384. Hubris at the Gates: The Fall of Russia's Elite
About this episode
The episode explores the catastrophic opening hours of the 2022 Russian invasion through eyewitness accounts and visits to combat sites.
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 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. 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. This episode features: • 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. • 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. • 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. Join Saul and Julius as they explore…
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