BFBS Radio Sitrep

On this week’s Sitrep we delve into the minds of foreign fighters. What makes someone who’ served in the military or is just a civilian want to go and fight in a conflict overseas, such as Ukraine. We’ll hear from Emile Ghessen has met many of them, he was a Royal Marine but is now a documentary film maker and is in Kyiv.We’ll also be discussing war crimes….there have been a lot of allegations made against Russian forces, But, what actually constitutes a war crime and how easy are they to pursue? We’ll look again at the recent Defence Review…is it now out of date given the change of emphasis because of Ukraine?And…Exercise Halo Rise…showing off the Army’s use of information and cyber operations. A special report from Tim Cooper on the work of 6th United Kingdom Division.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may be stalled, but it’s already reset Europe’s security thinking for decades to come. Germany appears to have abandoned its reluctance to be a big military power and has started a defence spending spree. German born Baroness Gisela Stuart tells us why it’s a seismic shift, and we assess what military capability it will buy.As well as spending more, NATO countries are doing more. BFBS Sitrep joins an RAF air policing patrol close to the border of Ukraine, and hears from Estonia where extended tours of duty are boosting British troop numbers.And Professor Michael Clarke talks us through the state of play, and strategic options, on the ground in Ukraine.

The Labour leader’s visited Estonia to meet British troops and show British political unity against Russia, and in support of NATO and Ukraine. He talks to Kate Gerbeau from Estonia on whether the UK’s approach to Vladimir Putin should be more forceful, what would happen if a chemical attack was launched in Ukraine, and whether Britain needs an urgent increase in defence spending. 

Kyiv may be the decisive city of the war for Ukraine’s future – so what is happening there right now? BFBS Sitrep talks to a former Royal Marine turned film-maker about what he’s witnessing as Moscow’s troops advance on the capital.More than 3,500 anti-tank missiles from the UK have now reached Ukrainian troops – we look at what the NLAW and Javelin can do for the country’s fightback.And they say ‘know your enemy’, so who is Vladimir Putin? We hear the story behind Russia’s President and how it drives his actions.

We thought Russia’s invasion would overwhelm Ukraine within 72 hours. A week on Moscow’s forces have claimed control of just one city.So what’s gone wrong for the Kremlin? Could old maps, and archaic radios be part of Russia’s problem?We assess how much military capability each side has lost from the battlefield, and what cards Ukraine has to play as cities come under siege.President Putin’s nuclear option includes battlefield weapons, would he really use them and how devastating would that be?Plus why Defence Intelligence has come out of the shadows and into the limelight, as part of the UK’s response.

Russia has launched a full frontal military assault on Ukraine, sending troops and tanks in from 3 directions. BFBS Sitrep assesses Moscow’s military strategy and what it can tell us about how this may play out.We also compare President Putin’s playbook in the lead-up to this invasion with what happened in Georgia in 2008, and guess what, it looks remarkably similar.What can the UK do now to help Ukraine, is military action really off the table, and what is the risk of NATO getting drawn in anyway?

Russia says it’s pulling troops back from Ukraine’s borders, the west says the buildup’s getting bigger.BFBS Sitrep talks to a former British Ambassador, and a former Moscow Correspondent to make sense of the competing claims and assess the state of the Ukraine stand off.A Defence Minister tells us why the UK is doubling its military assistance to NATO members in Eastern Europe, and whether that fits with calls for ‘de-escalation’And we compare the size of Ukraine’s armed forces with Russia’s military machine to see if it could fend off an invasion.

In a rollercoaster 24 hours the UK went from warning an invasion of Ukraine could start ‘at any moment’ to expressing cautious optimism about a Russian pullback.In this extra edition of BFBS Sitrep Kate Gerbeau talks in depth to the UK’s Armed Forces Minister James Heappey.He tells us it’s his ‘expectation’ that British training troops, pulled out of Ukraine a few days ago, will return providing security conditions on the ground are met.He also discusses Russia’s claims that the west has been ‘humiliated’ by the failure of ‘war propaganda’, and says we must be able to hear ‘in good faith’ what Russia is saying.

China has called for the UK to hand the Falklands to Argentina, and says NATO’s got too big. This week BFBS Sitrep asks if Beijing has used the Winter Olympics to set out a divide-and-rule strategy, or if it’s just repackaging its old partnerships?The head of the Army explains why he ordered non-essential work to stop for a day, to talk about teamwork, and an expert in cultural change gives his verdict on the effort to modernise attitudes.Estonian soldiers tell us about working with their British counterparts at Europe’s ‘most dangerous moment’ in decades.Is ‘Havana Syndrome’ a case of mass hysteria among US diplomats, or the result of energy-weapon attacks? We examine the latest research.

The UK and its western allies are threatening historically harsh sanctions to try to deter Russia from invading Ukraine. BFBS Sitrep examines what sanctions might be taken, what history tells us about whether they work, and how we might feel the effects of those sanctions too.We also look at the part played by sanctions in Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis where people are selling their children, and even vital organs, as they struggle to survive.And on the eve of the Beijing Winter Olympics will the games boost the communist nation’s international influence further, or does a western diplomatic boycott turn sport into a political football?