War & Conflict with Preston Stewart

Check out our campaign to support units in the east here: https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoRussia just suffered their worst month of the war at the front and it’s not particularly close. According to optimistic Russian sources, they gained 7 square kilometers in October at a staggering cost of life.We’ve talked about the Russian army being stuck at the front before but it’s worth harping on because this is the type of thing that will factor into any negotiations. It’s just very different going into those conversations if it looks like Russia cannot accomplish their goals military. And right now, that’s the case.Interview with Armen of the 18th Sloviansk Brigade: https://youtu.be/IghMfH7wJ6QSources:https://kyivindependent.com/russia-suffers-record-troop-losses-in-october-its-worst-month-since-full-scale-invasion-ukraine-says/https://t.me/robert_magyar/2947https://t.me/azov_media/8904https://t.me/SBUkr/18961https://t.me/strelkovii/7629https://www.wsj.com/world/ukraine-pauses-strikes-on-russian-refineries-after-pressure-from-u-s-a9e512f8?st=NVDH4p&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalinkhttps://www.wsj.com/world/europe/ukraine-hits-russian-oil-refinery-ending-a-pause-and-defying-trump-be68eeff?mod=hp_lead_pos3https://t.me/dva_majors/101368https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/31/oleshky-evacuees-reunite-with-families-after-truce-allows-crossing-into-ukraineSubstack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of the heaviest fighting of the war in Ukraine is happening in Donetsk, just outside of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk and today we’re talking with one of the officers overseeing that defense. Armen Akopian is with the 18th Sloviansk Brigade whose men right now, are fighting in areas like Chasiv Yar and Kostiantynivka.We get into why the Russians have had such a hard time advancing in this direction, how Armen and his men have watched as Russian officers eliminate their own men, challenges of logistics in this direction and more.This interview is part of a fundraiser we’re doing right now through Ukraine Aid Operations where we’re providing the 18th with drone detectors and generators. You can learn more about that campaign at the link in the description below.https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uao18th in Sloviansk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcvhQiJPmpk&feature=youtu.beSubstack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ongoing campaigns to support the 93rd Brigade in the east:https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaohttps://artwine.com/Things are not going well for the Russian Army at the front. I mean if you look past the ridiculous claims made by the Kremlin about an ever advancing Russian military, you’ll see what one milblogger is referring to as ‘One Step Forward, One Step Back’. They’re stuck.Sources:https://t.me/rybar_in_english/35350https://t.me/milinfolive/182210https://t.me/creamy_caprice/13336https://t.me/roy_tv_mk/22663https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-ukraine-begin-localised-ceasefire-allow-humanitarian-operation-oleshky-2026-10-27/https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/kherson-s-oleshky-prepares-for-evacuation-1793269057.htmlhttps://x.com/clement_molin/status/2115374590801178762?a=2Dbq_M8onfQ6BN49-78&s=20Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month the US military surged hundreds of troops into the Rio Grande Valley after a Coast Guard Vessel came under fire during a routine border security patrol. It’s not the first time US forces have been fired upon along the southern border but it was a pretty significant response.So to help break this down, we’re joined today by Stefano Rittondale. Stefano is the chief intelligence officer for Artorias and runs the All Source News channel where he focuses on all things cartel related.Stefano across platforms:https://www.youtube.com/@UC-125EkW4VMEEw8_w67etUQhttps://x.com/All_Source_Newshttps://www.tiktok.com/@all_source_newshttps://www.instagram.com/all_source_news/?hl=enhttps://sitrep.artorias.com/Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ongoing campaigns:https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaohttps://artwine.com/https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/preston-stewart-fall-offensiveThis week Putin said that It has become obvious to everyone that defeating Russia on the battlefield is impossible. Shortly thereafter President Trump stated that the Russian Army just keeps grinding forward and that it was time for Ukraine to make a deal. But the Russian soldiers fighting this war have a different perspective with one last week saying, “what’s going on at the front is a mess. They tell us everything is fine, but it's not true.”In fact October is on track to be the deadliest month for the Russian military of the entire war and so far this year, the ‘unstoppable Russian Army’ has only taken a meager 76 square kilometers of territory.Sources:https://t.me/shturmmotherfucker/2168https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/76809https://kyivindependent.com/us-holding-up-air-defense-missiles-for-ukraine-for-nearly-a-month-zelensky-says/https://x.com/TheStudyofWar/status/2114439340092760233?s=20Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can support Bard, Team Archer and other foreign volunteers through the Protect a Volunteer sponsor program here: https://protectavolunteer.com/donorsBehind the countless hours of drone footage coming out of the war in Ukraine are the operators who are literally developing a new style of warfare before our eyes. And today we’re talking with one of them.Bard is an American volunteer who leads Team Archer, part of Tactical Group Athena of the DIU. Bard’s team focuses on FPV strike, in other words, his team's mission is to hunt down and eliminate Russian soldiers. We get into everything from training to tactics, how they coordinate strikes with adjacent drone teams and more.Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a pretty rapid advance across western Yemen it appears the Houthis have been stopped, for now at least. I mean the fighting there is far from over and we’re seeing Houthi missiles strike in Saudi Arabia, Saudi jets bomb key targets in Yemen and increasing Houthi drone activity near the border suggesting they may try to escalate even further.So to help us break this all down, we’re joined today, once again by Mohammed al-Basha, a middle east analyst and the founder of Basher Report Risk Advisory.Follow Basha at the links belowhttps://bashareport.substack.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bashareporthttps://x.com/BashaReportSubstack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out the new channel here! Defense Tech News https://www.defensetechnews.io/ https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNews It looks like the war with Iran is about to flare back up. It’s not just the coming elections in the United States and Israel but also the moving of military assets to the region, evacuating certain bases and of course, Netanyanhu saying that Iran is once again, developing a nuclear weapon. We even have a report from inside Iran, where their leadership says that in the event of US or Israeli strikes, they will immediately go after critical civilian infrastructure in the region adding “if the war continues, Iran has the tools it needs to keep responding.” Sources https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/21/us/politics/us-israel-renewed-iran-strikes.html?searchResultPosition=3https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-troops-diplomats-evacuating-middle-east-posts-sources-say-rcna604867https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahu-tehran-hasnt-learned-its-lesson-katz-if-iran-attacks-israel-iran-will-burn/https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2113125850904162713?s=20 Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/ Store: https://prestonstew.shop/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our two fundraisers ongoing right now to support Ukrainian units fighting in the east:https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaohttps://artwine.com/Looks like Putin has rejected Zelensky’s ceasefire proposal but accepted one from Melania Trump. Didn't expect that one today but it's good news for the people of Oleshky.Sources:https://t.me/tass_agency/401818https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/55803-support-for-sending-military-aid-to-ukraine-has-fallenhttps://kyivindependent.com/as-trump-turns-toward-russia-zelensky-drops-his-restraint/https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2026/10/first-lady-melania-trump-secures-ceasefire-between-russia-and-ukraine-localized-to-oleshky/https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/2112866119132291312?s=20Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our two campaigns in October are going strong! Check out Ukraine Aid Ops and Brave Selections below to learn about each.https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaohttps://artwine.com/Looks like the war in Ukraine is moving underground. A Ukrainian unit today released this footage showing offensive operations in a tunnel where they say they ambushed Russian soldiers, some who had been living underground for weeks, even months.We’ve seen these maneuvers before from the Russian side but this marks the first publicly known Ukrainian underground advance, and it looks like they’re just getting started. Sourceshttps://t.me/khartiia/4843https://t.me/legionoffreedom/2017https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/10/ukraine-war-gas-pipelines-russia/689105/https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/the-subterranean-battle-playing-out-deep-in-ukraines-soviet-era-pipelines-49dcc260?mod=e2twSubstack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ukraine Aid Ops campaign: https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoArtWine campaign: https://artwine.com/This is a Russian soldiers view of the approaches to Dobropillia. Not usually something the Kremlin likes to have released, because there are bodies of Russian soldiers everywhere. We saw this same view from above a few days ago as Azov showed how one after another, Russian soldiers kept trying and failing to take the same deadly route.This is one of the most deadly sections of the front and Russia is forced to advance there because their offensive further north was snubbed out during Operation Vivaldi. Which hopefully works in Ukraine’s favor as the newest round of peace talks look to begin.Source