{"podcast":{"title":"Battleground","slug":"battleground-5307466","podcast_index_feed_id":5307466,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6a22b52017f169d6433fb960","website_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/battlegroundpod","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6a22b52017f169d6433fb960/show-cover.jpg","author":"Goalhanger","episode_count":440,"summary":"A history podcast that explores the narratives, turning points, and characters that shape conflicts, encompassing a blend of social and military history. Following on from the series on the Falklands War, best-selling military historians Patrick Bishop, Saul David, and Roger Moorhouse turn their attention every Friday to the war in Ukraine, and every Wednesday look back at the significant wars, events, and figures from conflicts around the world.Goalhanger Podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-17T10:17:02.713248+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/battleground-5307466"},"episode":{"title":"411. The Squeeze on Crimea, Lukashenko’s Apology & Inside the Kherson 'Human Safari'","slug":"411-the-squeeze-on-crimea-lukashenko-s-apology-inside-the-kherson-human-safari","published_at":"2026-06-19T01:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/battleground-5307466/411-the-squeeze-on-crimea-lukashenko-s-apology-inside-the-kherson-human-safari","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/battleground-5307466","url":"https://shows.acast.com/battlegroundpod/episodes/the-squeeze-on-crimea-lukashenkos-apology-inside-the-kherson","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6a22b52017f169d6433fb960/e/6a345c2a4a2a3be0f4dc602d/media.mp3","summary":"In a remarkably mixed bag of an episode, Roger Moorhouse and Saul David explore whether the war is finally \"coming home\" to ordinary Russians as a systematic Ukrainian degradation campaign triggers widespread fuel shortages and chaos across fifty-three Russian regions. The team breaks down Ukraine's multi-strand, hybrid strategy: disabling crucial land bridges to isolate the Crimean Peninsula, mocking Moscow's air defenses with daylight refinery raids, and the geopolitical shockwave of Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko publicly apologizing to President Zelensky. They also dive into a historical comparison to the 1944 Normandy breakout, asking if we are on the cusp of a major Russian battlefield collapse. Featured Interview: Later in the episode, intrepid Hungarian war reporter Boldi Gyori joins the podcast from Budapest. He shares deeply moving—and at times gruesome—firsthand accounts from his recent trip to the liberated but heavily targeted city of Kherson. Boldi details the terrifying reality of the Russian \"human safari,\" where drone pilots use civilians for target practice, distance-mining litters the streets with \"flower petal\" explosives, and local volunteers brave \"the blue hour\" to evacuate the vulnerable and the deceased. (Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of civilian suffering and war casualties.) Plus, in the Q&A: A look at the clandestine partisan group Atesh . The likelihood of a desperate Kremlin executing a false flag operation. Why Vladimir Putin recently cut the Kremlin's security cameras over cybersecurity threats. 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…","meta_description":"In a remarkably mixed bag of an episode, Roger Moorhouse and Saul David explore whether the war is finally \"coming home\" to ordinary Russians as a systema…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3032,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/battleground-5307466/episodes/411-the-squeeze-on-crimea-lukashenko-s-apology-inside-the-kherson-human-safari/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/battleground-5307466/411-the-squeeze-on-crimea-lukashenko-s-apology-inside-the-kherson-human-safari.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}