{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6a22b52017f169d6433fb960/6a22b54514e465e5ceb74aa0?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"384. Hubris at the Gates: The Fall of Russia's Elite","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6a22b52017f169d6433fb960/42f74c6d33397d32a9cca6d0e0dea496.png?height=200","description":"<p>If you would like to watch this podcast you can watch it on Spotify or you can find it on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@BattlegroundUkraine</p>\n<p>In this special on-the-ground edition of Battleground Special Forces, Saul David and Julius Strauss travel to the outskirts of Kharkiv and Kyiv to examine the catastrophic opening hours of the 2022 Russian invasion. </p>\n<p>Through eyewitness accounts and visits to the sites of intense urban combat, they reconstruct how Russia’s most elite units—the GRU-trained Spetsnaz and the VDV Airborne—faced fierce resistance that derailed the Kremlin’s \"two-day\" victory plan.  </p>\n<p>This episode features:</p>\n<p>• The Siege of School 134: A detailed look at the 13-hour gun battle in Kharkiv where dozens of elite Spetsnaz soldiers made a final, hubristic stand before the building was destroyed by a gas explosion.  </p>\n<p>• The Battle for Hostomel (Antonov) Airport: The strategic \"linchpin\" operation involving helicopter assaults and a desperate back-and-forth struggle for the gateway to Kyiv.  </p>\n<p>• The Human Cost in Bucha: A somber visit to the Bucha cemetery, where the rows of civilian victims bear witness to the 32-day Russian occupation.  </p>\n<p>Join Saul and Julius as they explore the \"battlefield detritus\" and the layers of history in a region still caught between recovery and the ongoing realities of war.  </p>\n<p>Julius Strauss writes the blog Back from the Front and also owns and runs Wild Bear Lodge, a bear-viewing lodge, in Canada. Here are the hyperlinks:</p>\n<p>Substack: https://backfromthefront.substack.com/</p>\n<p>Wild Bear Lodge: https://wildbearlodge.ca/</p>\n<p>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</p>\n<p>Follow us on:</p>\n<p>X - @PodBattleground</p>\n<p>Instagram - podbattleground</p>\n<p>Producer: James Hodgson</p>\n<p>A Goalhanger Podcast</p><p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href=\"https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices\">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>","author_name":"Goalhanger"}