Fresh from Ukraine, Glenn Corn lays out what Kyiv is feeling now, where Russia is vulnerable, and why the drone war is no longer staying on the battlefield.

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Ryan Fugit talks with Glenn Corn as Glenn calls in from Warsaw after a week in Ukraine, including stops tied to the Black Sea Security Conference in Odessa and a security conference in Kyiv. Glenn describes the human cost of Russia’s continued strikes, Ukraine’s expanding drone campaign, the pressure building around Putin, and why Kyiv believes it has to build more of its own air defense solutions.

The conversation also moves beyond Ukraine into the wider conflict space: Russian influence operations, pressure on Armenia and Belarus, Syria, Iran, Hezbollah, FPV drones, NATO air defense gaps, Lebanon, Gulf economic strain, and Cuba’s deepening crisis.

In this episode, we cover:

• Glenn’s readout from Kyiv, Odessa, and Warsaw after his latest Ukraine trip
• Russia’s ongoing drone and missile strikes against Ukrainian cities
• Ukraine’s growing FPV drone impact on Russian logistics
• Why Ukraine still needs interceptors, but is building its own systems
• Putin’s pressure points after the Saint Petersburg economic forum
• Russian disinformation and the American influencer information war
• Why Glenn says the U.S. should double down on pressure against Russia
• European concerns about U.S. reliability and NATO deterrence
• Armenia, Belarus, Syria, and Russia’s pressure around the periphery
• Iran, oil prices, Ukraine’s counter drone expertise, and Middle East lessons
• Hezbollah’s FPV drone use and the threat to Israel
• Why Glenn warns U.S. critical infrastructure is no longer protected by geography
• Lebanon, Hezbollah’s arms, and the risk of letting Iranian proxies reconstitute
• Why Ukraine remains inspiring, but cannot be pushed out of focus

Timeline / chapters

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:15 Odessa, Kyiv, Russian strikes, and the death of a two year old
• 01:11 What Ukraine feels like on the ground right now
• 01:31 Ukraine’s FPV drone strikes against Russian logistics
• 02:24 Air defense shortages, interceptors, and Russian missile attacks
• 03:17 Ukraine’s own air defense systems and the KAB threat
• 04:46 Laura Loomer, Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, and Russian disinformation
• 05:19 Russian hardliners pushing back on Putin
• 06:19 Is Putin under pressure or running a disinformation play?
• 07:10 What Glenn would tell the administration now
• 08:49 European doubts about U.S. reliability and NATO deterrence
• 09:48 Ukraine’s EU path, Armenia, and pressure on Russia’s periphery
• 10:25 Syria, Armenia, Belarus, and the northern border threat
• 11:20 Iran, oil prices, and Ukraine’s view from the security summits
• 11:52 Ukraine’s counter drone lessons for the U.S. and NATO
• 12:55 Ryan’s reaction to FPV drone footage from Ukraine
• 13:54 Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, and drone warfare spreading
• 15:22 Lebanon, nuclear talks, and Hezbollah as a bargaining chip
• 17:35 Ukraine, Dubai, Gulf strain, and Cuba’s blackouts

How to find Glenn Corn

Glenn Corn is a former CIA Senior Intelligence Service officer and multi-time Chief of Station in some of the world's most difficult posts. You can find him at the Institute of World Politics (https://www.iwp.edu/faculty/glenn-corn/) or his consultancy at Great South Bay Consulting
(https://greatsouthbayinc.com/).

Restricted Handling:
https://www.restrictedhandling.com/