Space, Defence, & Security podcast

The Russia-Ukraine war has stripped away long-held assumptions about military power, exposing what works, what fails, and what adapts under pressure.In these episodes, Olena Kryzhanivska examines the shifts that defined 2025: the growing dominance of low-cost, scalable weapons, the declining advantage of legacy platforms, and the speed at which warfare now evolves through constant battlefield feedback.We discuss Ukraine’s move to open arms exports, its implications for the global defense market, and how deterrence and escalation are being reshaped one step at a time.This is not theory, it’s the blueprint of how future wars will be fought.For more insights, follow Olena’s essential reporting at Ukraine’s Arms Monitor on this link.

Some conversations don’t stay confined to the moment they’re spoken.They linger. They unsettle. They reopen memories.This episode was one of those.As DHURANDHAR, one of the latest Indian films exploring the world of espionage, moves audiences with its depiction of intelligence operations. One particular sequence, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, hit closer to home than expected. For me, it triggered an emotional wave that went far beyond cinema. That moment shaped the tone of this conversation and turned it into something deeply personal.In this powerful episode, I sit down with Colonel (Rtd.) Bhupinder Shahi, a retired Indian Army officer and the military consultant behind DHURANDHAR. Together, we peel back the layers between what intelligence work looks like on screen, and what it truly demands in reality.This is not a glamorous spy story.It’s a grounded, human conversation about discipline, secrecy, emotional burden, and responsibility. Colonel Shahi speaks candidly about:How far cinematic espionage drifts from real intelligence operationsThe mindset and psychological rigor required to operate in India’s security ecosystemWhy secrecy is not a choice, but a cultureThe weight he carried while ensuring DHURANDHAR portrayed intelligence work responsiblyScenes that come closest to the real emotional pressure faced by intelligence professionalsAnd the single most misunderstood truth young viewers should know before romanticising the world of spiesAt its core, this episode explores a difficult balance:How do you tell national security stories honestly, without exposing what must remain unsaid?Listen closely. Some stories aren’t meant to entertain. They’re meant to be felt.

Spies don’t work alone. And neither does intelligence.In this two-part episode, The Shadow Network of Spies, Dr. Ecaterina Matoi takes us inside the hidden world of intelligence cooperation against Hamas, where satellites, intercepted messages, and human sources converge across borders.From why even the most powerful intelligence agencies can’t track Hamas alone, to how Israel, the U.S., and regional partners share secrets under extreme time pressure, this episode unpacks what intelligence cooperation really looks like beyond the movies. We explore missed warnings, hard moral decisions in urban warfare, and how evolving militant networks tied to Iran and Hezbollah are reshaping the intelligence game.This is a rare, clear-eyed look at how modern spy networks work, what they get right, where they fail, and what comes next as the shadow war continues.

Spies don’t work alone. And neither does intelligence.In this two-part episode, The Shadow Network of Spies, Dr. Ecaterina Matoi takes us inside the hidden world of intelligence cooperation against Hamas, where satellites, intercepted messages, and human sources converge across borders.From why even the most powerful intelligence agencies can’t track Hamas alone, to how Israel, the U.S., and regional partners share secrets under extreme time pressure, this episode unpacks what intelligence cooperation really looks like beyond the movies. We explore missed warnings, hard moral decisions in urban warfare, and how evolving militant networks tied to Iran and Hezbollah are reshaping the intelligence game.This is a rare, clear-eyed look at how modern spy networks work, what they get right, where they fail, and what comes next as the shadow war continues.

In this two-part special, we explore why Fiji, among all Pacific Island nations, stands uniquely positioned to pursue a national space program, and whether this is a bold geopolitical move or an existential response to rising climate threats - with Marçal Sanmartí. From great-power competition involving India, Japan, U.S., and China to the dual-use dilemmas of satellites that serve both disaster relief and defense, this episode examines the strategic tightrope Fiji must walk.We also tackle the big questions:Does Fiji have the legal, technical, and human capital to govern a space agency?Can its “friends to all, enemies to none” doctrine withstand escalating Indo-Pacific rivalries?Is there a sustainable economic model behind its space ambitions, or a looming fiscal burden?And what ethical framework is needed before the nation takes the final leap into orbit?A must-listen for anyone tracking space policy, Pacific geopolitics, and the future of small-nation sovereignty in the space age.

In this two-part special, we explore why Fiji, among all Pacific Island nations, stands uniquely positioned to pursue a national space program, and whether this is a bold geopolitical move or an existential response to rising climate threats - with Marçal Sanmartí. From great-power competition involving India, Japan, U.S., and China to the dual-use dilemmas of satellites that serve both disaster relief and defense, this episode examines the strategic tightrope Fiji must walk.We also tackle the big questions:Does Fiji have the legal, technical, and human capital to govern a space agency?Can its “friends to all, enemies to none” doctrine withstand escalating Indo-Pacific rivalries?Is there a sustainable economic model behind its space ambitions, or a looming fiscal burden?And what ethical framework is needed before the nation takes the final leap into orbit?A must-listen for anyone tracking space policy, Pacific geopolitics, and the future of small-nation sovereignty in the space age.