logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
29m 24s

Inside the Battle of Azovstal

MODERN WAR INSTITUTE AT WEST POINT
About this episode

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, one of its first targets was the city of Mariupol. Despite being outnumbered by—and less well equipped than—their adversaries, Ukrainian defenders held out for three months. As the Russian siege of the city intensified, Ukrainian forces defended a shrinking perimeter with a command post in the Azovstal steel plant. One of those Ukrainian defenders was Sergeant Arseniy Fedosiuk. MWI's John Spencer had the opportunity to speak to him about his experience in Mariupol, and you'll hear part of that discussion in this episode.

 

The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

Up next
Jul 2
Bunker Busters and B-2s
When the United States conducted Operation Midnight Hammer, a series of strikes against Iranian nuclear targets, it did so with two key pieces of exquisite hardware: the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator and the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber. But how does the GBU-57 actually work? ... Show More
39m 2s
Jun 11
The US Defense Industrial Base, from Steel to Software
The defense industrial base is a critical component of US military readiness. But how should we conceptualize it in the information age, when it isn't just physical materiel like weapons, vehicles, and ammunition that are vital, but also data and software? How have globalization ... Show More
46m 38s
May 31
A Survey of Europe's Defense and Security Landscape
When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, it galvanized both NATO and the European Union, doing more to unify much of Europe than any event in recent history. But how has political and strategic unity translated to improvements of collective European defense and deter ... Show More
50m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2022
Turning point in the war?
In a critical moment in Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the battle for the Donbas region is underway. President Zelensky is vowing to fight on against a large scale Russian ground offensive. We've already seen efforts to break through Ukraine's front lines in three regions in the ea ... Show More
44m 45s
Aug 2024
Inside Ukraine’s Invasion of Russia
This episode contains descriptions of war.When Ukrainian troops crossed over into Russia two weeks ago, it appeared at first to be a largely symbolic gesture. But in the time since, it has emerged as a potentially pivotal moment in the war.Andrew Kramer, the Kyiv bureau chief for ... Show More
26m 36s
Oct 2024
Ukrainian 'prisoner soldiers' enter the fray in the Battle of Donbas
Day 976.Today, as Putin admits Russia is working with North Korea, we look at several investigations into Moscow’s interactions with terrorist groups, and consider the former Ukrainian prisoners released to fight on the front lines. Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Assistant Commen ... Show More
48m 12s
Aug 2024
Former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller
A "massive attack" by Ukraine - this is how Russia describes a daring incursion by Ukrainian troops into its Kursk region. And while Russia claims it has stopped the incursion, evidence from the ground suggests fighting is ongoing. This comes as Russian forces creep closer to the ... Show More
1 h
Aug 2024
How Ukraine’s invasion crossed Putin’s ‘red line’
A week after Ukraine invaded the Kursk region of western Russia - when around 1,000 troops surprised analysts by storming across the border - Russia’s President Vladimir Putin vowed to “kick the enemy out of our territory”.       But has the success of Ukraine’s incursion threate ... Show More
17m 18s
Aug 2024
Ukraine wrongfoots Russia in Kursk
Ben Hall, the FT’s Europe editor, discusses Ukraine’s Kursk incursion with Andriy Zagorodnyuk, former defence minister and chair of the Centre for Defence Strategies in Kyiv. What is the strategy behind the move? How could it affect the fighting elsewhere on the frontline and cou ... Show More
17m 13s
Mar 2023
"We can destroy you!" - Russia warns U.S. over Ukraine escalation | Redacted with Clayton Morris
Nikolay Patrushev, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, warned Monday that Moscow possesses weapons capable of wiping out an enemy, including the United States. This comes as depleted uranium shells were seen on video being given to Ukrainian soldiers in Ukraine. But th ... Show More
1h 29m
Aug 2024
Ukraine takes the fight to Russia
For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, Ukrainian soldiers have advanced 30km inside Russia. President Zelensky says Ukraine is pushing the war onto "the aggressor's territory" in the Kursk region. What could this mean for the war? Vitaly Shevchenko, one of ... Show More
14m 19s
May 2024
Surviving a 14 Hour Russian Ambush
Today we speak to journalist Conall Kearney about how he recently got stuck in a 14 hour gun battle with Russian forces whilst embedded with Ukraine battalion 'Kayfariki Group' on the frontlines in East Ukraine. https://www.patreon.com/Cocobongo666 https://www.instagram.com/cocob ... Show More
38m 15s
Oct 2022
What the Kerch Bridge Attack Means for the War
In the latest episode, Dmitri Alperovitch talks with Michael Kofman about the Kerch bridge attack, as well as: - Prospect of nuclear weapons use by Putin - Analysis of how Russia's mobilization drive has gone thus far - Kherson and Donbas counteroffensives by Ukrainian forces - W ... Show More
48m 46s