Telling the history of the war that’s reshaping the world. In Ep.6: How Ukrainian bravery and steadfastness amazed the world. These are the human stories of how a country much smaller than Russia was able to stand together under Putin’s astonishing onslaught – why a shovel is a soldier’s best friend – and how Ukrainian civilians who never thought of themselves as fighters found themselves rushing towards the front line.Hear next week’s edition of Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War immediately when you support the podcast on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk• “I was terrified of dying a wasteful death… but there was pride too. We’ve learned we’re more united and braver than we thought.” – Romeo Kokriatski• “Ironically it’s Russian’s repeated attacks on Ukraine that propelled this country’s sense of purpose and unity.” – Arthur Snell• “Before August 2022 it was hard to convince anyone that Ukraine could win this. After September I was struggling to convince people that victory wasn’t inevitable.” – Jack Watling• “Hopefully this war makes people around the world understand that freedom is not free.” – Olga TokariukPhotograph courtesy Juan BarretoIncidental music in order of appearance:• ‘A Quiet Night – Tyhohi Nochi’ by Natalia Tsupryk, performed by SANSARA Choir• ‘O Lord, Hear My Prayer – Dmitry Bortniansky, performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir• Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra• Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 5, performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony‘A Quiet Night – Tyhohi Nochi’ by Natalia Tsupryk was commissioned and recorded by SANSARA choir at the Ukrainian Cathedral in London, directed by Tom Herring.Hear the full track on SANSARA’s latest album Traces here: https://platoon.lnk.to/tracesFind out more about the project on their website here: https://www.sansarachoir.com/a-quiet-nightFollow SANSARA @SansaraChoir and on your preferred streaming platform.Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Telling the history of the war that’s reshaping the world. In Ep.5: As Putin’s assault falters and his army degenerates into retreat and atrocity, Russia’s self-image as a bulwark against fascism falls into tatters. Arthur Snell looks at the incompetence, factionalism, corruption and failure to plan which created this debacle – how Russia remains obsessed with the Great Patriotic War – how Chechnya and Georgia provided dry runs for Ukraine — and the cocktail of self-destructive impulses, self-pity and authority-worship that still drive ordinary Russians to support the war.Hear next week’s edition of Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War immediately when you support the podcast on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk• “At Hostomel, the Russian obsession with information security meant that they didn’t brief their own troops until it was too late.” – Jack Watling• “The Russian Army is a top-down organisation where initiative is frowned upon. It specialises in plodding assaults.” – Mike Martin• “You see Russia’s self-destructive tradition in its drinking and suicide rates, in the way power is distributed. We need to worry about that urge and who gets pulled into its vortex.” – Peter Pomerantsev• “The Russian attitude is, we saved the West from fascism. Now look at these ingrates.” – Jade McGlynn• “Putin was a pretty mediocre director of the FSB. He was always ‘talk big, fight small’ and Ukraine is his first truly big war, thrown together not by generals but by him and a few spooks.” – Mark GaleottiPhotograph courtesy Anatolii StepanovIncidental music in order of appearance:• Thy Resurrection’ performed by the Music of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery• Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 5, performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony• Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony OrchestraWritten and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Telling the history of the war that’s reshaping the world. In Ep.4: Putin planned to break Europe’s resolve under the twin effects of his assault on Ukraine and his energy war. Instead he bound NATO and the EU together more tightly than ever. This is the story of how Putin’s recklessness created the ‘Zeitenwende’, the turning point in European history where German illusions about Russian cooperation faded away… and Ukraine became a new bulwark of freedom. Hear next week’s edition of Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War immediately when you support the podcast on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk• “Putin was sending a message to the West. You guys aren’t serious. You failed in Iraq. You were kicked out of Afghanistan. Are you really going ot do anything to stop me?” – Arthur Snell• “Europe is now trying to focus its geopolitical muscle against Russia… Ukraine will be a shield against Russia into the future.” – Liana Fix• “Zelenskyy may be the perfect figurehead… Stoic, committed, brave, taciturn at times, but inspirational.” – Arthur Snell• “I worry that, if the Russians win, what does Putin do next? What if he looks at other ‘historic Russian lands’?” – Steven PiferPhotograph courtesy Alexey FurmanIncidental music in order of appearance:‘The Blessed I Have Already Chosen’ by Maksym Berezovsky, performed by Kyiv Chamber ChoirGustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 5, performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF SymphonyGustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony OrchestraWritten and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Warning: The episode contains distressing material. In Ep.3 of our history of Putin’s war: As the Russian assault stalls, the Ukrainian city of Mariupol becomes a source of humiliation for Putin. He resolves to obliterate it and its people. War crimes on the scale of WWII ensue. Arthur Snell talks to journalists, eyewitnesses and campaigners to reveal the enormity of Russian atrocities across Ukraine – the targeting of hospitals and children – and the forced disappearances and murders of Ukrainian resisters. This is the story of how the self-declared “anti-Nazi” Russian army brought mobile crematoria and mass killing into the heart of Ukraine… and what is being done to bring those responsible to justice.Hear next week’s edition of Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War immediately when you support the podcast on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk “When Putin’s blitzkrieg failed, the Russians reverted to type, destroying Mariupol and other cities and killing thousands of civilians.” – Arthur Snell “We watched doctors operating on a dying child with tears in their eyes. They were screaming, Show this to Putin. He is killing our children.” – Evgeniy Maloletka “Ukraine used attritional defence to bleed – literally bleed – the Russians of men and material.” – Mike Martin “This felt like the V1 and V2 attacks on British civilians during the Second World War. The human suffering is off the scale.” – John Sweeney Photograph courtesy Alexander NemenovIncidental music in order of appearance: O Lord, Hear My Prayer - Dmitry Bortniansky, performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 5, performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony The Blessed I have Already Chosen by Maksym Berezovsky, performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Telling the history of a war that’s reshaping the world. In Ep.2: Russia thought they’d take Kyiv in three days. Instead Putin’s invasion has gone down as one of the most infamous fiascos in military history – while Ukraine’s courage and fighting skill has stunned the world. How did Putin get it so wrong? And how did Zelenskyy’s defiance transform the conflict?Arthur Snell talks to military analysts and historians to unearth the truth about the pivotal first weeks of the war: catastrophe for Russia, glory for Ukraine. Behind the cruelty and monstrous waste a strange question emerges: Did a dysfunctional, shambolic Russia really intend to invade Ukraine at all?Hear next week’s edition of Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War immediately when you support the podcast on Patreon: http://www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk “How did one of the world’s great military powers manage to make such a mess of things?” – Arthur Snell “The Russians didn’t bring much military equipment. What they did bring was parade uniforms to march through Kyiv when it was all over.” – Peter Caddick-Addams “The Russian FSB spent vast sums of money preparing for the collapse of the Ukrainian Government, which they confidently expected…” – Arthur Snell “ Putin is a very 19th-century figure. He believes that Russia has a birthright to be a great power.“ – Mark Galeotti “The experience of any Russian who lived through the 1990s is that reality can disappear around you at any time. People learned to negotiate chaos.“– Peter Pomerantsev “The central Russian experience is the Great Patriotic War… They think their moral right to dictate to others comes from 1945.” – Jade McGlynn Photograph courtesy Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhotoIncidental music in order of appearance: Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 5 performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra ‘Thy Resurrection’ performed by the Music of Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery ‘The Blessed I Have Already Chosen’ by Maksym Berezovsky, performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Telling the history of a war that’s reshaping the world. In Ep.1: How Russia’s febrile history, Putin’s paranoid resentment and Western complacency led to an historic crime against a peaceful nation, the destruction of the rules-based international order, the largest European land action since the Second World War… and a conflict of unprecedented brutality.In weekly episodes Arthur Snell talks to soldiers, civilians, analysts and journalists to tell the story of the war and capture the enormity of Russia’s crimes. This is the first draft of history.Want to hear Ep.2 right now, without ads? Support the show on Patreon at doomsdaywatch.co.uk to get every new episode a week early. “Putin has just started an epic global conflict between democracy and authoritarianism, one whose outcome is still in doubt.” – Arthur Snell “To see these places – deep mud, wet, such cruel conditions – you’d think it’s not too far from Verdun or Passchendaele.” – Paul Conroy “We don’t do what we do out of hatred, we do it out of love for justice and for the people we care about. This is a battle of life and darkness.” – ‘George’, Georgian National Legion Photograph courtesy Paul ConroyIncidental music in order of appearance: Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 5, performed by Jason Weinberger and the WCF Symphony. ‘Thy Resurrection’ by Dmitry Bortnyansky performed by the Music of Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery. ‘O Lord Hear My Prayer’ by Dmitry Bortnyansky performed by Kyiv Chamber Choir. Gustav Mahler’s Symphony Number 9 (First Movement) performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Special edition: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy embodies the courage of his nation, and his charisma and determination have made him a hero to the free world. But what this former actor-comedian turned war leader tick? Arthur Snell talks to Steven Derix, co-author of Zelensky*: Ukraine's President and His Country with Marina Shelkunova, about the astonishing story of an actor who played a president on TV before being thrust into the role of real-life wartime leader.(Yes, there are two ways of spelling it)Support Doomsday Watch on Patreon and help us develop the next series of our globe-spanning documentaries: www.doomsdaywatch.co.ukPhotograph: Getty ImagesWritten and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com . Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Special bonus edition. Our latest series was a whirlwind tour of the apocalypse, from Ukraine to the Arctic to cyberspace and beyond. What did Arthur Snell learn? Our presenter sits down with Andrew Harrison for the big takeaways. Has Putin already lost the Ukraine War? Can a paranoid Republican Party really govern? Could there be a nuclear conflict after all? Plus questions from our splendid Patreon backers.We’re already hard at work on a new and very different series of Doomsday Watch. Support us on Patreon to help make it a reality: https://www.patreon.com/doomsdaywatchProduced by Robin Leeburn. Original music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com . Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A special taster of our new series. Search for Jam Tomorrow in your favourite podcast app or visit https://kite.link/JTS1Episode One: Every Day Is Like D-Day. How did Britain’s dreams of a new postwar world go unfulfilled? And what does that mean for us today? In the first of a new documentary series from the makers of Oh God, What Now?, Ros Taylor looks at the legacy of the War itself. Ιdeals of the Blitz Spirit and dreams of wartime heroism still shape everything from pop culture and entertainment to the Brexit debate. But the truth of the War is more complex and less comforting. What will it take for us to see the Second World War – and ourselves – clearly?•  “If you’re going to have a foundation myth it might as well be one where you destroy Nazism.” – Al Murray•  “If the response to air raid wasn’t stoicism there was a fear that morale would break down.” – Lucy Noakes•  “The Keep Calm And Carry On poster was designed for a type of war that never arrived.” – Henry Irvine•  “Britain went into the war not alone but at the head of the world’s biggest empire… When Britain went to war, so did vast part of the world.” – Lucy NoakesWritten and presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Jade Bailey. Voiceovers by Imogen Robertson. Original music by Dubstar. Lead producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Jam Tomorrow is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do key military sites in Russia have an unfortunate habit of bursting into flames? Journalist and former US special forces operative Jack Murphy pulls back the curtain on an audacious campaign of sleeper agent sabotage on Russian soil. This is the astonishing story of how the CIA works with the spy service of one NATO-friendly country to bring the Ukraine War home to Putin.Read Jack Murphy’s story here: https://jackmurphywrites.com/169/the-cias-sabotage-campaign-inside-russia/Support Doomsday Watch on Patreon and get every episode a week early and ad-free, plus much more: www.doomsdaywatch.co.uk “A NATO ally has inserted sleeper cells into Russia… this goes back ten to fifteen years.” “This operation kicked off on Day One of the invasion which indicates how long it was planned.” “US intelligence is framing these acts of sabotage as ‘Rogue Ukrainian operations’. What are the Russians going to do? Invade Ukraine?” “We essentially created an entire parallel intelligence service because Ukraine’s SBU was compromised by Russia.” Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Assistant producer: Jacob Archbold. Original music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com . Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices