Explore every episode of the podcast War & Conflict with Preston Stewart

Ongoing campaigns:https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaohttps://artwine.com/https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensiveThis week Putin said that It has become obvious to everyone that defeating Russia on the battlefield is impossible. Shortly thereafter President Trump stated that the Russian Army just keeps grinding forward and that it was time for Ukraine to make a deal. But the Russian soldiers fighting this war have a different perspective with one last week saying, “what’s going on at the front is a mess. They tell us everything is fine, but it's not true.”In fact October is on track to be the deadliest month for the Russian military of the entire war and so far this year, the ‘unstoppable Russian Army’ has only taken a meager 76 square kilometers of territory.Sources:https://t.me/shturmmotherfucker/2168https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/76809https://kyivindependent.com/us-holding-up-air-defense-missiles-for-ukraine-for-nearly-a-month-zelensky-says/https://x.com/TheStudyofWar/status/2114439340092760233?s=20Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can support Bard, Team Archer and other foreign volunteers through the Protect a Volunteer sponsor program here: https://protectavolunteer.com/donorsBehind the countless hours of drone footage coming out of the war in Ukraine are the operators who are literally developing a new style of warfare before our eyes. And today we’re talking with one of them.Bard is an American volunteer who leads Team Archer, part of Tactical Group Athena of the DIU. Bard’s team focuses on FPV strike, in other words, his team's mission is to hunt down and eliminate Russian soldiers. We get into everything from training to tactics, how they coordinate strikes with adjacent drone teams and more.Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a pretty rapid advance across western Yemen it appears the Houthis have been stopped, for now at least. I mean the fighting there is far from over and we’re seeing Houthi missiles strike in Saudi Arabia, Saudi jets bomb key targets in Yemen and increasing Houthi drone activity near the border suggesting they may try to escalate even further.So to help us break this all down, we’re joined today, once again by Mohammed al-Basha, a middle east analyst and the founder of Basher Report Risk Advisory.Follow Basha at the links belowhttps://bashareport.substack.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bashareporthttps://x.com/BashaReportSubstack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out the new channel here! Defense Tech News https://www.defensetechnews.io/ https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNews It looks like the war with Iran is about to flare back up. It’s not just the coming elections in the United States and Israel but also the moving of military assets to the region, evacuating certain bases and of course, Netanyanhu saying that Iran is once again, developing a nuclear weapon. We even have a report from inside Iran, where their leadership says that in the event of US or Israeli strikes, they will immediately go after critical civilian infrastructure in the region adding “if the war continues, Iran has the tools it needs to keep responding.” Sources https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/21/us/politics/us-israel-renewed-iran-strikes.html?searchResultPosition=3https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-troops-diplomats-evacuating-middle-east-posts-sources-say-rcna604867https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahu-tehran-hasnt-learned-its-lesson-katz-if-iran-attacks-israel-iran-will-burn/https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2113125850904162713?s=20 Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/ Store: https://prestonstew.shop/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our two fundraisers ongoing right now to support Ukrainian units fighting in the east:https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaohttps://artwine.com/Looks like Putin has rejected Zelensky’s ceasefire proposal but accepted one from Melania Trump. Didn't expect that one today but it's good news for the people of Oleshky.Sources:https://t.me/tass_agency/401818https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/55803-support-for-sending-military-aid-to-ukraine-has-fallenhttps://kyivindependent.com/as-trump-turns-toward-russia-zelensky-drops-his-restraint/https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/10/first-lady-melania-trump-secures-ceasefire-between-russia-and-ukraine-localized-to-oleshky/https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/2112866119132291312?s=20Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our two campaigns in October are going strong! Check out Ukraine Aid Ops and Brave Selections below to learn about each.https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaohttps://artwine.com/Looks like the war in Ukraine is moving underground. A Ukrainian unit today released this footage showing offensive operations in a tunnel where they say they ambushed Russian soldiers, some who had been living underground for weeks, even months.We’ve seen these maneuvers before from the Russian side but this marks the first publicly known Ukrainian underground advance, and it looks like they’re just getting started. Sourceshttps://t.me/khartiia/4843https://t.me/legionoffreedom/2017https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/10/ukraine-war-gas-pipelines-russia/689105/https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/the-subterranean-battle-playing-out-deep-in-ukraines-soviet-era-pipelines-49dcc260?mod=e2twSubstack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ukraine Aid Ops campaign: https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoArtWine campaign: https://artwine.com/This is a Russian soldiers view of the approaches to Dobropillia. Not usually something the Kremlin likes to have released, because there are bodies of Russian soldiers everywhere. We saw this same view from above a few days ago as Azov showed how one after another, Russian soldiers kept trying and failing to take the same deadly route.This is one of the most deadly sections of the front and Russia is forced to advance there because their offensive further north was snubbed out during Operation Vivaldi. Which hopefully works in Ukraine’s favor as the newest