BFBS Radio Sitrep

The Ukraine war has moved into phase 2, but will it be a turning point for a Russian campaign that’s had no real success so far?

Instead of trying to take the whole country at once, Moscow’s forces are now concentrated on taking the East.

We’ll hear from close to the new 300 mile battlefront and explain why the Donbas region has always been at the very heart of this war.

And Marine Le Pen is in touching distance of becoming France’s next president – but what would victory for the far right candidate mean for our defence and security?

From the size and location of massive Russian convoys, to the serial numbers of missiles used in strikes, we all have access to unprecedented detail of the Ukraine war.

An army of amateur analysts are gathering, checking and sharing OSINT - Open Source Intelligence - which details the fight as it happens. One of them tells us how and why he does it.

Finland and Sweden could be weeks away from applying for NATO membership – but would that be good for the alliance, or an extra burden?

And we talk to the Falklands veteran who’s telling the story of that war in real time on Twitter.

By day Kyle Glen works an office job for a clinical research company.

By night he gathers and analyses intelligence that can reveal the truth about wars around the world, and debunk fake news.

Kyle is one of a growing army of amateur analysts working on OSINT (open-source intelligence) – which he shares on the @ConflictNews twitter account, and the OSINT Bunker podcast.

In this extra edition of BFBS Sitrep he explains how it was OSINT that successfully warned the world of Russia’s plan to invade Ukraine, and tells Kate Gerbeau how and why he became an amateur intelligence analyst.

A catalogue of atrocities is emerging where Russian forces have withdrawn from parts of Ukraine. Film-maker Emile Ghessen tells us about the harrowing scenes he’s witnessed in Bucha.

The evidence of war crimes appears compelling – mass graves, bodies of people whose hands have been tied lying in streets. But how do you prove who is responsible?

A former war crimes prosecutor explains to us how investigators are already gathering evidence in the midst of conflict, and how social media could prove crucial.

And 40 years since Britain’s task force sailed to retake the Falkland Islands a veteran journalist gives us an extraordinary insight into the Argentinian dictatorship that had invaded – a regime that nearly murdered him, then treated him as an honoured guest.

Julian Manyon experienced the start of the Falklands war from enemy territory.

He’d been despatched to Argentina to report on the military dictatorship that had invaded a British overseas territory.

First the regime kidnapped him at gunpoint – but hours later he was being treated as an honoured guest by the country’s leader, then wined and dined by top brass.

He recounts his story, and his unique insights into Argentina’s leader, to Kate Gerbeau.

On this week’s Sitrep there’s been much talk of the weaknesses in the Russian Army, one of the reasons being suggested is their lack of a Non Commissioned Officer rank. We’ll hear from one well know former NCO in the British Army ‘Big’ Phil Campion and Russian military historian Chris Bellamy

Also, what is it with Russians and alleged poisoning plots? With claims that individuals have recently been a victim of poisoning, we’ll talk to a chemical weapons expert Hamish De Bretton Gordon who’ll look at the history and effectiveness of poisoning.

The US has been showing off its latest high tech aircraft. The Growler is designed The jets jam and destroy enemy air defence radar. We have a special report from Simon Newton

An we’ll hear about a new and probably final home for the RAF’s ‘celebrity chinook’ Bravo November..

On this week’s Sitrep we delve into the minds of foreign fighters. What makes someone who’ served in the military or is just a civilian want to go and fight in a conflict overseas, such as Ukraine. We’ll hear from Emile Ghessen has met many of them, he was a Royal Marine but is now a documentary film maker and is in Kyiv.

We’ll also be discussing war crimes….there have been a lot of allegations made against Russian forces, But, what actually constitutes a war crime and how easy are they to pursue?

We’ll look again at the recent Defence Review…is it now out of date given the change of emphasis because of Ukraine?

And…Exercise Halo Rise…showing off the Army’s use of information and cyber operations. A special report from Tim Cooper on the work of 6^th United Kingdom Division.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may be stalled, but it’s already reset Europe’s security thinking for decades to come. Germany appears to have abandoned its reluctance to be a big military power and has started a defence spending spree. German born Baroness Gisela Stuart tells us why it’s a seismic shift, and we assess what military capability it will buy.

As well as spending more, NATO countries are doing more. BFBS Sitrep joins an RAF air policing patrol close to the border of Ukraine, and hears from Estonia where extended tours of duty are boosting British troop numbers.

And Professor Michael Clarke talks us through the state of play, and strategic options, on the ground in Ukraine.

The Labour leader’s visited Estonia to meet British troops and show British political unity against Russia, and in support of NATO and Ukraine.

He talks to Kate Gerbeau from Estonia on whether the UK’s approach to Vladimir Putin should be more forceful, what would happen if a chemical attack was launched in Ukraine, and whether Britain needs an urgent increase in defence spending. 

Kyiv may be the decisive city of the war for Ukraine’s future – so what is happening there right now? BFBS Sitrep talks to a former Royal Marine turned film-maker about what he’s witnessing as Moscow’s troops advance on the capital.

More than 3,500 anti-tank missiles from the UK have now reached Ukrainian troops – we look at what the NLAW and Javelin can do for the country’s fightback.

And they say ‘know your enemy’, so who is Vladimir Putin? We hear the story behind Russia’s President and how it drives his actions.

We thought Russia’s invasion would overwhelm Ukraine within 72 hours. A week on Moscow’s forces have claimed control of just one city.

So what’s gone wrong for the Kremlin? Could old maps, and archaic radios be part of Russia’s problem?

We assess how much military capability each side has lost from the battlefield, and what cards Ukraine has to play as cities come under siege.

President Putin’s nuclear option includes battlefield weapons, would he really use them and how devastating would that be?

Plus why Defence Intelligence has come out of the shadows and into the limelight, as part of the UK’s response.

Russia has launched a full frontal military assault on Ukraine, sending troops and tanks in from 3 directions. BFBS Sitrep assesses Moscow’s military strategy and what it can tell us about how this may play out.

We also compare President Putin’s playbook in the lead-up to this invasion with what happened in Georgia in 2008, and guess what, it looks remarkably similar.

What can the UK do now to help Ukraine, is military action really off the table, and what is the risk of NATO getting drawn in anyway?

Russia says it’s pulling troops back from Ukraine’s borders, the west says the buildup’s getting bigger.

BFBS Sitrep talks to a former British Ambassador, and a former Moscow Correspondent to make sense of the competing claims and assess the state of the Ukraine stand off.

A Defence Minister tells us why the UK is doubling its military assistance to NATO members in Eastern Europe, and whether that fits with calls for ‘de-escalation’

And we compare the size of Ukraine’s armed forces with Russia’s military machine to see if it could fend off an invasion.

In a rollercoaster 24 hours the UK went from warning an invasion of Ukraine could start ‘at any moment’ to expressing cautious optimism about a Russian pullback.

In this extra edition of BFBS Sitrep Kate Gerbeau talks in depth to the UK’s Armed Forces Minister James Heappey.

He tells us it’s his ‘expectation’ that British training troops, pulled out of Ukraine a few days ago, will return providing security conditions on the ground are met.

He also discusses Russia’s claims that the west has been ‘humiliated’ by the failure of ‘war propaganda’, and says we must be able to hear ‘in good faith’ what Russia is saying.

China has called for the UK to hand the Falklands to Argentina, and says NATO’s got too big. This week BFBS Sitrep asks if Beijing has used the Winter Olympics to set out a divide-and-rule strategy, or if it’s just repackaging its old partnerships?

The head of the Army explains why he ordered non-essential work to stop for a day, to talk about teamwork, and an expert in cultural change gives his verdict on the effort to modernise attitudes.

Estonian soldiers tell us about working with their British counterparts at Europe’s ‘most dangerous moment’ in decades.

Is ‘Havana Syndrome’ a case of mass hysteria among US diplomats, or the result of energy-weapon attacks? We examine the latest research.

The UK and its western allies are threatening historically harsh sanctions to try to deter Russia from invading Ukraine. BFBS Sitrep examines what sanctions might be taken, what history tells us about whether they work, and how we might feel the effects of those sanctions too.

We also look at the part played by sanctions in Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis where people are selling their children, and even vital organs, as they struggle to survive.

And on the eve of the Beijing Winter Olympics will the games boost the communist nation’s international influence further, or does a western diplomatic boycott turn sport into a political football?

Ukraine’s government is urging its citizens to stay calm, but preparing its forces for war. BFBS Sitrep asks where we should be looking for signs of a possible Russian invasion, and hears from Ukraine about the mood among the people... including two Britons who have joined the Ukrainian army.

Also as the UK says it could send more troops to Eastern Europe, the deputy head of Estonia’s armed forces gives us his view on the Ukraine Crisis.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates has come under attack from drones and ballistic missiles – we’ll explain why. And does 10 Downing Street need some military-leadership behind the famous black door to get it back on track?

The US claims Russia plans a ‘false flag’ operation in Ukraine to justify an invasion. The UK’s defence secretary speaks out against ‘false narratives’ from President Putin.

BFBS Sitrep explains the information war being fought over Ukraine, and asks a former NATO spokesman if sending British weapons to the country hands ammunition for disinformation to Moscow.

Why are just 5 of the 1500 most senior Armed Forces officers Black-Caribbean or Asian?

And BFBS Reporter Simon Newton takes us on a journey to the Antarctic with Defence’s climate-change champion.

Moscow is demanding NATO admits absolutely no new members – but could that demand be backfiring?

We hear from Sweden and Finland, where after years of staunch ‘non-alignment’, they’re now seriously considering joining the alliance.

James Hirst fact checks President Putin’s claim, and NATO’s denial, that the alliance promised decades ago not to move ‘one inch to the East’.

What’s the difference between bomb-disposal in Helmand, and in Hollywood? A decorated former soldier tells us how he’s swapped his body armour for books, film and TV.

And a former deputy head of the Army tells us how service charities are coping with the pressures of Covid, and extra demand because of Afghanistan.

Decorated former bomb-disposal operator Kim Hughes talks at length to Kate Gerbeau about how Hollywood portrays the job and what it’s actually like.

Since leaving the Army in 2020 he’s worked as a consultant on films, and has written two thrillers “Operation Black Key” and “Operation Certain Death”.

He tells BFBS Sitrep about his three tours of duty in Afghanistan – how you defuse a bomb, what you do if a firefight breaks out, and when you decide to walk away.

And he tells us why films like The Hurt Locker are ‘horrendous’ on detail, but would look like ‘watching paint dry’ if they were realistic.