Kate Bondar: Russia Is Quietly Building a New Army - And NATO Is Completely Unprepared

Kate Bondar: Russia Is Quietly Building a New Army - And NATO Is Completely Unprepared

April 26, 2026 · 36 min

About this episode

The episode discusses how Russia is developing a new military based on advanced technologies and the implications for NATO.

➡️ Watch the full interview ad-free, join a community of geopolitics enthusiasts and gain access to exclusive content on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingGeopolitics ➡️ Sign up to my free geopolitics newsletter: https://stationzero.substack.com/ ➡️ Buy your own Geopolitics of the Western Pacific Map Print: https://decoding-geopolitics-shop.fourthwall.com/ Over the past year, something has been happening inside the Russian military that received very little attention but that will have - and is already having - pretty significant consequences. While the world has been focused on casualty numbers and frontline movements, Russia has been building an entirely new kind of army - one based on drones, autonomous weapons, and AI. It has been pouring enormous resources into it - and it's not a project for some distant future - it's already being widely used by Russia in Ukraine right now and it’s already changing how the Russian military fights a war. And even more importantly, it’s putting Russia way ahead of most NATO members in ways that should be setting off alarm bells in European capitals - but largely isn't. My guest today is Kateryna Bondar, a fellow at the CSIS Wadwhani…

More episodes of Decoding Geopolitics Podcast with Dominik Presl

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Decoding Geopolitics Podcast with Dominik Presl podcast page.