Ukraine and Russia enter a new phase of war, military expert says

Can Russia's manpower advantage change the course of the war in Ukraine? As Moscow appears to prepare to bring more troops into the war, Russia is betting that its larger pool of personnel and resources can help it sustain the fighting and outlast Ukraine and its Western partners. In this interview, The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell speaks with Mykola Bielieskov, senior analyst at Come Back Alive and research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, about why Russian advances have slowed, how Ukraine’s drone tactics are reshaping the battlefield, and the limits of relying on manpower alone. The conversation also explores Ukraine's advantage in strike and counter-drone systems, Russia's struggle to scale up skilled UAV operators, the economic costs of mobilization, and what Ukraine and its partners need to do to ensure that time works in their favor. 00:00 Intro 01:18 Why Russia's advances are slowing 05:04 Ukraine's 40-day drone campaign 17:25 Support independent journalism in Ukraine 18:01 Shift to total war 26:21 What Russia's new mobilization means 32:08 Can Russia keep mobilizing? 36:46 The strain on Russian economy 39:37 Is time on Ukraine's side? 44:23 Outro Watch more of the Kyiv Independent’s reporting on Russia’s war tactics:    • Ukraine's top military analyst breaks down...      • How drones erased the front line in Ukrain...      • Russia's new battlefield tactics in Ukrain...   We have more than 400,000 subscribers on this channel, and millions watch our videos every month. But less than 1% support our journalism financially. If you’ve been watching for a while, this is the moment to join us: https://kyivindependent.com/membershi... Subscribe to our channel for more independent reporting from Ukraine. #RussiaMobilization #UkraineWar #Drones #TotalWar #Manpower