From a Bunker in Lviv: Ukraine’s Message to Moscow and the West

Broadcast from a bunker in Lviv, Cipher Brief CEO Suzanne Kelly speaks with Cipher Brief Experts and former CIA senior officers Glenn Corn and Ralph Goff after days on the ground across Ukraine. As Russia intensifies winter strikes on energy infrastructure, families are left without heat and water in freezing temperatures. But instead of breaking Ukrainian resolve, the attacks appear to be strengthening it. In this wide-ranging conversation, Corn and Goff explain: • Why Russia escalates attacks during negotiations • How Moscow is using disinformation to shape perceptions at the bargaining table • The real state of battlefield momentum vs. Russian propaganda • Why air defense shortages remain Ukraine’s most urgent need • How Western sanctions - including pressure on Russia’s “grey fleet” - are impacting Moscow • Why China is the Kremlin’s quiet strategic anxiety • How Ukraine’s booming drone industry could reshape the global defense market They also offer blunt advice for U.S. negotiators engaging Moscow: trust nothing at face value, apply pressure in overlooked regions like the Caucasus and Central Asia, and remember that even if conventional fighting stops, the gray zone war will continue. As Ukraine pushes toward expanded drone production - potentially seven million units this year - and Europe commits tens of billions in support, the next phase of the war may be defined as much by economics and influence operations as by artillery and missiles. This is a frontline view you won’t get from headlines alone. 👉 Subscribe to The Cipher Brief for expert-driven national security analysis and exclusive reporting. #Ukraine #Russia #NationalSecurity #Intelligence #Geopolitics #GrayZone