The war in Ukraine has changed radically. From trench warfare and massive tank assaults, we have now entered the age of drones. In this special episode of Ukrainapodden, recorded in front of a live audience at Litteraturhuset i Fredrikstad, Tormod Malvin Sæther sits down with Yaryna Chornohuz. She is a marine, a former combat medic, now a drone operator – and one of Ukraine's most recognized poets.

Yaryna gives us a brutal and honest look into what everyday life in the so-called "kill zone" is actually like, where drones monitor everything, and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are now used to supply soldiers and evacuate the wounded. This technological shift has enabled Ukraine to withstand a numerically superior Russian force in regions like Kherson, Donetsk, and Kharkiv.

But the war is not just fought with weapons. Yaryna shares shocking details about Russia's cultural warfare, where over a million Ukrainian books have recently been destroyed in targeted strikes. This is a deliberate attempt by Vladimir Putin to erase the country's identity and history. She also explains why the word "conflict" plays right into the Russian propaganda trap, and why she and many other Ukrainians believe that any discussions of an imminent peace deal are a dangerous trap for Europe. In addition, she opens up about personal losses and reads powerful poems dedicated to her fallen comrades.