The Intelligence from The Economist

Drone wolf: Ukraine’s missile mastermind

23 min

This episode of The Intelligence from The Economist covers three main topics: Ukraine's innovative drone warfare, Britain's evolving relationship with Europe post-Brexit, and the decline of mandatory university swim tests. It highlights how a former grain trader is reshaping modern combat with drone "gamification," how Britain paradoxically becomes more European despite Brexit, and how racial equity concerns are leading to the abandonment of century-old university traditions.

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✨ Key Takeaways

1

Robert Brovdy, a former grain trader, became a key architect of Ukraine's drone strategy, developing a "gamification" system that prioritizes targeting Russian personnel, leading to Russian losses exceeding recruitment.
2

A decade after voting to leave the European Union, Britain has paradoxically become more European in various aspects, including birth rates, political fragmentation, and the adoption of stricter employment and renters' rights.
3

The Labour government in Britain is increasingly critical of Brexit's economic costs and is signaling a desire for much closer alignment with the EU, driven partly by domestic political polling and a shift in public sentiment.
4

Mandatory university swim tests, once a common tradition for reasons like military preparedness, are being abandoned primarily due to concerns about racial equity, as black students disproportionately fail them.
5

Brovdy's drone strategy aims for a highly efficient 1% Ukrainian casualty rate against Russian forces (400 Russian lives for 1 Ukrainian), emphasizing the strategic value of plastic and metal over human lives.

💬 Notable Quotes

"He refers to the Russian army has this cow that needs to be milked and exhausted beyond its maximum capacity."
"It would be foolish to just carry on as we are in terms of our relationship with the EU."
"Black children are about five times more likely to drown in a swimming pool than white students. Black adults are about five times more likely to say that they can't swim."