The Fight

Life and War in Ukraine: A Conversation with Nataliya Bugayova

There are few who understand this war better than Nataliya Bugayova. She lived and worked in Ukraine for years. Her present focus – as a non-resident fellow and the former Russia team lead at The Institute for the Study of War, is on the analysis of the Kremlin’s operations and on what’s happening in Ukraine today. She also serves as Director of Strategic Intelligence at a company called Vertical Knowledge.

Bugayova was part of a visiting delegation with The Cipher Brief that was led by General David Petraeus last fall. We sat down shortly afterward, to get her perspective on how this war is ‘really’ going and how she sees it ending.

The Long Road to Justice in Ukraine: Investigating and Prosecuting War Crimes

Colonel Eugene Vindman is well-known in D.C. circles. Not just because he and his twin brother Alexander grabbed headlines during the Trump Administration by raising alarms about the former president’s pressuring of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to open a corruption investigation against then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, but also because he has recently announced plans to run for a U.S. Congressional seat in Virginia. He immigrated to the U.S. as a child from Soviet Ukraine and then served a career in the U.S. military in places like Iraq before landing at the White House. He was dismissed from his job at the National Security Council after testifying in the impeachment case that was brought against President Trump – when you might remember the former president was impeached by the House but acquitted by the Senate. We ran into him in Kyiv during a Cipher Brief trip to Ukraine in September, where he was working on documenting the extensive war crimes that have been committed there since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February of 2024. The scenes have been horrific – from civilians gunned down in the streets for nothing to the kidnapping and forced relocation of Ukrainian children. If this were to happen in the U.S. there would be outrage. But it didn’t happen here. As Ukraine struggles to keep the world focused on helping it win this war, I sat down with Vindman earlier this year in Kiev, to talk about his unique perspective on the documenting and prosecution of war crimes and about why he feels like justice – however long it takes – must be served in Ukraine.

What’s Really Happening in Ukraine

Former Senior CIA Officer Paul Kolbe has spent the bulk of his professional life focused on Russia. He spent 25 years at the CIA, where a large part of his work was centered on the former Soviet Union and the Cold War. After leaving government, Kolbe led BP’s global intelligence division and later served as Director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Intelligence Project. Kolbe is also a Cipher Brief Expert and was part of a delegation that traveled multiple times to Ukraine this year. ‘The Fight’ co-host Suzanne Kelly sat down with Kolbe in Kyiv to talk about his unique perspective on the war and about whether what we’re reading in the media matches what’s really happening there.

The Russian Mindset

In this episode of The Fight, Suzanne talks with former CIA officer, and Cipher Brief Expert Glenn Corn. Glenn is a former Senior Executive in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and has more than 34 years in the U.S. Intelligence, Defense, and Foreign Affairs communities. He spent over 17 years serving overseas. Glenn has an incredibly unique perspective on the mindset of the Russians. We sat down with Glenn on our most recent trip to Ukraine for his very first podcast. Suzanne and Glenn covered a lot in this conversation including why the war in Ukraine is so important and what it could mean for the US and the world if Putin is not stopped in his attempt to destroy Ukraine as a country. Glenn also has a special message for Americans.

Bringing The Fight to Ukraine’s Frontlines

As Ukraine’s Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin is charged with bringing the very best equipment possible to the frontlines of the war in Ukraine and he’s pretty creative about how he does it. While much of what he does remains classified, the minister sat down in Kyiv to talk with The Fight co-host Suzanne Kelly about how he’s working with defense companies to not only get better equipment to fighters but about how Ukrainians are able to improve some of the equipment they get their hands on, which, in Kamyshin’s opinion, goes far beyond just helping Ukraine.

Kyiv Stands

In this compelling episode of "The Fight," your hosts Suzanne and Brad sat down in Kyiv for a conversation with Solomiia Bobrovska. Solomiia is a member of the Ukrainian parliament, where she plays a crucial role on the committee of National Security, Defense & Intelligence, and also serves in the Ukrainian military. She previously served as acting governor in Odesa, where she earned a reputation as a formidable advocate for Ukraine. We delve into the pressing issues that Solomiia faces as a Ukrainian politician in a nation locked in a relentless battle for its very existence. With impressive determination and clarity, Solamiia shares her insights into the profound implications of Ukraine's ongoing struggle against Russia and articulates the nation's ultimate aspirations. Join us for an enlightening exploration of the challenges and aspirations shaping Ukraine's destiny.

Target Critical Infrastructure

In the early days of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Moscow targeted the country’s critical infrastructure - including its telecommunications providers - with both cyber and kinetic weapons. ‘The Fight’ co-host Suzanne Kelly sits down with Kyivstar CEO Olesandr Komarov in Kyiv to talk about how the private sector telecommunications provider has survived and adapted in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Level Setting the Ukraine War with General (Ret) David Petraeus

Hello and welcome. I’m Suzanne Kelly, your host for this edition of The Fight. If you follow me on LinkedIn, you’ve already seen many of the behind-the-scenes images I’ve been sharing from The Cipher Brief’s latest trip to Kyiv. It was our third trip to Ukraine this year and Cipher Brief COO Brad Christian and I were there this time as part of a delegation led by General David Petraeus. Our delegation was impressive group of experts that included two former senior CIA officers, Paul Kolbe and Glenn Corn as well as Nataliya Bugayova from the Institute for the Study of War and Michael O’Hanlon, from the Brookings Institution. After a week of fast-paced, high-level meetings with members of Ukraine’s government, including their new defense minister, I sat down with General Petraeus to level-set on the state of Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Here’s my conversation with General David Petraeus.

The Fight Podcast- Episode 1

Welcome to the first episode of The Fight Podcast. In this show we're cutting thru the disinformation about the Ukraine war, and bringing you perspective from those who are there, fighting for Ukraine's survival against the Russian invasion, and also from those who are supporting Ukraine.