round of peace talks look to begin.Source footagehttps://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2112882023991738458?s=20https://x.com/saintjavelin/status/2112178879880216584?s=20Sourceshttps://t.me/dva_majors/100754https://t.me/roy_tv_mk/22565https://t.me/azov_brigade_ngu/1985https://www.wsj.com/world/musk-ordered-starlink-slowdown-that-crippled-ukraines-drones-and-sowed-panic-in-kyiv-f907aab0?mod=Searchresults&pos=3&page=1https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/10/21/are-ukraine-peace-talks-real-that-depends-putin/https://x.com/Mylovanov/status/2112502079365193934?s=20 Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our ongoing fundraisers below!https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uao10,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or seriously wounded so far in October with most of them in the exact direction that Russian leadership lied about this past week. In fact we’ve got some footage from the Dobropillia direction that was just released showing the fields covered in Russian bodies after they try again and again to advance along the same deadly route, only to be met by Ukrainian drones.Sources:https://t.me/robert_magyar/2913https://t.me/azov_media/8881https://t.me/romanov_92/56616https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-18/zelenskyy-says-trump-is-pushing-ukraine-to-capitulate-to-russia?srnd=undefined https://kyivindependent.com/its-significant-ukraine-fears-us-is-withholding-allied-funded-air-defense-supplies-to-pressure-kyiv/https://x.com/KofmanMichael/status/2112167662789030368?s=20https://x.com/Rebel44CZ/status/2112235078960976026?s=20Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our ongoing campaigns to support units fighting in Donetsk!https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaohttps://artwine.com/NATO jets just shot down what were likely Russian drones in Romanian airspace. Ukraine carried out their largest ever drone attack on St. Petersburg with a major refinery going up in flames. And Ukraine released new footage dispelling Russian claims of advances in the south, “Russian troops continue to die for a picture for propaganda.”Sources:https://www.dw.com/en/romanian-fighter-jets-shoot-down-2-drones-over-black-sea/a-79689156https://www.ft.com/content/734dad42-2eef-4a70-8947-c73997e49fd1?syn-25a6b1a6=1https://kyivindependent.com/flames-explosions-reported-amid-large-ukrainian-drone-attack-on-st-petersburg/https://t.me/romanov_92/56557https://t.me/azov_media/8879Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our ongoing fundraisers to support Ukrainian military units fighting in the east!https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaohttps://artwine.com/After volunteering to buy Russian diesel, threatening to cut off intel sharing and weapons sales to Ukraine and actually throttling Starlink during ongoing operations, President Trump has now waived sanctions imposed on Russia in a bipartisan bill signed just last month.This announcement, snuck in late Friday night likely to avoid media scrutiny, is yet another gift for Putin that has caught much of the nation off guard. In fact a conservative publication earlier today said enough is enough and that it’s time for Congressional hearings on this “shocking escalation of the Trump-Putin alliance”. Sources:https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-waives-most-russia-sanctions-passed-by-congress-4c36bc93?mod=hp_lead_pos2https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/21410https://www.ft.com/content/e26723df-9076-416c-957a-7fa3bd00b4d7?sharetype=blockedhttps://www.nationalreview.com/2026/10/congress-must-investigate-trumps-aid-and-comfort-to-putin/https://x.com/Shelby_Wilder/status/2110853621328056480?s=20https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/16/musk-approached-trump-slow-down-starlink-help-ukraine/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_tw_post_slow-down-starlink-help-ukraine/https://x.com/ChristopherJM/status/2111418903842672985?s=20Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly $60k raised already! Check out our two campaigns to help the 93rd and a few other units in the east:https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uao Russia just got called out by their own side for using AI to fake reports of battlefield progress. This isn’t some random small account either. It’s the Ministry of Defense releasing footage to support claims made to President Putin today. Sources:https://t.me/tass_agency/400681https://t.me/milinfolive/181585https://t.me/creamy_caprice/13086https://www.creamy-caprice.net/https://t.me/romanov_92/56555https://www.wsj.com/opinion/volodymyr-zelensky-starlink-deal-energy-targets-donald-trump-russia-ukraine-e313399d Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/ Store: https://prestonstew.shop/ Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNews Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@UCZqVYM3Rbd1a8DnKcqEdUEA Overnight a Ukrainian missile strike destroyed four Su-34 fighter bombers at an airfield 370km from the front. Marking one of the largest losses of Russian aircraft in a single mission in over a year. Even better, these were loaded up with bombs ready to launch into Ukraine.We also have the Ukrainian 3rd Army Corps announcing the completion of phase four of Operation Vivaldi, their counteroffensive in the east. Saying they’ve now liberated nearly 300km of territory and eliminated 8,000 Russian soldiers.Check our ongoing fundraisers with Brave Selections and Ukraine Aid Ops!https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoSources:https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-hits-6-russian-su-34-bomber-jets-with-neptune-missile-military-says/https://t.me/milinfolive/181495https://t.me/romanov_92/56536https://t.me/romanov_92/56533https://t.me/bomber_fighter/26852https://t.me/dshrg2/5777https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-15/uk-sends-ukraine-more-storm-shadow-missiles-to-hit-russian-siteshttps://t.me/ab3brigade/15605https://x.com/avivector/status/2110665837749129689?s=20Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our fundraisers with ArtWine and Ukraine Aid Ops below!https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoOvernight it appears that Starlink access in Ukraine was reduced, significantly impacting ongoing operations, to include their interception of Russian drones. This came without notice and may have already resulted in civilian lives lost. In