I just released a new episode of Deep Dive with former CIA analyst Larry Johnson—and the picture he paints of the Ukraine war is sobering.
In this clip, Larry explains that Russia’s real objective was never about grabbing territory for its own sake. Instead, it’s been about demilitarizing Ukraine through a grinding war of attrition—and by that measure, he argues, Moscow has been brutally effective. Ukrainian troops are being thrown into battles that chew them up, while Russia preserves its strength.
I add that even the staunchly pro‑Ukrainian Institute for the Study of War has acknowledged Russia’s tactical shift: prioritizing overwhelming firepower to reduce its own casualties while inflicting heavier losses on Ukraine. This isn’t a war on the clock. It’s a slow, suffocating strategy—an “Anaconda‑style” squeeze rather than shock and awe.
That’s just one part of a much larger conversation. In the full episode, Larry and I break down:
Why Trump’s latest rhetoric may be political jiu‑jitsu to avoid deeper U.S. entanglement.
How Russia is expanding operations while the West looks fractured and economically strained.
Why Moscow sees this as an existential fight—and why that matters for NATO and U.S. policy.
The risks of airspace incidents in Europe spiraling into something bigger.
This is one of the most important—and unsettling—conversations we’ve had on Deep Dive. The battlefield reality is shifting, and the consequences for U.S. foreign policy are enormous.
