Colonel Oleksandr, a Ukrainian Army officer with 30 years of service, spent the 2026 academic year as an International Fellow at the U.S. Army War College. Joining host Jadwiga Biskupska, he offers a real-time perspective on fighting a massive adversary. Oleks explains how Ukraine relies on human innovation, revealing that older, simpler weapons often bypass advanced electronic warfare better than modern technology. Beyond studying American strategic frameworks, he brought the stark reality of the Russian invasion to his seminar peers, emphasizing the critical need for international alliances, economic strength, and understanding adversary culture. As he returns to the front lines, his insights provide enduring lessons on resilience and the human element in modern combat.
I emphasized in my paper that drones cannot replace rockets and artillery. They can integrate in fire support and they can strengthen the fire of armed forces because they are still dependent on weather, time reaction, and destructive effect.
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Oleksandr is a colonel in the Ukrainian Army with 30 years of service. He is an International Fellow and a graduate of the AY26 Resident Course at the U.S. Army War College.
Jadwiga Biskupska is associate professor of military history at Sam Houston State University and co-director of the Second World War Research Group, North America. She is the Harold K. Johnson Visiting Chair of Military History at the U.S. Army War College for AY26. She received her PhD from Yale University. Her first book, Survivors: Warsaw under Nazi Occupation (Cambridge University Press 2022), won the Heldt Prize and an honorable mention for the Witold Pilecki International Book Award.
Ron Granieri is Professor of History and the Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE.
Photo Description: UAV operator carrying an ASU-1 “Valkyria” drone, 26th Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces
Photo Credit: This image comes from the official Facebook page of the 26th Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian military. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
