Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022, but how did we get to this point? After the brutality of the Second World War, Ukraine was completely under the control of Moscow. Then in the 1980s, with Chernobyl as the catalyst, the Ukrainian nationalist movement regained momentum and on 24th August 1991 declared independence. This was never accepted ... Show More
May 27
363. Ancient Egypt: Destroyer Of Gods – Pharaoh Akhenaten (Ep 2)
**Unlock the entire Ancient Egypt series early and ad-free by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com** Why did Egyptian priests wear animal masks? Who was the goddess of hangovers? And how did the Pharaoh, Akhenaten, destroy the many Egyptian gods to worship the sun disc, t ... Show More
56m 38s
Feb 2023
Russia & Ukraine: A Year of War
<p>On the 24th of February, 2022, the world looked on in disbelief as Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One year on he shows no signs of easing his commitment to the conflict, despite the many setbacks that Russian forces have faced. The question is, why h ... Show More
1h 12m
Oct 2022
Russia Falters in Ukraine: Parallels with WW1
<p>Russia's current conflict in Ukraine was supposed to be a showcase of military prowess, a quick war that solidified her status as a great power. Instead, it has laid bare issues in leadership, training, supply and morale, all of which have crippled the military's operational c ... Show More
30m 7s
Jun 2023
Wagner vs Putin: A History of Russian Coups
<p>On the 24th of June, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin and his paramilitary group Wagner carried out what appeared to be an attempted coup in Russia. In a seismic turn of events, his mercenaries marched across the Russian border without resistance and seized key military installations i ... Show More
24m 40s
Mar 2022
161. Yeltsin, Economic Chaos and President Putin
[Episode 3 of 4]
'You certainly won't understand what ordinary Russians see in Vladimir Putin if you don't understand what happened in the 1990s. A time of utter, utter collapse.'
In part three of our Soviet Union, Russia and Putin series, Tom and Dominic drill down into the d ... Show More
37m 33s
Feb 2023
How Does Ukraine Continue to Beat Back Russia?
February 24 marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin believed the country’s military would be defeated quickly and Kyiv, the capital, would fall. Instead, Ukraine’s clever, nimble — and motivated — military has fought back Russia’s forces desp ... Show More
31m 31s