Episode
Is Putin on the backfoot in Ukraine and in Russia?
- Podcast
- The Global Story
- Published
- Jul 6, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1635
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct8mc7
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-global-story-6677479/episodes/is-putin-on-the-backfoot-in-ukraine-and-in-russia/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-global-story-6677479/is-putin-on-the-backfoot-in-ukraine-and-in-russia.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
President Trump will be attending a NATO summit in Turkey this week, where he’s likely to hear one consistent message from European leaders: the tide is shifting against Russia in its war with Ukraine. And not just on the battlefield. Russian cities are being pounded by Ukrainian drones in ever increasing numbers. Fuel shortages have become widespread as key infrastructure has been targeted, with long lines seen at gas stations and trucks abandoned by the side of the road. Vladimir Putin recently made a rare admission; that his country is actually facing problems caused by the conflict, amid growing disquiet about Russia’s enormous economic problems. In today’s episode we speak to Simon Shuster, staff writer at The Atlantic, and veteran reporter of Russia and Ukraine. And with the war starting to hit home, we ask if Putin is now on the backfoot? Producers: Lucy Pawle and Hannah Moore Executive producer: Bridget Harney Mix: Travis Evans Video producer: Matt Pintus Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Russia's President Putin meets with service members in Moscow, June 12, 2026. Photo Credit: Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via Reuters