fact President Zelensky addressed this today saying that Ukraine is losing a strong partner in the United States and that President Trump is taking the wrong side of history. Now hopefully this Starlink issue is in the process of being resolved, just as we went to record a statement was made that connectivity is being restored but we’ll wait for more confirmation on that front.Sources:https://t.me/serhii_flash/7808https://t.me/milinfolive/181451https://x.com/sternenko/status/2110239087982416043?s=20https://x.com/FedorovMykhailo/status/2110432031968542721?s=20https://x.com/clashreport/status/2110407714396577845/video/1https://x.com/clashreport/status/2110406861954621726/video/1https://x.com/clashreport/status/2110442834117701959/video/1Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ArtWine Fundraiser: https://artwine.com/Ukraine Aid Ops: https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoIt’s been a pretty wild few days. First, President Trump approved a deal with Putin to buy Russian diesel and removed sanctions for six months, as he caught flak for that he came back and said that China and Russia are not assisting Iran and then threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and arms sales to Ukraine.Anyone who’s followed this channel for a while knows that I really prefer to focus on the military side of things, tactical and operational, rather than anything political. But this goes beyond policy differences to letting our adversaries off the hook for their role in killing Americans and handicapping our own defense industry for no clear reason. Sources:https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/05/disrupting-irans-overseas-military-procurement-networks-2https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-secretly-sharing-location-of-u-s-targets-with-iran-u-s-officials-say-127d4f1ahttps://www.csis.org/analysis/time-confront-escalating-russia-iran-intelligence-cooperationhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/10/12/putin-gets-lifeline-with-diesel-exports-ukraine-gets-an-ultimatum/https://kyivindependent.com/us-threatens-to-cut-intel-sharing-with-ukraine-in-push-to-protect-russian-oil-refineries-sources-confirm/https://t.me/kpszsu/85763https://kyivindependent.com/as-russian-missiles-slip-through-kyivs-air-defenses-without-warning-officials-say-us-intelligence-remains-intact-for-now/Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fundraisers are going strong for the 93rd!https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoCheck out Defense Tech News at the links below:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsA new report says that 50,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in Ukraine last month leading one Russian commentator to say, “We’ll drown in blood before ever reaching the Dnipro.”There’s a reason Putin is ramping up strikes on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, they view that as the most likely way to win the war because things are not working in their favor at the front and haven’t been for some time.Sources:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-11/russia-suffered-50-000-casualties-last-month-nato-official-sayshttps://t.me/icpbtrubicon/2793https://t.me/roy_tv_mk/22373https://t.me/dva_majors/100103https://t.me/rybar_in_english/34867https://x.com/TheStudyofWar/status/2108197760822309032?s=20Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ukraine Aid Ops campaign: https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uao ArtWine campaign: https://artwine.com/Over the past few days we’ve seen the United States make a series of decisions that I personally believe amount to strategic blunders and moral failures that will only serve to prolong and maybe expand this war. We’re making things worse, not better. Sources:https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-strikes-deal-with-putin-for-russian-diesel-15751436?mod=hp_trendingnow_article_pos5https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqe8r5l7n92johttps://t.me/ukr_sof/3479https://x.com/Acyn/status/2108965075084349729?s=20https://x.com/Acyn/status/2108964960705597874?s=20https://x.com/atrupar/status/2108915149088104485?s=20https://x.com/atrupar/status/2108914771282080227?s=20Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's an honor to be able to, with you all, work to help those in need. We've got a great campaign with ArtWine and Ukraine Aid Operations right now to directly assist the 93rd Mechanized fighting in the east.https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoPresident Trump just announced that the United States will begin buying diesel fuel from Russia, a move Zelensky referred to as a weak decision by a strong partner. Adding that all of that money will be used to kill Ukrainians.Sources:https://x.com/TrumpTruthOnX/status/2108630645778059581?s=20https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2108641177608069345?s=20https://x.com/USTreasury/status/2108630834169385310?s=20https://x.com/mdburnell/status/2108639834025738531?s=20https://x.com/michaeldweiss/status/2108649034382561519?s=20https://x.com/KaterynaLis/status/2108656687246680316?s=20Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At least 9 ships have been struck by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz over the last week, a pretty significant increase as of late. In fact, one tracker shows 18 attacks so far in the first 9 days of October, matching the total from the month of September at least according to the UK Maritime Trade Organization. It looks like Iran is trying to show that they do still hold some leverage through the Strait of Hormuz as the United States weighs a return to combat operations. Sources:https://www.ukmto.org/ukmto-products/warnings/2026https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/10/08/iran-scales-up-hormuz-attacks-raising-pressure-trump-midterms-near/https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-and-houthis-try-to-regain-upper-hand-in-hormuz-with-spate-of-new-attacks-c845c4ab?mod=hp_lead_pos1https://www.axios.com/2026/10/07/trump-us-central-command-iran-israel-war-electionshttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/us/politics/us-bombers-britain-raf-fairford-iran.html?smid=tw-shareStore: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our campaign to help the 93rd here (100% of profits donated all month): https://artwine.com/We also have a companion campaign through Ukraine Aid Operations: https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uao62% of Ukrainians are ready to fight Russia as long as is necessary with 79% believing that Ukraine will win this war. This new polling comes amidst increased Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities where in just the last two days, 78 people have been killed and 215 wounded. This includes an awful strike on a civilian bus in Kramatorsk that killed at least 30 earlier today.Sources:https://www.kiis.com.ua/?lang=eng&cat=reports&id=1639&page=1https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-bomb-kills-12-street-east-ukraine-stronghold-2026-10-08/https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-russia-explore-gas-sale-europe-amid-ukraine-war-say-sources-2026-10-08/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two weeks ago we learned about Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi, their counteroffensive in the east. And today, we’re joined by one of their battalion commanders that took part in those clearance operations.Darwin is the commander of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion, 125th Mechanized Brigade of the 3rd Army Corps. We get into how his unit identified Russian positions to clear out, the feeling among his men as they liberated new territory and how infantry tactics have changed during the war. Follow 125th and 3rd Corps at the links below:https://t.me/ovmbr125https://www.instagram.com/125ovmbr?stkn=YzhlN2cycml2YnNnhttps://t.me/ab3army Store: https://prestonstew.shop/ Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/ Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yemen has declared war on the Houthis and it looks like they may have already pushed the group back from some of the Red Sea coastline, rolling back recent gains. Meanwhile, the war just expanded with Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia invoking the new Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. Sources:https://yemen.liveuamap.com/ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-yemen-houthis-bab-al-mandab-strait.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/world/middleeast/houthis-oil-attack-saudi-arabia-yemen.html https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/5/yemeni-govt-forces-aim-for-sanaa-but-houthi-defeat-will-be-a-challenge https://x.com/ForeignOfficePk/status/2107169513464811869?s=20 Store: https://prestonstew.shop/ Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/ Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pick up some of the last remaining Artwine made in Bakhmut with 100% of profits going to support the 93rd Brigade fighting in the east!https://artwine.com/For our companion campaign with Ukraine Aid Operations: https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoRussia is at war with NATO, we just won’t accept it yet. Everyone’s waiting for tanks to roll across a border or missiles to strike NATO airfields but in the meantime Russia is striking Turkish ships off the coast of Romania, setting fire to drone factories in Estonia and threatening nuclear war because they don’t like ongoing exercises.I mean just today Germany said the risk of violent conflict with Russia is increasing. Sources:https://www.wsj.com/opinion/russia-estonia-milrem-sabotage-vladimir-putin-nato-a1bdc8a2?mod=hp_opin_pos_4https://www.reuters.com/world/two-dead-11-rescued-serious-maritime-incident-black-sea-romania-says-2026-10-05/https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/germany-risk-violent-conflict-with-russia-intel-chief-says-2026-10-05/https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/russia-issues-nuclear-warning-nato-tensions-rise-baltic-2026-09-30/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/11/baltic-defense-russia/688692/?gift=hVZeG3M9DnxL4CekrWGK33yeaQ5oTEpWyC7eKqrOPA0&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shareStore: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re joined by Dr. Lesley Warner and Andrew Leber to discuss the Houthis and the regional dynamics at play across the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Lesley is a visiting scholar with the Africa Program and Andrew is a nonresident scholar in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Where the just authored a Q&A titled, “The Impacts of the Houthis’ Advance Could Extend Well Beyond Saudi Arabia.”Follow Lesley, Andrew and see their work below:https://carnegieendowment.org/people/lesley-anne-warnerhttps://carnegieendowment.org/people/andrew-leberhttps://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2026/09/houthis-bab-al-mandeb-impacts-saudi-arabia-somalilandhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/opinion/houthis-iran-hormuz.htmlhttps://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/china-taiwan-africa-pressure-campaign/https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1598&context=nwc-reviewhttps://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/israels-recognition-of-somaliland-will-reverberate-beyond-the-horn-of-africa/https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/africa-gen-z-protests-democracy/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Excited to kick off this project with Brave Selections! Check out the first link for the ArtWine selections and the Ukraine Aid Ops link for the associated campaign:https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoThe situation at the front is not going well for Russia. Despite the constant claims of a steady advance, when we step back and look at the data, Russian forces lost 190 square kilometers in September. That’s the largest monthly loss of territorial control for the Russian military in three and a half years and really puts into perspective the constant refrain that Russia can’t be stopped.I mean they are, right now, which is also why Russia is ramping up strikes on civilian infrastructure across the country. Sources:https://t.me/rybar_in_english/34785https://deepstatemap.live/en#11/48.5277466/37.5567627https://www.creamy-caprice.net/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/world/europe/russia-ukraine-bridges-kyiv.htmlhttps://t.me/rybar_in_english/34776https://x.com/Black_BirdGroup/status/2106482419201093855Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our fundraiser through Car4Ukraine here! https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensiveUkraine is setting the conditions for phase four of their counteroffensive in the east, operation Vivaldi. Put simply, there’s more good news to come. Russia’s challenges in that direction aren’t improving and there’s a fair argument they’re getting worse. It’s becoming clear that they cannot keep front line elements supplied and the chain of commanded needed to fixt that is just broken.That’s really positive for Ukraine but we can’t lose sight of the larger picture which isn’t great. Russian deep strikes have intensified and become more complex as it looks like Russia hopes to shut off power, heat and water to Ukraine’s largest cities this winter. That’s a humanitarian disaster looming in the very near future.Sources:https://t.me/ab3brigade/15547https://t.me/romanov_92/56218https://t.me/severnnyirezerv/2643https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/analytics/russia-s-new-strategy-for-attacking-kyiv-1790832542.