footagehttps://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2112882023991738458?s=20https://x.com/saintjavelin/status/2112178879880216584?s=20Sourceshttps://t.me/dva_majors/100754https://t.me/roy_tv_mk/22565https://t.me/azov_brigade_ngu/1985https://www.wsj.com/world/musk-ordered-starlink-slowdown-that-crippled-ukraines-drones-and-sowed-panic-in-kyiv-f907aab0?mod=Searchresults&pos=3&page=1https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/10/21/are-ukraine-peace-talks-real-that-depends-putin/https://x.com/Mylovanov/status/2112502079365193934?s=20 Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our ongoing fundraisers below!https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uao10,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or seriously wounded so far in October with most of them in the exact direction that Russian leadership lied about this past week. In fact we’ve got some footage from the Dobropillia direction that was just released showing the fields covered in Russian bodies after they try again and again to advance along the same deadly route, only to be met by Ukrainian drones.Sources:https://t.me/robert_magyar/2913https://t.me/azov_media/8881https://t.me/romanov_92/56616https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-18/zelenskyy-says-trump-is-pushing-ukraine-to-capitulate-to-russia?srnd=undefined https://kyivindependent.com/its-significant-ukraine-fears-us-is-withholding-allied-funded-air-defense-supplies-to-pressure-kyiv/https://x.com/KofmanMichael/status/2112167662789030368?s=20https://x.com/Rebel44CZ/status/2112235078960976026?s=20Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our ongoing campaigns to support units fighting in Donetsk!https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaohttps://artwine.com/NATO jets just shot down what were likely Russian drones in Romanian airspace. Ukraine carried out their largest ever drone attack on St. Petersburg with a major refinery going up in flames. And Ukraine released new footage dispelling Russian claims of advances in the south, “Russian troops continue to die for a picture for propaganda.”Sources:https://www.dw.com/en/romanian-fighter-jets-shoot-down-2-drones-over-black-sea/a-79689156https://www.ft.com/content/734dad42-2eef-4a70-8947-c73997e49fd1?syn-25a6b1a6=1https://kyivindependent.com/flames-explosions-reported-amid-large-ukrainian-drone-attack-on-st-petersburg/https://t.me/romanov_92/56557https://t.me/azov_media/8879Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our ongoing fundraisers to support Ukrainian military units fighting in the east!https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaohttps://artwine.com/After volunteering to buy Russian diesel, threatening to cut off intel sharing and weapons sales to Ukraine and actually throttling Starlink during ongoing operations, President Trump has now waived sanctions imposed on Russia in a bipartisan bill signed just last month.This announcement, snuck in late Friday night likely to avoid media scrutiny, is yet another gift for Putin that has caught much of the nation off guard. In fact a conservative publication earlier today said enough is enough and that it’s time for Congressional hearings on this “shocking escalation of the Trump-Putin alliance”. Sources:https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-waives-most-russia-sanctions-passed-by-congress-4c36bc93?mod=hp_lead_pos2https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/21410https://www.ft.com/content/e26723df-9076-416c-957a-7fa3bd00b4d7?sharetype=blockedhttps://www.nationalreview.com/2026/10/congress-must-investigate-trumps-aid-and-comfort-to-putin/https://x.com/Shelby_Wilder/status/2110853621328056480?s=20https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/16/musk-approached-trump-slow-down-starlink-help-ukraine/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_tw_post_slow-down-starlink-help-ukraine/https://x.com/ChristopherJM/status/2111418903842672985?s=20Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly $60k raised already! Check out our two campaigns to help the 93rd and a few other units in the east:https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uao Russia just got called out by their own side for using AI to fake reports of battlefield progress. This isn’t some random small account either. It’s the Ministry of Defense releasing footage to support claims made to President Putin today. Sources:https://t.me/tass_agency/400681https://t.me/milinfolive/181585https://t.me/creamy_caprice/13086https://www.creamy-caprice.net/https://t.me/romanov_92/56555https://www.wsj.com/opinion/volodymyr-zelensky-starlink-deal-energy-targets-donald-trump-russia-ukraine-e313399d Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/ Store: https://prestonstew.shop/ Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNews Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Defense Tech Newshttps://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@UCZqVYM3Rbd1a8DnKcqEdUEA Overnight a Ukrainian missile strike destroyed four Su-34 fighter bombers at an airfield 370km from the front. Marking one of the largest losses of Russian aircraft in a single mission in over a year. Even better, these were loaded up with bombs ready to launch into Ukraine.We also have the Ukrainian 3rd Army Corps announcing the completion of phase four of Operation Vivaldi, their counteroffensive in the east. Saying they’ve now liberated nearly 300km of territory and eliminated 8,000 Russian soldiers.Check our ongoing fundraisers with Brave Selections and Ukraine Aid