Secrets and Spies Podcast: Current Affairs | Geopolitics | Intelligence

On this episode of Espresso Martini Chris and Matt take a look at Bakhmut means for Putin and Russia, the UK Government Blacklisting chemical weapons export Dan Kaszeta for being critical of the government on Twitter. They also take another look at the Turkish Presidential elections and accusations of Russian interference. Also the new Patreon exclusive show “Extra Shot” launches. You can access it by subscribing to the Secrets & Spies Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies Links to articles discussed:  Putin & Bakhmut https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/23/putin-is-toast-with-or-without-bakhmut/ Dan Kaszeta blacklisted by UK Gov https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65675247 Turkey https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/12/turkish-opposition-accuses-russia-of-election-interference-days-before-vote  Find out more about Matt and his book “Active Measures.”  https://mattfulton.net/ Check out Chris’s short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER” which is now available to buy on Apple TV & Amazon Prime.  Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/j_KFTJenrz4 For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/  Support Secrets and Spies:    * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Connect with us on social media  TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/secretsandspies/ SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/ 

We are launching an extra show that will be a Patreon exclusive and it will follow immediately after each Espresso Martini. The new show is called “Extra Shot” and it will give us an opportunity to talk about stories we didn’t cover but we really wanted to. Also, we may talk about any stories or bits of history that are on our mind at the moment and in time we plan to get on the odd guest and hopefully even some listeners. So to get access to Extra Shot you will need to go to  www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies You will need to pick a subscription level, and depending on which level you select, you will get a complimentary Secrets & Spies coffee cup or set of coasters.  So, we hope that sounds good value to you, you will be directly supporting this podcast, and if it becomes popular, we will be open to expanding and making more content exclusively for you. So to get access to Extra Shot you will need to go to  www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris, Matt and Oliver the cat discuss a little more Jack Teixeira the man arrested over Pentagon files leak. Then we will look at a former FBI Special Agent arrested for his role in the January 6th attack. Then we look at an interesting spy story involving a retired Iranian government member accused of being a spy for MI6. In the last section of the show, we discuss some of the new information on the Nord Stream pipeline attack and look ahead at the Presidential elections in Turkey this weekend. Links to articles discussed: War, Weapons and Conspiracy Theories: Inside Airman Teixeira’s Online World https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/06/us/politics/jack-teixeira-leaks-discord-messages.html Ex-FBI agent who feds say urged Jan. 6, rioters to kill police worked terrorism task force https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/ex-fbi-agent-feds-say-urged-jan-6-rioters-kill-police-worked-terrorism-rcna82775 Iranian Insider and British Spy: How a Double Life Ended on the Gallows https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/world/middleeast/british-spy-execution-iran.html Nord Stream: Report puts Russian Navy ships near the pipeline blast site https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65461401 Yes, Erdogan’s Rule Might Actually End This Weekend https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/05/09/turkey-election-erdogan-kilicdaroglu-akp-nation-alliance/ Cold Front Podcast mentioned by Chris about the new Nord Stream information:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3-6-the-explosion-sites/id1683166185?i=1000611529149 Find out more about Matt and his book “Active Measures”  https://mattfulton.net/ Check out Chris’s short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER” which is now available to buy on Apple TV & Amazon Prime.  Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/j_KFTJenrz4 For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/  Support Secrets and Spies:    * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Connect with us on social media  TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/secretsandspies/ SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/ 

On this episode of Espresso Martini we discuss the recent Pentagon leaks, a Russian pro-war blogger who is not actually Russian, business men taking money from Chinese spies and Spy Ships off the coast of Scotland. Links to articles discussed: Who is Jack Teixeira, the man arrested over Pentagon files leak? By Peter Beaumont reporting for The Guardian Newspaper https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/13/who-is-jack-teixeira-the-man-arrested-over-pentagon-files-leak What the leaked Pentagon documents reveal - key takeaways By Paul Adams, Jean Mackenzie and Antoinette Radford reporting for the BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65238951 Pentagon Leaks: Russian Su-27 Nearly Shot Down British Rivet Joint Last Year By David Cenciotti reporting for The Aviationist https://theaviationist.com/2023/04/11/russian-su-27-nearly-shot-down-british-rivet-joint-last-year/ Social-Media Account Overseen by Former Navy Noncommissioned Officer Helped Spread Secrets By Yaroslav Trofimov for the Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/social-media-account-overseen-by-former-navy-noncommissioned-officer-helped-spread-secrets-a4b5643b Australian businessman allegedly given envelopes of cash from Chinese spies for information By Australian Associated Press for the Guardian Newspaper https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/17/australia-businessman-alexander-csergo-allegedly-given-envelopes-of-cash-from-chinese-spies-for-information Ukraine war: The Russian ships accused of North Sea sabotage By Gordon Corera for the BBC Ukraine war: The Russian ships accused of North Sea sabotage - BBC News Moray Firth: Russian spy ship 'probed wind farm for sabotage plans' By Jody Harrison for the Herald of Scotland https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/23467879.moray-firth-russian-spy-ship-probed-windfarm-sabotage-plans/ Link to interview with Todd Leventhal about Cold War “Active Measures” https://pod.fo/e/14fa0 For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/ Connect with us on social media TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/secretsandspies/ SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Support Secrets and Spies:   * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Find out more about Matt and his book “Active Measures” https://mattfulton.net/ Check out Chris’s short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER” which is now available to buy on Apple TV & Amazon Prime. Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/j_KFTJenrz4 Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/ 

On todays podcast Chris is joined by Eldad Ben Aharon who is a researcher of Israeli intelligence and geopolitical history. We discuss the challenges of researching intelligence history in Israel and the importance of first person interviews with intelligence community members. You can connect with Eldad on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/EldadBenAharon You can read the following papers by Eldad via the links below Interview with Efraim Halevy https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02684527.2022.2095600 'Doing Oral History with the Israeli Elite': https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00940798.2019.1702467 (free ungated access to the content).  Research project bout Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: https://www.hsfk.de/en/publications/publication-search/publication/between-geopolitics-and-identitiy-struggle-why-israel-took-sides-with-azerbaijan-in-the-nagorno-karabakh-conflict You can read more from Eldad via his website here: https://hsfk.academia.edu/EldadBenAharon For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/  Connect with us on social media  TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/secretsandspies/ SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Support Secrets and Spies:    * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Find out more about Matt and his book “Active Measures”  https://mattfulton.net/ Check out Chris’s short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER” which is now available to buy on Apple TV & Amazon Prime.  Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/j_KFTJenrz4 Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/ 

On this episode, Matt sits down with his friend and fellow indie spy writer Stephen England. They talk about Stephen's decade-long career as a novelist, the history and development of his 'Shadow Warriors' series, their inspirations, and the ethics of writing in the spy genre For more information about Stephen and his books, check out his Amazon page: shorturl.at/elFI0 For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/  Connect with us on social media  TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/secretsandspies/ SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Support Secrets and Spies:    * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Find out more about Matt and his book “Active Measures”  https://mattfulton.net/ Check out Chris’s short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER” which is now available to buy on Apple TV & Amazon Prime.  Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/j_KFTJenrz4 Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/ 

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris & Matt take a look at President Xi’s trip to China, Chinese espionage against the west and the revelations of a recent Russian defector who paints a less than flattering picture of President Putin and his mental state. Links to articles discussed on this episode “China portrays Xi’s Russia trip as bid for leadership of non-Western world” – by Lily Kuo for the Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/21/china-xi-russia-world-leadership/ “China waging decades-long spy war” by Calder Walton for Foreign Policy https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/03/28/china-has-been-waging-a-decades-long-all-out-spy-war/ “Russian defector sheds light on Putin paranoia and his secret train network” by Andrew Roth and Pjotr Sauer for The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/05/russian-defector-sheds-light-on-putin-paranoia-including-secret-train For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/ Connect with us on social media TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/secretsandspies/ SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Support Secrets and Spies:   Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Find out more about Matt and his book “Active Measures” https://mattfulton.net/ Check out Chris’s short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER”, now available on Apple TV & Amazon Prime. Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/j_KFTJenrz4 Music on this podcast is provided by Andrew R. Bird (Andy Bird) Check out his work here: https://soundcloud.com/andrewbirduk Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/ 

Hi everyone, we just wanted to share a quick update about the podcast. We will now be producing two Espresso Martinis a month. Chris & Matt will also be splitting interviews between them. So exciting times ahead for the show! We will have an "Ask us anything" section on the next Espresso Martini. Email or Tweet at us your questions before 6th April.  You can email us here: secretsandspiespodcast&gmail.com and Tweet at us here:  www.twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies Support Secrets and Spies:    * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Connect with us on social media  TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Check out our short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER” which is now available to buy on Apple TV & Amazon Prime.  Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/j_KFTJenrz4 Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/ 

We are joined by Matthew Orr, a Eurasian analyst at RANE, Risk Assistance Network & Exchange in this episode. We discuss the first anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine and what to expect over the next few months. You can find out more about RANE here: https://www.ranenetwork.com/ Music on this podcast is provided by Andrew R. Bird (Andy Bird) You can check out his work here: https://soundcloud.com/andrewbirduk For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/ Support Secrets and Spies    Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg  Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies  You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Connect with us on social media TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Check out our short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER” which is now available to buy on Apple TV & Amazon Prime. Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/j_KFTJenrz4 Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/ 

Matt Fulton interviews Shane Harris from the Washington Post on today's podcast. Shane has written about intelligence, security and foreign policy for over two decades. He is a staff writer with The Washington Post, covering U.S. intelligence agencies and national security. Shane takes us through his research on the Nord Stream attack and how it is not as straightforward as previously believed. These are Shane’s articles discussed in the episode: No conclusive evidence Russia is behind Nord Stream attack https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/12/21/russia-nord-stream-explosions/ Intelligence Suggests Pro-Ukrainian Group Sabotaged Pipelines, U.S. Officials Say https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/07/us/politics/nord-stream-pipeline-sabotage-ukraine.html Intelligence officials suspect Ukraine partisans behind Nord Stream bombings, rattling Kyiv’s allies https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/03/07/intelligence-officials-suspect-ukraine-partisans-behind-nord-stream-bombings-rattling-kyivs-allies/ You can find out more about Shane Harris and his work on the Washington Post’s website: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/shane-harris/. You can connect with Shane’s via his Twitter page: https://twitter.com/shaneharris. Find out more about Matt Fulton and his book “Active Measures” https://mattfulton.net/ Music on this podcast is provided by Andrew R. Bird (Andy Bird) You can check out his work here: https://soundcloud.com/andrewbirduk For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/ Support Secrets and Spies:   * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast”  on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Connect with us on social media TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies SPOUTIBLE   https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Check out our short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER” which is now available to buy on Apple TV & Amazon Prime. Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/j_KFTJenrz4 Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/