Sky News Daily Wargame Day: Is the UK ready for a real Russian attack?
Oct 6, 2025
18:50
It's the morning of Monday 6 October 2025 and Russia has launched a missile strike against the UK. That was the scenario of The Wargame - a gripping five-part Sky News podcast that brought together former government ministers, military chiefs, and top defence experts to explore how the UK might respond to a modern-day crisis.
On the real 6 October, we speak to some of the makers of the series to get a sense of whether our leaders are taking the threat of Russia seriously enough. Would the United States come to the UK's aid if bombings began on British soil? And what do we need to do to improve our defence capabilities?
Niall Paterson is joined by The Wargame's co-creators - Sky’s security and defence editor Deborah Haynes, and Rob Johnson, head of Oxford University's Changing Character of War Centre - as well as Keir Giles, a leading expert on the Russian military who portrays the Russian president in the simulation.
You can listen to The Wargame here:
https://open.spotify.com/show/4lHtW6x1D6R0E1QmGLkBK1
Producers: Tom Gillespie & Emily Hulme
Editor: Mike Bovill
On the real 6 October, we speak to some of the makers of the series to get a sense of whether our leaders are taking the threat of Russia seriously enough. Would the United States come to the UK's aid if bombings began on British soil? And what do we need to do to improve our defence capabilities?
Niall Paterson is joined by The Wargame's co-creators - Sky’s security and defence editor Deborah Haynes, and Rob Johnson, head of Oxford University's Changing Character of War Centre - as well as Keir Giles, a leading expert on the Russian military who portrays the Russian president in the simulation.
You can listen to The Wargame here:
https://open.spotify.com/show/4lHtW6x1D6R0E1QmGLkBK1
Producers: Tom Gillespie & Emily Hulme
Editor: Mike Bovill