A live multi-speaker discussion from Ukraine focused on drone warfare, Russian information control, the battlefield situation in Kherson/Odessa, and the view that Ukraine is innovating faster than Russia is adapting. The speakers argue that Putin is under growing pressure, but they repeatedly stress that Ukraine’s leverage comes from military endurance, drone development, logistics disruption, and continued foreign support rather than any near-term collapse of Russia.
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This is a long, lively roundtable recorded in Ukraine with Yuri Rashkin hosting Jonathan Pearce and Zarina Zabrisky, with the conversation centered on the war in Ukraine and the changing character of drone warfare. The core thesis is that the battlefield has shifted into a drone-dominated environment where Ukrainian adaptation, long-range strike capability, and logistical disruption are reshaping the conflict, while Russia increasingly relies on psychological pressure, propaganda, and sheer persistence rather than decisive battlefield superiority. …
Tactically, the immediate setup is favoring Ukraine’s drone and strike operators, while Russia is trying to answer with more drones, more pressure, and more fear. The risk is a sharp Russian escalation or a political setback in Western aid, but the speakers think Ukraine has the stronger near-term operational momentum.
Over the next few months, the likely path in the discussion is continued Ukrainian adaptation and incremental gains in battlefield reach, especially if Western aid and domestic production keep rising. The key question is whether Russia can absorb the pressure without losing logistics, cohesion, or narrative control; if not, the Putin-is-weakening thesis gains traction.
Structurally, the transcript argues that Ukraine is forcing a rewrite of modern warfare and that Russian power remains durable only as long as coercion, propaganda, and imperial inertia hold. The long-run implication is a more militarized European security order in which Ukrainian battlefield lessons matter far beyond this war.
Drone warfare has become the defining layer of the conflict, replacing older war assumptions with a sky-centric fight.
Repeated throughout the discussion, especially in the opening technical explanation of drone categories and tactics.
Kherson is effectively a live laboratory for modern warfare, with constant FPV attacks and civilian risk.
Zabrisky provides firsthand reporting and concrete numbers about weekly attacks and the city's condition.
Fiber-optic drones reduce the effectiveness of electronic warfare and extend the range at which attacks can be conducted.
The speakers explain that non-radio-emitting drones are harder to jam and can reach farther targets.
What brings you to Ukraine this time around, and who are the amazing people sitting next to you?
Jonathan Pierce drove four vehicles and three generators from the UK through Europe to Lviv, then took an overnight sleeper train to Kyiv, spent time there, and traveled to Odesa. This is his third trip to Ukraine.
Zarina, could you introduce yourself and tell us about your work?
Zarina Zabriski is an American journalist based in Herson, Ukraine, and a film director who made a film called 'Herson Human Safari.' She discovered a war crime called 'Human Safari' and continues living in Herson investigating Russian war crimes and a new drone tactic called 'drone siege.'
The population of Kharkiv is growing — greater than before. How does that work?
Zarina explains that there are two different cities: Kharkiv (the second largest city in Ukraine after Kyiv, about 40-50 miles from Russian troops) and Herson (a regional center of 250,000 that is now down to 60,000 and partially ruined). She clarifies the confusion between the two names and notes that Kharkiv is safer now because Ukrainian forces pushed Russian artillery back using HIMARS and electronic warfare.
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