logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2022
21m 22s

Russia invades Ukraine

Financial Times
About this episode

Russia has confirmed what western powers had long predicted and invaded Ukraine. On the eve of war, Gideon spoke to Sabine Fischer of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, a Russian specialist recently back from Moscow, and to Polina Ivanova, FT correspondent in Kyiv, about the mood in the two capitals.


Clips: RT, The White House


Want to read more?


EU hits Putin’s defence minister and chief of staff with sanctions

Putin’s denial of Ukrainian statehood carries dark historical echoes

Ukraine prepares to impose state of emergency and calls up reserve troops

Putin’s made-for-TV security debate gives him answers he wants to hear on Ukraine


Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.


Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Fiona Symon. Sound design by Breen Turner.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
The weaponisation of trade
Tariffs, sanctions and chokepoints have become the weapon of choice to punish political rivals - but what happens when these fail? Gideon discusses the impact of geopolitical disputes on global trade with Edward Fishman, author of Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economi ... Show More
31m 8s
Jul 23
Does Nato have a future without US leadership?
Gideon talks to Julianne Smith, former US ambassador to Nato about the future of the alliance. There seems to be greater transatlantic agreement on Ukraine, but tensions remain over Europe’s stance on Donald Trump’s war on Iran. So can the alliance survive without the US at the h ... Show More
28m 7s
Jul 15
Trump, Infantino and the political history of the World Cup
Gideon talks to Simon Kuper, FT columnist and author of World Cup Fever, about what distinguishes this World Cup from previous tournaments. What role has geopolitics played historically in the World Cup and is there any truth to some of the conspiracy theories surrounding this ye ... Show More
23m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2022
Putin invades Ukraine
Ben assesses the escalating situation in Ukraine, from Putin’s recognition of separatist regions and his deployment of troops as peacekeepers to the first wave of sanctions against Russia. Then, he chats with Max Seddon, bureau chief of The Financial Times in Moscow, about Putin’ ... Show More
1h 21m
Feb 2022
Russia invades Ukraine – how far will Putin go?
The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has ordered Russian troops to cross the border into eastern Ukraine on what he claims is a “peacekeeping mission” in defence of the breakaway states of Donetsk and Luhansk. Western leaders have condemned the move as the beginning of an inv ... Show More
31m 40s
Feb 2022
The Russian Invasion Begins
<p>After months of escalating tensions, President Vladimir V. Putin took to state television on Thursday to declare the start of a “special military operation” in Ukraine.</p><p>In the prelude to the invasion and as Russian troops launched their attacks, we spoke to our colleague ... Show More
20m 49s
Feb 2022
Johnson sees blood on Putin's hands
<p>After weeks of warnings from the west, Russia invaded Ukraine this&nbsp;week,&nbsp;prompting&nbsp;what some say could be the continent's worst conflict since the second world war. We explore why President Vladimir Putin decided to invade, his histrionic explanation, the situat ... Show More
29m 49s
Feb 2022
The view from Ukraine as Russia invades
Early Thursday morning, Russia launched a broad-scale invasion of Ukraine, attacking the country from three sides and targeting major urban centres. Today, we hear from two people on the ground there. First, we’ll speak to freelance journalist Olga Tokariuk, sheltering in an undi ... Show More
27m 54s
Feb 2022
Does Russia still intend to invade Ukraine?
While the US and UK predicts that an invasion of Ukraine is imminent, the recent intensification of Western military aid to Ukraine has raised the stakes for Russia. Emily Tamkin and Katie Stallard in Washington, DC, are joined by Ido Vock in Berlin to discuss the latest flurry o ... Show More
27m 48s
Feb 2022
Russia’s move on Ukraine triggers western sanctions
<p>Western powers impose sanctions on Russia as Biden says Ukraine ‘invasion’ has begun, and Russian assets are set to bear the brunt of the Ukraine conflict. Plus, the FT’s Berlin bureau chief, Guy Chazan, explains what freezing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project means for Germa ... Show More
10m 50s
Feb 2022
Russia Makes Moves Against Ukraine
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing two breakaway republics in Eastern Ukraine and sent troops to the region. On Tuesday, President Biden called the move "the beginning of a Russian invasion" and announced a new set of sanctions. While Russia's ... Show More
14m 2s