This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler
Exploring threats to global stability from Ukraine to China to the Middle East with host Gavin Esler – former BBC News presenter, Washington correspondent and host of Newsnight – plus Ukraine-based war reporter Oz Katerji and independent conflict analyst Emma Beals. This Is Not A Drill dives deep into the dangers, corruption, conflicts, disinformation, rivalries and ruthless realpolitik that are making our world ever more dangerous.
Support This Is Not A Drill on Patreon from just £3 per month to get each episode early plus bonus material and exclusive merchandise. From Podmasters, the team behind Oh God, What Now?, Paper Cuts and The Bunker.
126
🇺🇦 Surviving Putin's Energy War
As winter approaches, will Russia turn off the gas taps on Europe? How is the EU doing when it comes to cutting out Putin's energy supply? And is Britain failing to take advantage of their position in the European energy market? Lecturer in European studies at King's College London Dr Alex Clarkson comes back on the show to tell Arthur Snell how Europe can survive Putin's energy war.
26 min
127
🇺🇦 How China Went “All In” on Russia
What does Putin's invasion means for a potential Chinese takeover of Taiwan? And how is conflict in Europe affecting the wider Asia region? As China throws their weight behind Russia over the war in Ukraine, Ankit Panda, fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, joins Arthur Snell to discuss the ”marriage of convenience” between Moscow and Beijing.
24 min
128
🇺🇦 Where Will the War Go Next?
With the war heading into a sixth month, where will the conflict go next? How are both sides doing when it comes to ammunition? Is NATO really united in its objectives? And how Russia's rhetoric playing out in the Global South? Dr Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at RUSI, joins Arthur Snell for the second of two war bulletins to look at the future direction of the conflict.
21 min
129
🇺🇦 War Update: Dr Jack Watling
As war continues in Ukraine, where is the conflict at? Has Russia's increased focus on the Donbas allowed them to make some gains? How strong is the Ukrainian resistance? And why has President Zelenskyy fired his top spy chief and head prosecutor? Fresh from a trip to Ukraine, Jack Watling, a senior research fellow in land warfare at RUSI, joins Arthur Snell for our latest war update.
25 min
130
🇺🇦 Live from Ukraine with John Sweeney
Recently we held a live Zoom session with reporting legend John Sweeney, who joined us live from Lviv after a week touring the Ukrainian front. In a crossover with John’s hit podcast Taking On Putin, we spoke to John about where the war is heading, where Putin goes next, the courage of the Ukrainian people and much more.
22 min
131
🇺🇦 The Fall of the Neoliberal Order
As war continues in Ukraine, how did the collapse of neoliberalism get us to the point of conflict in Europe? Are we entering a new era of authoritarianism? Professor Gary Gerstle, author of The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era, joins Arthur Snell for our latest war bulletin.
29 min
132
🇺🇦 The End of the Long Peace
As NATO leaders gathered in Madrid, what were the key moments and decisions from a historic summit? How are alliance members supporting Ukraine militarily? And following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is the "long peace" following World War 2 now over? Dr. Ulrike Franke, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and European defence expert, joins Arthur Snell for our latest war bulletin.
26 min
133
🇺🇦 What Could Russian Escalation Look Like?
As the war in Ukraine enters a fifth month, and with the conflict entering a stalemate, what could Russian escalation look like? Would they turn to chemical weapons? And why are bio weapons still part of the debate? Dan Kaszeta, a former US military and secret service officer, chemical weapons expert and author of Toxic: A History of Nerve Agents, From Nazi Germany to Putin's Russia, joins Arthur Snell for another war bulletin.
23 min
134
🇺🇦 The War You Don’t See
While much of the focus is on the ground war in Ukraine, there's another conflict Russia is fighting, dubbed 'hybrid war'. This involves the use of non-military methods such as cyber attacks, espionage and fake news, and is being waged against western democracies including the UK. Helena Ivanov and Neil Barnett have written a report on the subject titled Russia’s Hybrid War Against the UK. They join Arthur Snell to discuss the conflict we can't see.
28 min
135
🇺🇦 War Update: Shashank Joshi
Nearly four months into the Ukraine-Russia war, where is the conflict at? After limited early progress, is Russia now beginning to gain ground, or are both sides grinding to a halt? And in the longer term, can the West sustain both the supply of arms to Ukraine, and it's unity? Defence Editor for the Economist Shashank Joshi joins Arthur Snell for an update on where the war is heading.
30 min
136
🇺🇦 Mind Control — Why Millions Think Russia is ...
Those in the West would be forgiven for thinking Ukraine is winning the information war, with slick videos of President Zelenskyy appearing all over social media. However for those in the Global South, the content they consume about the war is much more pro-Russia. To explain this phenomenon and the wider context, Carl Miller, Research Director at the Demos Centre for the Analysis of Social Media, joins Arthur Snell for another War Bulletin.
32 min
137
🇺🇦 Turkey — NATO’s Disruptive Ally
Of all the countries playing a part in the Ukraine crisis, Turkey is perhaps the most difficult to read. A NATO member and supplying drones to Ukraine, but at the same time thwarting Sweden and Finland’s attempts to join the alliance, and hosting Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov later this week. To discuss what Turkey and its president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are trying to achieve, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, Senior Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, dials in from Istanbul to speak to Arthur Snell.
