Ukraine: The Latest Mobile internet blackouts sweep Moscow & quizzing ‘Trump whisperer’ Finnish President Alexander Stubb
18 snips
Mar 17, 2026 
James Kilner, Russia analyst who decodes Kremlin media and censorship, joins to unpack Moscow’s latest mobile internet blackouts and Kremlin media framing of regional conflicts. He also explores how mobilisation is emptying rural villages and straining recruitment. Conversations touch on energy-driven daily life in Ukraine and shifting European policy debates led by Alexander Stubb’s Chatham House remarks.
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Small Advances Don’t Equal Strategic Breakthroughs
- Ukraine's counterattacks are producing local advances but are often limited to tidying up positions rather than deep breakthroughs along the frontline.
- Dominic Nicholls cautioned that drone strikes and small-unit losses shift front lines without reflecting large strategic breakthroughs.
Prioritise Air Denial And Energy Attacks
- Ukraine should prioritise denying Russia air superiority and targeting logistics, energy and Black Sea freedom to impose cumulative costs on Russia.
- Dominic referenced Defence Minister Mikhailo Fedorov's strategy: air denial, sea control, holding landlines and degrading energy infrastructure.
Flexible Integration For EU Enlargement
- Alexander Stubb argued EU enlargement and flexible integration are vital, warning the war reversed the 'end of history' optimism and created a new iron curtain.
- He advocated creative approaches like reverse membership while refusing to set a timeline for Ukraine's EU accession.