Hero or Villain series, Patrick Bishop and Roger Moorhouse examine Air Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, the controversial chief of RAF Bomber Command, known as "Butcher Harris" due to the staggering losses suffered by his crews .

Harris vigorously pursued the necessary policy of area bombing German cities , a campaign he justified as crucial for shortening the war and preserving Allied lives. While his blunt, unapologetic zeal made him a target for post-war criticism.

Whilst Patrick and Roger deliver their verdict on Harris' legacy. What do you think? Is he a hero or a villain?

Cast Your Vote! Join the debate and cast your vote on Arthur Harris: https://forms.gle/LUtBHnKwD3nuiUMk9

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

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground

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Patrick Bishop and Roger Moorhouse discuss a familiar feeling of "deja vu" as the latest US peace mission to Moscow—led by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner—ends with no substantial progress. They argue that Russian President Putin is deliberately "stringing Trump along" to keep the outside world waiting while Russia continues to make incremental gains on the ground.

The hosts also dive into a revealing Wall Street Journal article suggesting a "chilling" motivation behind the American peace efforts: charting a path to bring Russia's $2 trillion economy "in from the cold," positioning American businesses to beat European competitors to the dividends. 

They also examine the widening corruption scandal in Ukraine and joining them to discuss this is friend of the show Askold Krushelnycky, who helps them look at the negative impact of the scandal on Zelensky's standing at home and abroad, and why Putin cannot afford to stop the war short of a total victory.

Finally, the hosts answer a listener's questions including one about Ukraine's "remarkably bold" and "symbolic" drone attacks on Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers.

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

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground

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In the first of our latest Battleground history series Patrick Bishop and Roger Morehouse tackle Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the Nazi Germany commander revered by enemies for his "war without hate".

Together they peel back the decades of mythology, challenging the image of Rommel as the "good German".

How much did Rommel, who served as Hitler’s personal security commander , know about the regime’s atrocities?

Was the positive postwar Western image of Rommel merely a convenient tool for rehabilitating Germany during the Cold War?

Whilst Patrick and Roger deliver their verdict on Rommel's legacy. What do you think? Is he a hero or a villain?

Cast Your Vote! Join the debate and cast your vote on Erwin Rommel: https://forms.gle/7e4FGMEJuRr3A4vP9

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

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground

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Join Saul David and Patrick Bishop as they dissect the latest surrounding the war in Ukraine, including the extraordinary collapse and revision of the US 'peace plan' for Ukraine.

What started as a controversial 28-point proposal—heavily suspected to have been drafted by Russia and passed on by US envoy Steve Witkoff (as revealed in leaked calls)—has now been reduced to a 19-point framework that Ukraine can accept, but which the Kremlin is actively rejecting despite President Trump's optimistic claims of "tremendous progress."

The hosts explore the initial pro-Russian demands, the damning evidence of Moscow's influence, and the uncomfortable reality that the amended plan still offers Russia an amnesty for war crimes. Crucially, they analyze the deepening economic crisis in Russia, with collapsing energy exports suggesting Putin may soon be unable to fund his war of aggression, even as the conflict grinds on.

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

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground

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In this final episode of our Korean War series, hosts Saul, David, and Roger Morehouse examine the enduring legacy of the 1953 Armistice, exploring the human cost of the conflict and the profound ways it continues to shape modern geopolitics.

Joining them to discuss this is political analyst Robert Kelly, who helps detail why the lack of a formal peace treaty defines the high-risk security situation, the peninsula's extreme militarisation, and the chilling role of North Korea's nuclear arsenal and its current support for Russia in the Ukraine conflict.

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

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground

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Former NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen joins Saul, David, and Patrick Bishop for an authoritative briefing from the House of Lords.

The former Secretary General also provides a stinging critique of the 28-point peace plan floated by the Trump administration, labelling the demands—which included territorial cession—a "Russian plan".

Robertson also firmly refutes the narrative of a missed opportunity to bring Russia into NATO, dismissing it as "Putin propaganda," and highlights the Russian leader's early deception by pointing to his own signature on the 2002 Rome Declaration guaranteeing European territorial integrity.

Robertson offers an assessment of NATO’s resilience, arguing the alliance is a "real bargain" for the US that is unlikely to be abandoned, but stresses the urgent need for Europeans to increase their defence spending.

He concludes with the high stakes of the conflict: "If Russia stops fighting, there will be peace. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine."

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

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground

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With the latest news from Ukraine coming to light as to the seriousness in which the Trump administration are pushing this latest peace proposal, Patrick Bishop and Roger Moorhouse give their reaction to the leaked contents.

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

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground

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This week discussing the latest from Ukraine, Patrick Bishop and Saul David examine the ongoing, costly Battle for Pokrovsk, arguing that Russia's fixation on capturing cities continues to highlight strategic incompetence and desperation—a point underscored by the recent crackdown on pro-war milbloggers.

They also dissect the "unprecedented act of sabotage" on the Polish rail network, a critical aid route to Ukraine. Is Russia's increasingly reckless hybrid warfare campaign—including recent naval and drone provocations—a sign of fundamental weakness or a dangerous attempt to destabilise NATO's border states?

Finally, the hosts scrutinise reports of a secret US-Russian peace plan that allegedly requires Ukraine to make major concessions, including ceding land and limiting its military.

Plus, an interview with director Benjamin Goldhagen about his documentary, The Steel Porcupine, which puts the conflict and the Ukrainian will to resist into essential context.

If you'd like to watch the documentary film you can find it online here: https://www.thesteelporcupine.com/

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

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground

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This episode plunges into the brutality of static warfare. We explore the Chinese Spring Offensive of 1951 and the desperate defensive battles fought to hold the line, looking at the heroic and horrific three-day stand of the Glorious Glosters at the Battle of Imjin River—a sacrifice often credited with saving Seoul, and the Battle of Kapyong where the 27th Commonwealth Brigade fought their final battle.

Saul and Roger also analyse the new reality: a "war of inches" fought over insignificant ground, where immense human cost was exacerbated by the massive, destructive scale of American area bombing.

As the fighting raged, armistice talks began at Panmunjom, but quickly stalled on a single, intractable issue: the fate of the Prisoners of War. We dissect the controversial "voluntary repatriation" policy—the West's insistence on not forcing men back to Communism—which turned POW camps into ideological battlegrounds and peace negotiations into a two-year agony.

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

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground

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In this crucial episode of Battleground: Ukraine, hosts Saul David and Patrick Bishop dissect the high-stakes battle for Pokrovsk, a strategic rail and supply hub now facing an overwhelming Russian onslaught.

Despite recent slowdowns in the Russian advance and successful Ukrainian counter-attacks—which have inflicted record casualties on the invaders—the city’s defences appear to be on the verge of collapse. We examine the claims from Ukrainian officials that "We are losing Pokrovsk," the implications of unverified footage showing Russian forces entering the city, and what the loss of this key position would mean for Ukraine’s morale and the entire Donbas "fortress belt."

They also dissect the shocking corruption scandal uncovered by Ukraine's anti-corruption units, which demonstrates both the scale of corruption in Ukraine and also the success of measures being used to combat it.

We also welcome back friend of the podcast, intrepid Hungarian war reporter Boldi Gyori, who shares his recent experiences from the frontlines in Kramatorsk.

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

Producer: James Hodgson

X (Twitter): @PodBattleground

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