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/world/europe/russia-ukraine-winter.htmlhttps://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2105961825154277727?s=20Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our fall fundraiser with Car4Ukraine here: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensiveThere’s a lot of speculation that Putin will order a mobilization in the coming months to backfill troop losses in Ukraine. But here’s the thing, it’s already happening and has been for some time.The challenge Putin faces right now is that they’re running out of people they would prefer to send to war, the undesirables, and they’re stuck having to explain why they need so many more soldiers while telling the population that they’re winning the war and advancing on all fronts. Sources:https://kyivindependent.com/russia-beginning-additional-mobilization-of-troops-north-korean-recruitment-zelensky-warns/https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/russia-has-not-avoided-mobilisation-it-has-normalised-ithttps://t.me/regnum_na/89585https://t.me/dshrg2/5661Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few weeks ago we talked with NATO who was looking for a new solution to shut down enemy airfields. Today, we’re talking with the winner of that challenge, LPP Holdings out of the Czech Republic.We get into what their solution entails, how they’ve tied in with Ukrainian units to ensure their products are battle tested and more.This is part of NATO ACT Innovation Challenge where companies from across the Alliance and Ukraine submit their solutions to real problems arising on the modern battlefield. More about LPP Holding and our technologies:🌐 www.lpp-holding.comNATO ACT Website: https://www.act.nato.int/NATO Innovation Network: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/natoinnovationnetwork/?viewAsMember=trueStore: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our fall campaign is going strong! Check it out at the link here to learn more: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensivePhase three of Operation Vivaldi is complete as Ukraine continues to advance during their counteroffensive in the east. The Third Army Corps has released footage saying they captured 250 Russian soldiers, the largest number in a single operation since the Kursk incursion two years ago. Meanwhile, Russian sources are getting fed up with the false reports on their side and the problems that’s causing at the front. With some complaining that “there's no communication, no logistics, no drones to deliver even basic supplies like food and water to the positions.”Sources:https://t.me/ab3brigade/15518https://t.me/rybar_in_english/34650https://t.me/dva_majors/99685https://t.me/milinfolive/180452https://t.me/dshrg2/5692https://t.me/shturmmotherfucker/2136https://x.com/clement_molin/status/2103867886842544612?s=20Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eight US Marines were wounded in an Iranian missile attack two weeks ago. The news comes after President Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to open the Strait saying “we’re going to win this war very soon.”Sources:https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-marines-injured-recent-iranian-attack-rcna600097https://x.com/glcarlstrom/status/2104470288087830614?s=20https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/2104212144719839505?s=20https://x.com/BurggrabenH/status/2104361288000221497?s=20https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/jp-morgan-says-it-has-no-clear-oil-market-endgame-iran-conflict-drags-2026-09-17/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/world/middleeast/iran-proposal.htmlhttps://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/trump-rejects-iran-ceasefire-expects-renewed-bombing-after-midterms-5982ee50?mod=hp_lead_pos1Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our truck campaign with Car4Ukraine here: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensiveSo now we’ve got Ukrainian robots being dropped off behind the front lines, firing rockets into where the Russians are hiding, then, once they’re suppressed, driving in and blowing up. That’s a bad day and a pretty wild new use of drones in the Ukraine war.We’re seeing new tactics and techniques like this on a daily basis from Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps as they continue pushing in the east during Operation Vivaldi. In fact, today we have the Russian perspective on how their mistakes led to this Ukrainian advance and how the chaos is spreading to other sectors of the front. Interview with 'Jackie' from 3rd Army: https://youtu.be/iauv7plhosESources:https://t.me/dva_majors/99615https://t.me/dva_majors/99561https://kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-military-delivers-4-tons-of-food-to-occupied-oleshky-by-drones-regional-authorities-said/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c60qxywdx4vvohttps://t.me/swodki/620665https://understandingwar.org/research/geospatial-intelligence/russia-is-integrating-ai-models-into-its-cognitive-warfare-campaign-against-ukraine/?utm_source=x&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=RussiaAICampaignhttps://x.com/ab3army/status/2104136166895206614?s=20Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Operation Vivaldi is off and running and today, we’re talking with a member of the Ukrainian 3rd Army Corps to get an idea of what we’re seeing and maybe more importantly, how much is still yet to be released.SGT John "Jackie" Roberts is an American veteran who has been fighting in Ukraine since 2022. He now serves as a Senior American Military Instructor the 3rd Army Corps who is leading this current offensive in the east.We get into why this area is so important to warrant an operation of this scale, some of the brand new tactics deployed and what to watch for in the coming months.Follow 3rd Army Corps here: https://ab3.army/Check out our truck fundraiser here: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensiveStore: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our truck campaign with Car4Ukraine here: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensiveSo this Ukrainian counteroffensive in the east is looking bigger than we initially thought. Officially we’ve heard 3,000 Russians eliminated and 125 square kilometers taken back but according to Russian sources, Ukraine may just be getting started.Sources:https://t.me/arx_spn/31242https://kyivindependent.com/inside-the-ukrainian-drone-unit-controlling-russian-occupied-crimeas-highways/https://t.me/DeepStateUA/23856https://x.com/clement_molin/status/2100601639434350903?s=20Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our truck fundraiser here (now with a 501c3 option!): https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensive It really looks like Russia is going to do something stupid. I just can’t remember a time this many different countries are coming together and issuing public warnings about what they see shaping up. And it’s everything, from sabotage and drone strikes, all the way to a possible attempted military invasion of a NATO member. Sources:https://www.fe-ddis.dk/da/nyheder/2026/vurdering-af-truslen-fra-rusland/https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2026/09/23/6ab411e9fdddff35028b4598.htmlhttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cmp30r1klk37ohttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c699d2dn9z0mohttps://kyivindependent.com/suspected-russian-drones-crash-in-romania-moldova/ Store: https://prestonstew.shop/ Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/ Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So far during the war in Iran, the US has lost 65 aircraft at an estimated cost of $4 billion dollars. Now the bulk of that is the 47 MQ-9 Reapers that have been destroyed but there are some other significant ones in here as well. The War Zone Reporting: https://www.twz.com/air/every-american-aircraft-lost-or-damaged-during-the-iran-war-visualizedStore: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out Ken's campaign to assist the 34th Marines at the link below. This is run through a 501c3 so all donations are fully tax deductible! https://www.ukrainefreedomproject.org/valorToday we’re joined by Ken Harbaugh who is just back from his most recent trip to Ukraine. While there, Ken was able to interview Russian POWs, who weren’t all Russian, which raises some questions for after the war. Got to see some of the newest CASEVAC technology being used at the front and more.Follow Ken and his work here:https://substack.com/@thekenharbaughshowhttps://x.com/Team_Harbaughhttps://bsky.app/profile/thekenharbaughshow.bsky.socialhttps://www.youtube.com/@UCon-4xKJzqoD1JOitZgT5cQ https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/09/ukraine-frontline-medical-evacuations/688638/?gift=_BCcSoTFfySI8FJKr2Yrkl1VHKYlOoquwbUkR1sjzB8&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shareStore: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Car4Ukraine now has a 501c3 option so your contributions are fully tax deductible: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensive I guess warfare isn’t already terrifying enough. We now have Ukrainian drones dropping off other drones behind Russian lines, hunting down targets and exploding. That’s what’s happening right now as Ukraine continues their offensive in the east, Operation Vivaldi.Brigadier General Biletsky, the commander of the 3rd Army Corps just announced the completion of phase two of this operation in the Lyman direction and we’re starting to see some changes made on public maps as well. Sources:https://t.me/ab3brigade/15498https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-reveals-new-operation-vivaldi-gains-in-donetsk-oblast/https://kyivindependent.com/russia-pulls-elite-drone-unit-from-northern-donetsk-oblast-after-losses-from-operation-vivaldi-military-says/https://t.me/rybar_in_english/34377https://t.me/mod_russia/67456https://t.me/infomil_live/34389https://t.me/NOVA_AB3/455 Store: https://prestonstew.shop/ Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/ Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our truck fundraiser is off and rolling! https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensiveOvernight Ukraine launched what Russian bloggers are calling the largest drone attack of the war. 1,300 drones targeted the Moscow region and the results are, well, another key refinery is on fire.Russian sources actually laid out the three phase process for this strike that is already leading to lines at gas stations as the citizens worry about fuel shortages. Sources:https://t.me/magyarbirds414/1225https://t.me/bomber_fighter/26588https://www.iea.org/commentaries/russian-refining-sector-struggles-amid-intensifying-ukrainian-attackshttps://x.com/mbohnert/status/2101616654257909927?s=20Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/ Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out the videos of your trucks at work from our current fundraiser here: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensiveSomething is happening in Europe. Yesterday we had multiple nations warning about the possibility of a Russian escalation creeping into NATO and EU territory. These warnings aren’t new and one at a time isn’t anything special. But in the last 48 hours we’ve had Poland, France, The Netherlands, Finland, Lithuania and Switzerland issue warnings while the US uncovered a Russian plot to carry out assassinations inside the United States. Now on the bright side President Trump signed the new Russia sanctions bill into law and the US appears ready to sell the largest batch of weapons to Ukraine in years, more on that later in today’s video. Sources:https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-vladimir-putin-nato-drone-attacks-europe-leaders-warning/https://www.rferl.org/a/33859294.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/us/russia-assassination-plot-kremlin.htmlhttps://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/members-russian-intelligence-services-network-charged-conspiring-finance-terrorism-andhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/15/russia-us-killings-plothttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-ukraine-russia-war-air-defense-state-department/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If interested, you can check out our Ukraine truck fundraiser here: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensiveSo Ukraine is extending their gains in the east with some Russians acknowledging that everything gained since spring in that direction has been lost.We’ve also got some unique footage of a vehicle you all provided to a Ukrainian unit being used in frontline operations and the Russia sanctions bill finally passed the house with rumors President Trump may sign it into law later today. Sources:https://ua.news/en/war-vs-rf/rosiia-mozhe-sprobuvati-stvoriti-bufernu-zonu-na-pivnochi-ukrayini-prokopenkohttps://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/16/house-russia-sanctions-bill-trump-01081210Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a recent attack the US fired as many as 70 Patriots and more than a dozen THAAD interceptors trying to bring down 20 Iranian ballistic missiles. Some did the trick, others didn’t and it appears that a handful of strikes got through and damaged eight F-15s and one A-10. This is one of, if not the major challenge facing the United States in the war with Iran right now. Our interceptor inventory versus their missile stockpiles. Which runs out first? And unfortunately we just got a report that Iran has resumed production of their ballistic missiles. Sources:https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/the-u-s-is-burning-through-its-supply-of-interceptors-to-counter-irans-attacks-f42c5ecd?st=5gnMfahttps://media.defense.gov/2026/Sep/09/2003993626/-1/-1/1/OEF_Q3_JUN2026_FINAL_508%20SECURE.PDFhttps://www.airandspaceforces.com/iran-damages-a-10-f-15s-with-missile-attack-on-air-base-in-jordan/https://x.com/SoarAtlas/status/2098221180662788111?s=20https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-ballistic-missile-production-5538af12?st=ETRGn9&reflink=article_copyURL_sharehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/09/14/trump-claims-strait-hormuz-is-open-how-much-oil-is-really-going-through/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So the Houthis just shot down a Saudi F-15 over northern Yemen, which is a bit of a problem. See the Houthis are on a tear right now. They’re digging in and solidifying their gains around the Bab-al-Mandeb strait, the Saudi backed Yemeni forces all but faded away, and Saudi Arabia’s partners, like the US, are showing no interest in getting involved. I can hear the argument that this sounds like a Saudi Arabia problem and to a degree it certainly is. Bigger picture though is the direct effect this has on the global energy markets and international shipping.Sources:https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-saudi-shipping-mandeb-8c18d82c109a8ea91347ce53c0096c53https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-mecca-houthis-drone-iran-war-trump-oil-gas-prices-rcna598075https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-officials-met-iran-backed-houthis-oman-over-weekend-sources-say-2026-09-16/https://t.me/army21ye/3728Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So the situation in Yemen is not good. The Houthis are solidifying their gains, Yemeni government troops sort of melted away and it doesn’t look like anyone is coming to help. At least not yet.Today we’re joined by Mohammed al-Basha, a middle east analyst and the founder of Basher Report Risk Advisory to discuss what’s going on.We get into why this kicked off now, how this ties into the US-Iran war, what to expect from the Saudis in the coming months and more.Follow Basha at the links below:https://x.com/BashaReporthttps://bashareport.substack.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bashareport/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last day of our merch collab with Dzyga's Paw! https://prestonstew.shop/collections/dzygas-pawUkraine just announced the first phase of a counteroffensive in the east.GEN Biletsky Commander of the 3rd Army Corps “Good news is coming, but for now, our actions require silence. The Russians have acknowledged these advances with one milblogger warning that these forces aren’t just scared conscripts, but battle-hardened mechanized units who are back to their favorite activity – killing Russians. Sources:https://www.kyivpost.com/post/84556https://deepstatemap.live/en#11/49.0263881/38.0072021https://www.kyivpost.com/post/84190https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/74963https://t.me/notes_veterans/29811https://t.me/rybar/82966https://t.me/ab3army/7468 https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2099767585428398149?s=20Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a big week in Washington D.C. as the House looks to pass the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026. So to unpack what’s going on here we’re joined today by Mykola Murskyj.Mykola is the Director of Advocacy at Razom for Ukraine and is going door to door right now in the House explaining to our Representatives what this bill is and isn’t.Links:https://razomforukraine.quorum.us/campaign/GrahamVote/https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5334?s=1&r=2&hl=hr5334https://www.csis.org/analysis/what-happens-if-congress-codifies-russia-sanctionsStore: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our fall fundraiser here: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensivePolish jets were scrambled yesterday as Russia struck right along the border between Ukraine and NATO. I mean less than 1km from NATO territory leading the Ukrainian Foreign Minister to warn: “This is Putin’s terror “knocking” directly on the doors of the EU and NATO. Russian barbarians are at your gate”Sources:https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/09/11/8052995/https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/russian-air-defence-stocks-significantly-depleted/https://tvpworld.com/95363922/dorohuskyahodyn-volyn-russian-drones-hit-kyivwarsaw-traintruck-near-poland-ukraine-borderhttps://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/4163489-zelensky-outlines-ukraines-need-for-patriot-missiles-ahead-of-winter.htmlhttps://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iea-further-cuts-russian-oil-output-forecasts-ukrainian-attacks-2026-09-11/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our fundraiser that