Tereza Pultarova: Space, Science, and Drone Wars

About this episode

Tereza Pultarova discusses the implications of drone warfare and military technology in the context of the Ukraine conflict.

In this Plutopia News Network episode, science and technology journalist Tereza Pultarova discusses her path from covering space exploration to reporting on defense technology after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, explaining how her Eastern European background shaped her understanding of the war’s stakes. She describes Ukraine as a fast-moving laboratory for military innovation, especially in drones, autonomous targeting, swarming systems, ground robots, and anti-drone defenses, while warning that these technologies could eventually make drone attacks common in Western cities and deepen a broader climate of fear and insecurity. The conversation also explores Starlink’s importance in modern warfare, the militarization and commercialization of space, the growing crisis of space junk, the possibility of conflict extending to the moon or orbit, and the dangers posed by authoritarian leaders, nuclear escalation, and information control. Throughout, Pultarova stresses the human cost of war, including trauma carried across generations, while arguing that journalists must keep these realities visible even when the public wants to look away. Tereza Pultarova: Apart from the…

People in this episode

Host: Plutopia News Network

Guest: Tereza Pultarova

Topics covered

• space exploration
• defense technology
• military innovation
• drones
• war journalism
• human cost of war
• authoritarianism

Keywords

• drone wars
• military technology
• space junk
• Starlink
• autonomous targeting
• information control
• nuclear escalation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IEEE Spectrum, Starlink

Places: Ukraine, Western cities, moon, orbit

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