Ukraine War: Putin, Zelenskyy, Trump, Drones and the Future of Warfare | Lex Fridman Podcast #504
Lex Fridman talks with West Point graduate Preston Stewart and military analyst Michael Kofman about the fifth year of the Ukraine war, how drones have changed fighting, Russian and Ukrainian leadership, and the paths to peace.
The gist
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Kofman says 2026 is Ukraine's best year of ground combat since summer 2023, while Russia leans on bombing infrastructure, which rarely wins wars.
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Kofman says drones cause 80% of losses, but minefields and artillery still matter, and destroying one tank often takes 30 to 40 drones.
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Kofman says the Chuika detector lets soldiers watch an incoming enemy drone's video feed, though fiber optic drones cannot be jammed or detected this way.
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Both guests say Russian maps claim positions 10 to 15 kilometers ahead of reality, and this false reporting gets Russian soldiers killed.
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Kofman warns a ceasefire without real security guarantees could just let Russia rearm. For hope, Stewart points to a Netflix show and a drone-rescued soldier.
"So you often have a device, for example, it's nicknamed the Chuika, one type of it. I've always had one in the vehicle when driving. There's three antennas coming out of it which receive signal on three different frequency spectrums."
▶ Play at 38:45"My wife and I just watched the Stanford Prison Experiment on Netflix. You know what I'm talking about, the show that just came out? At the end of it, you've got all these people that had nothing in common, and they just spent a bunch of time together kind of trapped. They all ..."
▶ Play at 2:48:08What they recommend · 2 picks
"So you often have a device, for example, it's nicknamed the Chuika, one type of it. I've always had one in the vehicle when driving. There's three antennas coming out of it whic..."
"My wife and I just watched the Stanford Prison Experiment on Netflix. You know what I'm talking about, the show that just came out? At the end of it, you've got all these people..."
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1 pick · guest
"So you often have a device, for example, it's nicknamed the Chuika, one type of it. I've always had one in the vehicle when driving. There's three antennas coming out of it whic..."
Preston Stewart
1 pick · guest
"My wife and I just watched the Stanford Prison Experiment on Netflix. You know what I'm talking about, the show that just came out? At the end of it, you've got all these people..."
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