# 407. Black Smoke Over St Petersburg: Ukraine Targets Putin’s "Russian Davos"

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/battleground-5307466/407-black-smoke-over-st-petersburg-ukraine-targets-putin-s-russian-davos.md
Podcast: [Battleground](https://stenobird.com/podcast/battleground-5307466)
Published: 2026-06-05T02:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/battlegroundpod/episodes/6a22b53b17f169d6433fbf46
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6a22b52017f169d6433fb960/e/c3d5921c-60d2-11f1-9529-ff81238c57ce/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/battleground-5307466/episodes/407-black-smoke-over-st-petersburg-ukraine-targets-putin-s-russian-davos
Duration seconds: 2207

## Resource

In this episode, Patrick and Roger dive into what has officially become the new reality: Ukraine has gained the upper hand in the war against Russia. We break down the stunning and deeply embarrassing Ukrainian drone strikes on St Petersburg and the Kronstadt naval base—timed perfectly to shatter Vladimir Putin's illusion of stability right as he hosted his flagship economic forum. Not only did these strikes degrade Russia's crucial energy sector, but they successfully sank a Russian Navy corvette, the Boikiy , right in the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet. As Russia resorts to press-ganging occupied citizens and faces a widening budget deficit due to unsustainable military spending, we ask a critical question: With the US under Donald Trump seemingly losing interest and stepping back, can Europe fill the diplomatic and military vacuum to maintain this forward momentum? To help answer this, we are joined by renowned historian, author, and political commentator Dr. Helene von Bismarck . We get her expert diplomatic perspective on a weakening Russia, a strengthening Ukraine, and what comes next for European security. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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