26 min
138
🇺🇦 Europe’s Energy Conflict
At the heart of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the wider crisis affecting Europe, is the question of energy security. How did the West become so reliant on Russian oil and gas? And as the continent moves away from the Kremlin's energy supply, what will the impact be? Helen Thompson, professor of Political Economy at the University of Cambridge and author of Disorder, joins Arthur Snell to discuss the geopolitical fallout from Putin's invasion.
26 min
139
🇺🇦 NATO – An Alliance Revived?
As Sweden and Finland apply to join NATO, ending decades of military neutrality, how has Putin's invasion revived an alliance described as 'Braindead' by Emmanuel Macron just two years ago? Lord Peter Ricketts, a former Permanent Representative to NATO, ex-ambassador to France and Britain's first National Security Advisor, joins Arthur Snell to discuss the implications of war in Ukraine for Western security, and the potential paths for ending the conflict.
32 min
140
🇺🇦 Inside Russia’s Eastern Offensive
It's been three months since Russia invaded Ukraine, but with Putin now focusing on the east of the country after his failure to take Kyiv, where is the war currently? Dr Mike Martin, a former British Army officer and author of Why We Fight, comes back on the show to tell Arthur Snell about the brutal battle for the Donbas, and where the conflict could head next.
31 min
141
🇺🇦 How Russia's Money Corrupts the West
Russian dark money has infiltrated Western politics for years, leading to increased support for the Kremlin and their actions in capitals across the developed world. To discuss the how and why behind Russia's financial meddling, Iain Campbell, financial investigator and journalist, joins Arthur Snell for another War Bulletin.
26 min
142
🇺🇦 Russia’s State of Mind
The Russian state is working incredibly hard to persuade its people that the war is both necessary and going well, but what state of mind is Russia's population in? Sarah Hurst, author of the Russia Report newsletter, talks to Arthur Snell about the Kremlin's campaign of disinformation, and how international sanctions are hitting the Russian population.
28 min
143
🇺🇦 Inside the Warrior Mindset
How important are motivations when it comes to fighting a war? Is a 'warrior mindset', rather than high level training, carrying the Ukrainian military through? Fresh from a reporting trip to Kyiv, former U.S. Marine Elliot Ackerman joins Arthur Snell to give an insight into the mentality of both the Russian and Ukrainian forces, and explain how Putin united the Western world.
32 min
144
🇺🇦 Germany’s Dereliction of Duty
Russia's invasion of Ukraine lead to a seismic u-turn in Germany, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a huge increase in military spending. What are the implications for Europe? And as other European nations reduce their need for Russian energy, why has Berlin has been reluctant to follow suit? Annette Dittert, London Bureau Chief for German broadcaster ARD, joins Arthur Snell to discuss what Germany's military u-turn means for Europe, and why Scholz is having difficulty stamping out Russian oil and gas.
30 min
145
🇺🇦 Live Zoom with Dr Alex Clarkson
Last week we held a live Zoom session with Dr Alexander Clarkson of King's College London, who took us on a whirlwind world tour of Ukraine, Transnistria and the future of Russia’s catastrophic invasion. How is it developing and how could it end? Out now on general release, here is a shortened version of the session.
31 min
146
🇺🇦 The Battle for the Black Sea
The sinking of the Russian warship Moskva highlighted the importance of naval conflict in the Russia-Ukraine war. Why is the Black Sea so vital? And is Ukraine up to the task of stopping Putin's fleet of frigates? Former Royal Navy Captain Chris Clough joins Arthur Snell to discuss the intricacies of naval warfare, what the Moskva sinking means for the conflict, and how real the risk of escalation is as the war moves forward.
31 min
147
🇺🇦 Putin’s High Stakes Game
Putin’s undeserved reputation as a master strategist means some analysts have employed the metaphor of chess to his invasion of Ukraine, but is the Russian President actually playing poker with the West? Jason Pack, non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute and 2018 World Champion in doubles backgammon, talks to Arthur Snell about the high stakes game between NATO and Russia, and why the Kremlin might have overplayed their hand.
28 min
148
🇺🇦 Surviving Putin's Wrath with Bill Browder
Anyone familiar with Putin's history of kleptocracy, money laundering and threats of murder against his enemies will know the name of Bill Browder, formerly one of Russia's leading foreign investors, now a sworn enemy of Vladimir Putin. Browder talks to Arthur Snell about his new book Freezing Order, which details the 'real money' funding the Kremlin's war, and how he became Vladimir Putin’s number one enemy for exposing his campaign of theft and money laundering.
28 min
149
🇺🇦 What Russia’s Invasion Means For France
With the second round of France's presidential election on Sunday, what could the vote for the French response to the Ukraine crisis? And when other leaders have stopped, why has President Macron has continued diplomatic efforts with Vladimir Putin? Stephanie Pezard, senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, joins Arthur Snell to discuss France's approach to Russia's war, and what the conflict means for European defence and security.
29 min
150
🇺🇦 Could Chemical Warfare Occur?
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine faltering, could the Kremlin consider escalating the conflict using chemical weapons? What would biological warfare look like? Dr Alastair Hay, a Professor of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Leeds, joins Arthur Snell to discuss the history of chemical weapons, and if we'll see them used in the Ukraine conflict.
26 min