What It’s Really Like Inside Ukraine in 2026, with Aidan Stretch

For months, it was conventional wisdom among large swaths of the American right that Ukraine would inevitably have to cede its Donbas region to Russia to end the war. Now, with Russian morale flagging, “that assumption is just no longer true,” says Aidan Stretch, a CBS News international reporter based in Kyiv. Today, Stretch joins School of War to discuss the state of play on the battlefield, Laura Loomer’s recent change of heart about the war, and how drone warfare has transformed the very idea of the front line as we know it.

02:36 - Is Ukraine Really Winning?

05:58 - Political Turmoil in Kyiv

06:51 - The Fedorov–Syrskyi Power Struggle

12:06 - The Protests That Changed Ukraine's Military

13:11 - Why Drapatyi Replaced Syrskyi

14:07 - Meeting President Zelensky

17:42 - Asking Zelensky if Ukraine Is Winning the War

20:00 - How Ukrainian Protests Force Political Change

24:29 - The Power of Ukrainian Civil Society

27:10 - Laura Loomer's Visit to Ukraine

28:50 - Ukraine's Military Innovation

30:48 - How Ukraine's Military Really Works

33:58 - Ukraine's Mobilization Challenge

37:24 - Why Drone Warfare Is Only the Beginning

41:34 - How the Middle East and Ukraine Wars Intersect

44:47 - Reporting From the Front Lines of Ukraine

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