supports Foxhound here: https://givebutter.com/Southern_FrontToday we’re talking with one of the newest drone units in Ukraine, Foxhound. We’re joined by Ben and Dingo, two foreign volunteers that recently stood up the group that is already conducting combat operations in some of the hottest sectors of the front.We get into this unique aspect of the Ukrainian military where you can form your own unit. They talk through how that’s done, the challenges faced in doing so and of course, what their new platoon has been up to at the front.Learn more about Foxhound on IG: https://www.instagram.com/foxhound.usp/https://www.instagram.com/belt.fed.brit/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Houthis are on a roll in Yemen and the Saudi’s are struggling to stop them. The last 24-48 hours have been wild with the Houthis making their largest territorial gains in years to include the capture of islands in the middle of the Red Sea. Meanwhile, we’ve learned that the US has boots on ground in Saudi Arabia helping assist in their response but has turned down Saudi requests for direct military support.It’s best to view this as another front of the Iran war. Not only is the now threatened Bab al Mandeb Strait seen as the only maritime workaround to the closure of Hormuz but we’re watching Iran step in to help their ally the Houthis, while the US wavers on helping our ally, Saudi Arabia. Sources:https://yemen.liveuamap.com/https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-iran-mokha-mandeb-shipping-saudi-025d052a14d9481258d51009a76d0bd6https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/yemens-houthis-reach-strategic-island-mouth-vital-shipping-lane-2026-09-11/https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthis-iran-mokha-mandeb-shipping-saudi-025d052a14d9481258d51009a76d0bd6https://www.axios.com/2026/09/11/houthis-yemen-saudi-trump-mbs-strikeshttps://www.newsweek.com/saudi-arabias-east-west-oil-pipeline-hit-by-houthis-photos-appear-to-show-12430311https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/10/politics/us-military-support-saudi-arabia-houthi-iran-yemenStore: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 years ago the United States suffered the deadliest terrorist attack in our history. Fortunately, we haven’t had to relive that horror due in large part to the many people who have dedicated their lives to counterterrorism. So today, we’re talking with two of them from the Soufan Center.Colin Clarke is the Executive Director and Clara Broekaert a research analyst and together they just edited a new book titled ‘25 YEARS AFTER 9/11: The Future of the Global Jihadi Movement’.We get into what the counterterrorism community has done right, and wrong over the last 25 years, how jihadi groups are leveraging AI in their new operations and more.You can find their new book here: https://thesoufancenter.org/25-years-after-9-11-the-future-of-the-global-jihadi-movement/https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/07/9-11-failure-of-imagination-new-terrorist-technologies/Follow Colin and Clara at the links below:https://thesoufancenter.org/team/colin-p-clarke/https://x.com/ColinPClarkehttps://thesoufancenter.org/team/clara-broekaert/https://x.com/ClaraBroekaertStore: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/prestonstew_TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@prestonstewInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/prestonstew_/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Preston-Stewart/61584740132063/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68Lhcj39e7zM4iM9bbJkdt?si=14c0ff0c0757472aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/war-conflict-with-preston-stewart/id1834772946Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So the Houthis are kind of winning right now in Yemen. Just a few days ago we had regional analysts wondering if the Iranian backed group was on the verge of collapse, but we blink and they’ve just taken some very strategic territory. One local official summed up it by saying, “it’s really bad”. For Yemeni government forces that is, as the Houthis continue to advance.Sources:https://yemen.liveuamap.com/https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/the-gulf/artc-it-s-really-bad-fmr-yemeni-official-describes-losing-mocha-to-houthis-calls-for-more-saudi-involvementhttps://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/yemens-iran-backed-houthis-sweep-toward-strategic-bab-al-mandeb-c1786d79?mod=Searchresults&pos=1&page=1https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/world/middleeast/yemens-houthis-seize-strategic-red-sea-port-officials-say.html?searchResultPosition=2https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-says-iran-war-end-after-us-midterm-elections-threatens-attack-pickaxe-2026-09-10/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/prestonstew_TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@prestonstewInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/prestonstew_/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Preston-Stewart/61584740132063/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68Lhcj39e7zM4iM9bbJkdt?si=14c0ff0c0757472aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/war-conflict-with-preston-stewart/id1834772946Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our fundraiser to support these soldiers in the south: https://givebutter.com/Southern_FrontSo there’s a major issue in southern Ukraine. The soldiers don’t have enough fuel. Now they’re not completely out but right on that line. Some units have so little that troops are having to stay in position for months on end. That’s a problem. This affects everything from combat operations to training, logistics to medical evacuation. So to help break down what’s happening with this, we’re joined today by Rachel Jamison of Protect a Volunteer. Learn more about PAV here:https://protectavolunteer.com/https://x.com/RachelPAVStore: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/prestonstew_TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@prestonstewInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/prestonstew_/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Preston-Stewart/61584740132063/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68Lhcj39e7zM4iM9bbJkdt?si=14c0ff0c0757472aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/war-conflict-with-preston-stewart/id1834772946Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices