The Battlefield Laboratory — The Weekly

About this episode

Molly McKew joins Ron Steslow to discuss the evolving dynamics of the war in Ukraine, the implications for future warfare, and the influence of Russian narratives in Europe.

Molly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) joins Host Ron Steslow to take stock of the war shifting beneath the surface. They begin with the state of the fighting: Putin’s nuclear theater around Victory Day and the quiet vibe shift on the battlefield as Ukrainian resilience compounds. From there, they turn to Ukraine as a laboratory for the future of war: unmanned systems, data hubs, and the battlefield coordination American defense companies are scrambling to get their hands on. They also weigh the dual-use dilemma of companies like Palantir, whose tools help Ukraine target Russian commanders abroad while building surveillance architecture at home. Then, they examine Europe’s slow awakening from its post-World War II illusions and the persistent reach of Russian hybrid influence. Finally, they unpack the pro-Russian talking points that are proliferating on both ends of the political spectrum and refuse to die. In Politicology+, they dig into what Viktor Orbán’s defeat means for European unity on Ukraine, the differences between healthy and toxic nationalism, and how Europe is quietly rebuilding its defense planning where Article 5 can’t be…

People in this episode

Host: Ron Steslow

Guest: Molly McKew

Topics covered

• Russian influence
• information warfare
• Ukrainian resilience
• future of war
• European defense
• political narratives

Keywords

• Ukraine
• Russia
• information warfare
• Palantir
• Victory Day
• European defense
• nationalism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Palantir

Books & works: Molly’s Newsletter

Places: Ukraine, Russia, Europe

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