Why Zelensky Fired His War Chiefs & Where Trump's Iran War Goes Next

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A NOTE FROM THE PRODUCER

Tamara Sepper is the Executive Producer of The Long Game

This week, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer break down Ukraine’s military leadership shakeup, the drone revolution reshaping warfare, and America’s shrinking choices in Iran.

In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed both his defense minister and the commander of the armed forces—an extraordinary reshuffle at a moment when Ukraine has been gaining ground. The personnel fight reflects a larger debate over how the war should be fought: with traditional military tactics or a new model built around drones, autonomous systems, and technological innovation.

“To have both the defense minister and the overall commander of Ukrainian forces fired basically within a week of one another—while the war is going pretty well—that’s a striking thing,” Jake says. The overhaul also raises questions about Zelensky’s management of increasingly popular officials who could someday become political rivals.

Jake and Jon then trace the rise of Ukraine’s drone industry, including the U.S.-backed “technology sprint” they helped launch after the failed 2023 counteroffensive. Jon argues that Ukraine has now “surpassed the United States military, and basically every other military on the planet” in integrating autonomous systems into combat.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-Iran war is intensifying, the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, and more U.S. service members have been killed. Jake and Jon outline President Trump narrowing set of bad choices: escalate, pursue another deal, declare victory and leave, or simply continue exchanging strikes with Iran in the hope that something changes. As Jake puts it: “All of the options are pretty bad, because the choice of getting into this mess in the first place was pretty bad.”

Listen to the episode and share your thoughts and questions. Comment below or email Jake & Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com.

Transcripts here.

REFERENCES & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:

YouTube, “2014 Hero of Mariupol Becomes Ukraine’s New Army Chief”

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