Foreign Office with Michael Weiss

Investigative journalists Christo Grozev, Roman Dobrokhotov and Michael Weiss have been looking into the Havana Syndrome since 2020. They initially approached the topic skeptically, questioning the capability of any government to carry out such a mass global attack. However, they discovered a document linking a Russian military unit to the Havana weapon, which sparked their investigation. They have been gathering evidence of overlaps between the travel of members of this unit and incidents related to the Havana Syndrome. The journalists have presented a prosecution case, highlighting motive, means, and opportunity, and are calling for the U.S. government to act as a defense attorney for the accused criminals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, reports surfaced of a teacher in Estonia who was charged with spying for Russia. Host Michael Weiss discusses this as well as the state of the Russia/Ukraine war with former President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves and former CIA Intelligence Officer, Dan Hoffman. Don’t miss this vital discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All eyes are on Israel and Gaza as the conflict threatens to spread throughout the region. But how have the key regional actors responded? Michael Weiss is joined by Faysal Itani, the Director of the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, to dissect what the key players in the Middle East have been doing and what the future could hold for the region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael’s guest this week is Dr. Anthony (Tony) Tingle, Program Director of the Institute for Future Conflict at the United States Air Force Academy where he oversees research on regional conflict and military technology including artificial intelligence, cyber, and biotechnology. Their conversation centers around Ukraine and the extraordinary footage captured by Tony during a recent trip to Ukraine. They touch on what’s working and what isn’t as well as provide an outlook on what to expect over the next 12 months of the war. They also touch on Israel and their battle with Hamas. Don’t miss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael’s guest this week is Australian Retired General Mick Ryan. Mick is a military analyst who served in the ADF for more than 35 years and was commander of the Australia Defence College. He is the author of War Transformed and an adjunct fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. Michael and MIck discuss the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war and what could be in store for the coming months. Don’t miss it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special episode of Foreign Office, Michael is joined by Roman Dobrokhotov, a Russian investigative journalist, political scientist and former activist and Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian investigative journalist and author and the lead Russia investigator with Bellingcat, focusing on security threats, extraterritorial clandestine operations, and the weaponization of information. The three discuss the alleged assassination of former Wagner Group Leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sweden is set to join NATO as Turkey drops their objections. They’ve also been staunch supporters of Ukraine in the effort against Russia. To understand Sweden’s role on the international stage, Michael speaks with Martin Kragh, Deputy Center Director of the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS) and Senior Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. Kragh's research interests include Russia's economy and history, but also the political development in Russia and the former USSR. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael’s guest this week is Calder Walton, Assistant Director of the Belfer Center's Applied History Project and Intelligence Project at the Harvard Kennedy School and author of the book, “Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West. Michael and Calder discuss the history of espionage between Russia and the United States and they touch on Michael’s upcoming book on the GRU. Don’t miss it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Michael sits down with Estonia’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Kaimo Kuusk, who has been in the post since 2019. Ambassador Kuusk will soon become the Ambassador to Lithuania, but before he takes his new post, he discusses the Ukrainian counteroffensive, the US decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine and his thoughts on Russia and Putin after the Wagner Group’s mutiny.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael’s guest this week is Pierre Vaux, a researcher specializing in open-source investigations, conducting digital forensic analysis of hostile state activity, disinformation and extremism. As a journalist, he has covered the Ukraine war and the Russian military intervention in Syria since their beginnings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Weiss is on assignment this week. In light of this weekend's events, we're bringing you an episode from the Foreign Office archive. Bellingcat's Christo Grozev on what the latest disclosures out of Bulgaria and Czechia tell us about GRU Unit 29155. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael’s guest this week is Pekka Kallioniemi, a postdoctoral researcher working in the field of human-computer interaction at Tampere University. He is the creator and author of Vatnik Soup, a Twitter thread series (and a hashtag!) where he introduces pro-Russian actors and propagandists from around the world, be they so-called "independent journalists", politicians, military personnel or just regular grifters looking to make some easy money. As is typical with Michael’s guests, Pekka brings perspectives that you won’t hear anywhere else. Tune In! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael’s guest this week is James Rushton, a journalist at Yahoo News who is covering the Ukraine-Russia war from his home in Kyiv. He’s been reporting amidst air raid sirens and other challenges and is extremely well-placed on the front lines of the war to tell you what is happening in the country. His experience and perspective on all things Ukraine is not to be missed. Tune In. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael’s guest this week is Jennifer Cafarella, the Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Jennifer and her team of analysts have been providing detailed reports and interactive maps each day since the war began on both Russian and Ukrainian positions. If you’re interested in what’s really happening in Ukraine, don’t miss this conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Michael’s guest is Jack Margolin, an independent journalist and researcher with a particular focus on private Russian military companies, including Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner Group. Michael and Jack discuss the motivation behind Prigozhin’s recent comments on Putin’s military and what is behind his provocations. Jack is one of the leading experts when it comes to Wagner and this conversation is not to be missed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Michael’s guest is Andrei Kozyrev, who was the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation under President Boris Yeltsin. In his position, he was credited with developing Russia's foreign policy immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union. Now living in the United States for the past 12 years or so, he’s been an outspoken critic of Putin and the War in Ukraine. His precise location remains a secret, but through the magic of Zoom, Michael spent 45 minutes discussing the current state of the war. HIs perspectives are definitely worth a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a brief hiatus, host Michael Weiss is back, fresh off a trip to Ukraine. He, along with special guest, former CIA Intelligence Officer Marc Polymeropoulos, discuss what's actually happening in Ukraine from interviews with military sources who are actually fighting the battles. Don't miss this timely, insightful conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Michael Weiss sits down with Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at Kings College, London and author of a new book, “Command: The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine,” to discuss the latest in the Ukraine War. Sir Lawrence has written numerous articles about war strategy in general and his commentary and analysis on the war in Ukraine has been highly sought after. Don’t miss this insightful conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Weiss discusses the strategic importance of Bakhmut and the large Ukrainian military strategy with Mykola Bielieskov, Research Fellow at National Institute for Strategic Studies under UA President/senior analyst at Come Back Alive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The former Illinois Representative talks war — both abroad and at home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Renee DiResta of the Stanford Internet Observatory on the latest attempts to retcon Russia’s election interference Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yahoo contributor James Rushton and 'The Killer in the Kremlin' John Sweeney on covering the war from Ukraine and what to expect next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jahara Matisek explains the debate around sending Western jets to Kyiv. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eliot Cohen, Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, explains why he's optimistic Ukraine will win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Owen Mathews on his latest book Overreach: The Inside Story of Putin’s War Against Ukraine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gen. Mick Ryan explains how Ukraine has handled Western weapons platforms, and why it's wisely gone back to a war of "corrosion" against Russian forces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s sacking of his SBU chief and Prosecutor General? Ukrainian journalist Viktor Kovalenko explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How a dog avatar became a meme that chased a Russian ambassador off Twitter (for a while). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropolous discusses the capture of a GRU illegal trying to infiltrate the ICC -- and whether or not former National Security Adviser John Bolton could really plan a "coup." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

War reporter Danny Gold on his time at Ukraine’s eastern front Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Benjamin Tallis explains the Sholz government's wobbliness on Ukraine and why old habits die hard in Berlin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nathan Ruser combined open source intelligence and cartography to offer a more precise and explanatory visual of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Rushton, an independent national security analyst, on the Western weapons systems sent to help Ukraine defend the Donbas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evgenia Kara-Murza talks about her husband Vladimir's latest arrest in Moscow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phillips O'Brien, a professor a strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews, on why so many overestimated Russia's military capability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Olexander Scherba, Ukraine's former ambassador to Vienna, on why his country will never be like Austria. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russian journalists Andrei Soldatov on how the FSB’s Fifth Service is taking the blame for failure in Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pavlo Kalyuk, the community organizer for Podil, explains why he isn't leaving Ukraine's besieged capital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

British journalist John Sweeney reports from Ukraine's besieged capital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Agnieszka Legucka recently returned from Eastern Ukraine, offers her perspective of what happens next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Pomerantsev and Vladislav Davidson discuss the messaging about an intending Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hybrid War Expert Liubov Tsybulska on how Russia’s “imminent” invasion is already underway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Lee, a Russian military analyst, says Putin's buildup at Ukraine's borders means only one thing: an invasion is coming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Human rights lawyer Steve Swerdlow and scholar Diana Kudaibergenova on the recent turmoil in the Central Asian republic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalists Holger Roonemaa and Mattias Carlsson discuss their joint investigation with @foreignoffpod into the notorious Russian mercenary corps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National security attorney Mark Zaid explains the US government’s indictments of the Wikileaks founder, history of the Espionage Act, and why this case is unique. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Newlines Institute senior analyst Rasha Al Qeedi dissects the results of the last election and how the country has changed since America's invasion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ambassador Daniels Fried on why the US keeps making the same mistakes with Russia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Attorney Jonathan Reich explains how financial safeguards against criminality are being used to target Russian dissidents and exiles from Putin's regime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hungarian writer Peter Kreko explains how a Central European country of ten million became the lodestar for a new breed of North American conservative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices