logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
29m 36s

'Russian warship, go f*** yourself!’ Wh...

THE TIMES
About this episode

On the first day of the war in Ukraine, a story emerged of a David and Goliath face-off in the Black Sea, when the Ukrainian soldiers on a small, desolate island responded to a Russian warship’s call to surrender by telling it to go f*** itself. The Ukranians were thought to have been killed and the story became one of the great founding myths of the war - but what really happened to the men on the island and who uttered that fateful phrase?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.

Guest: Louise Callaghan, foreign correspondent, The Sunday Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Clips: Telegraph, Reuters.


This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.


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

Up next
Today
The Epstein Files, AI journalism and the future of truth - The Sunday Story
As AI seeps into every corner of art, film and social media, up next, it's podcasts. An AI-generated show called The Epstein Flies topped the Apple series charts last week, bringing you the very latest on the colossal 3.5 million documents, in a time frame that most journalists c ... Show More
35m 15s
Yesterday
I met Huw Edwards: what the drama gets right (and wrong) - The Saturday Story
This week, Channel 5 broadcast a dramatisation of the downfall of former BBC news anchor Huw Edwards, with Martin Clunes in the lead role. The programme traces the events that led to his sudden and very public fall from grace. Andrew Billen, veteran journalist who specialises in ... Show More
14m 47s
Mar 27
People are betting on war. Here’s why it matters
Polymarket and Kalshi have become two of the fastest-growing online platforms in the prediction market, hosting bets where people can wager on the outcome of events, including on the conflict in Iran. But some observers have raised concerns that unusually precise, well-timed bets ... Show More
32m 50s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Former NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller
A "massive attack" by Ukraine - this is how Russia describes a daring incursion by Ukrainian troops into its Kursk region. And while Russia claims it has stopped the incursion, evidence from the ground suggests fighting is ongoing. This comes as Russian forces creep closer to the ... Show More
58m 56s
Sep 2024
The Deserter: Parts 1-3
<p>In “The Deserter,” Sarah A. Topol reports the story of Ivan, a captain in the Russian Army who fought in Ukraine and then ultimately fled the war and his country with his wife, Anna. Topol spoke to 18 deserters while reporting in eight countries across four continents over the ... Show More
2h 17m
May 2024
War in Ukraine: Is Russia winning?
The war in Ukraine has turned from a relative stalemate to a major Russian offensive in the past few weeks. Several villages on Ukraine's north-eastern frontier near the city of Kharkiv have fallen under Moscow's control. Now overstretched Ukrainian troops are struggling to conta ... Show More
26m 21s
Aug 2024
How Ukraine’s invasion crossed Putin’s ‘red line’
A week after Ukraine invaded the Kursk region of western Russia - when around 1,000 troops surprised analysts by storming across the border - Russia’s President Vladimir Putin vowed to “kick the enemy out of our territory”.       But has the success of Ukraine’s incursion threate ... Show More
17m 17s
Jun 2025
Analyzing Ukraine’s Attack on Russian Airbases With Former Admiral Stavridis
Today on the show, Fareed is joined by former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis to discuss Ukraine’s stunning attacks on Russian airbases. Next, Christopher Kirchhoff, a top military strategist, speaks with Fareed about the future of warfare, and how the US needs to a ... Show More
41m 14s
Sep 2024
The Deserter: Parts 4 and 5
<p>In “The Deserter,” Sarah A. Topol reports the story of Ivan, a captain in the Russian Army who fought in Ukraine and then ultimately fled the war and his country with his wife, Anna. Topol spoke to 18 deserters while reporting in eight countries across four continents over the ... Show More
1h 20m
Nov 2024
11/10/2024: The Shift, The War Reporter, Robo, Mysterious Russian Deaths
Days after President-elect Donald Trump won the election by moving nearly every county in the country towards the right, Scott Pelley travels to Northampton County, Pennsylvania to report on the shift. It’s the state’s bellwether county, which voted for nearly every president in ... Show More
1h 8m
Nov 2025
E223 - The Wagner Group and the New Era of Private War w/ John Lechner
Danny and Derek welcome journalist and author John Lechner to discuss his book, Death is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries in the New Era of Warfare. The conversation cuts through the mainstream narrative of the Wagner Group to explore the true history of Yevgeny Prigozhin, from ... Show More
1h 6m