Ops!https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoSources:https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-hits-6-russian-su-34-bomber-jets-with-neptune-missile-military-says/https://t.me/milinfolive/181495https://t.me/romanov_92/56536https://t.me/romanov_92/56533https://t.me/bomber_fighter/26852https://t.me/dshrg2/5777https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-15/uk-sends-ukraine-more-storm-shadow-missiles-to-hit-russian-siteshttps://t.me/ab3brigade/15605https://x.com/avivector/status/2110665837749129689?s=20Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out our fundraisers with ArtWine and Ukraine Aid Ops below!https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoOvernight it appears that Starlink access in Ukraine was reduced, significantly impacting ongoing operations, to include their interception of Russian drones. This came without notice and may have already resulted in civilian lives lost. In fact President Zelensky addressed this today saying that Ukraine is losing a strong partner in the United States and that President Trump is taking the wrong side of history. Now hopefully this Starlink issue is in the process of being resolved, just as we went to record a statement was made that connectivity is being restored but we’ll wait for more confirmation on that front.Sources:https://t.me/serhii_flash/7808https://t.me/milinfolive/181451https://x.com/sternenko/status/2110239087982416043?s=20https://x.com/FedorovMykhailo/status/2110432031968542721?s=20https://x.com/clashreport/status/2110407714396577845/video/1https://x.com/clashreport/status/2110406861954621726/video/1https://x.com/clashreport/status/2110442834117701959/video/1Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ArtWine Fundraiser: https://artwine.com/Ukraine Aid Ops: https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoIt’s been a pretty wild few days. First, President Trump approved a deal with Putin to buy Russian diesel and removed sanctions for six months, as he caught flak for that he came back and said that China and Russia are not assisting Iran and then threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and arms sales to Ukraine.Anyone who’s followed this channel for a while knows that I really prefer to focus on the military side of things, tactical and operational, rather than anything political. But this goes beyond policy differences to letting our adversaries off the hook for their role in killing Americans and handicapping our own defense industry for no clear reason. Sources:https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/05/disrupting-irans-overseas-military-procurement-networks-2https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-secretly-sharing-location-of-u-s-targets-with-iran-u-s-officials-say-127d4f1ahttps://www.csis.org/analysis/time-confront-escalating-russia-iran-intelligence-cooperationhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/10/12/putin-gets-lifeline-with-diesel-exports-ukraine-gets-an-ultimatum/https://kyivindependent.com/us-threatens-to-cut-intel-sharing-with-ukraine-in-push-to-protect-russian-oil-refineries-sources-confirm/https://t.me/kpszsu/85763https://kyivindependent.com/as-russian-missiles-slip-through-kyivs-air-defenses-without-warning-officials-say-us-intelligence-remains-intact-for-now/Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Defense Tech News:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsContact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fundraisers are going strong for the 93rd!https://artwine.com/https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uaoCheck out Defense Tech News at the links below:https://www.defensetechnews.io/https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseTechnologyNewsA new report says that 50,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in Ukraine last month leading one Russian commentator to say, “We’ll drown in blood before ever reaching the Dnipro.”There’s a reason Putin is ramping up strikes on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, they view that as the most likely way to win the war because things are not working in their favor at the front and haven’t been for some time.Sources:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-11/russia-suffered-50-000-casualties-last-month-nato-official-sayshttps://t.me/icpbtrubicon/2793https://t.me/roy_tv_mk/22373https://t.me/dva_majors/100103https://t.me/rybar_in_english/34867https://x.com/TheStudyofWar/status/2108197760822309032?s=20Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ukraine Aid Ops campaign: https://ukraineaidops.org/blogs/fundraising-campaigns/preston-x-uao ArtWine campaign: https://artwine.com/Over the past few days we’ve seen the United States make a series of decisions that I personally believe amount to strategic blunders and moral failures that will only serve to prolong and maybe expand this war. We’re making things worse, not better. Sources:https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-strikes-deal-with-putin-for-russian-diesel-15751436?mod=hp_trendingnow_article_pos5https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqe8r5l7n92johttps://t.me/ukr_sof/3479https://x.com/Acyn/status/2108965075084349729?s=20https://x.com/Acyn/status/2108964960705597874?s=20https://x.com/atrupar/status/2108915149088104485?s=20https://x.com/atrupar/status/2108914771282080227?s=20Store: https://prestonstew.shop/Join the community on Substack: https://prestonstew.substack.com/Contact: preston@warstories.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices