16 Comments
Aug 10Liked by Phillips P. OBrien

Can you make transcripts available of these podcasts sometimes I’d rather read the transcript and listen to the podcast. Your work is great thank you!

Expand full comment
author

It is available. Click on the episode's site--and the transcript should be accessible there

Expand full comment
Aug 10Liked by Phillips P. OBrien

totally agree - i don't have time to listen to these usually. I can read the content much more quickly!

Expand full comment
author

See above--it should be there!

Expand full comment
Aug 10·edited Aug 10Liked by Phillips P. OBrien

I read and hear a lot that the objective of the Kursk salient cannot be to divert Russian forces away from other parts of the eastern front because "it would be pointless, Russia has lots of reserves to send"...

But even if Ukraine decides to move back to Ukraine tomorrow, they will have made quite clear that Russia must MUCH better cover its hundreds of miles of border to Ukraine. And THAT can divert a lot of troops and equipment. Thus relieving the pressure on the Donbas.

Expand full comment
author

The people making that argument are grasping at straws--my guess is that it simply doesnt fit into their view of Russian strength. It will take real force to retake a Ukrainian salient and, as you say, even if the Ukrainians do pull back in the end--the RUssians are going to have to protect their border

Expand full comment

Thanks Phillips and Mykola, another good’n.

Given how superbly the UAF kept their intentions under wraps, including by indicating that the Kerch bridge would be brought down imminently, would it not be the icing on the cake to actually pull that off now too?!

To complete the morale raising masterstroke?

Expand full comment
author

Interesting idea--my guess is that when they go for the Kerch bridge, we will only know it when the explosions happen. And im not guessing when that will be!

Expand full comment
Aug 11Liked by Phillips P. OBrien

I didn’t think about preventing offensive towards Sumy but now looking at the map, it makes perfect sense. The fact that it’s a gas and rail interchange is added bonus. Plus of course a massive political embarrassment for Tsar Putin to allow a relative easy invasion

Expand full comment
author

All of that mattered. If you think back a few weeks--there was lots of chatter of a Russian Sumy offensive.

Expand full comment
Aug 11Liked by Phillips P. OBrien

yes - so much information is given out in this 30 minutes - the transcript is of course something I rely on and thank you for providing it. The analysis of current events, with some historical pointers to WW1 and WW2 is really clear.

Expand full comment
author

Dear Emma--thanks so much for saying tat

Expand full comment
Aug 11Liked by Phillips P. OBrien

Excellent episode, thanks both

Expand full comment
author

Thanks for that!

Expand full comment
Aug 11·edited Aug 11

I *loved* Mykola's comment that in a war, there is no border - only a front line. How the west allowed itself to internalise the opposite is one of our greatest failings towards Ukraine really.

Expand full comment

Again, made perfect sense! Borders are for peace time, frontlines are for wars

Expand full comment