New Times,
New Thinking.

War in Ukraine: what is Putin’s end game?

Russian forces have entered the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its second day, we bring this special episode of the World Review podcast.

Ukraine is facing an onslaught from Russian forces on several fronts, with troops entering the northern districts of the capital, Kyiv. The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky reports that 137 people have been killed and 316 wounded after the first day of fighting. An estimated 100,000 Ukrainians have been displaced after fleeing their homes.

Alix Kroeger in London, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC, and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss Vladimir Putin’s plan, the crackdown on anti-war protests in Russia, and the latest sanctions.

In You Ask Us, a listener queries what the impact would be of throwing Russia out of the global Swift payments network. Would such a move drive Russia into China’s arms, and how bad would that be?

Further reading:

Ido Vock on why Belarus provides a template for Putin in Ukraine.

India Bourke on why net zero is the energy answer to Russian aggression.

Katie Stallard describes how Putin has substituted his own interests for those of the Russian state.

Paul Mason calls on the West to wage economic war on the Russian regime.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

How to listen to the World Review podcast

1. In your browser

You can use the player above to listen in your browser right now. The World Review podcast publishes twice weekly, on Mondays and Thursdays. All episodes are published to newstatesman.com/podcasts on the day of release.

2. In a podcast app

World Review is available on all major podcast apps including Apple PodcastsSpotifyAcastGoogle Podcasts, and more. Search “World Review” in your favourite podcast app, and subscribe or follow to make sure you receive episodes as soon as they publish. While you’re there, please leave a review for the podcast – it helps others find the show, which in turn makes it possible for us to keep making it.

Content from our partners
No health, no growth
Tackling cancer waiting times
Kickstarting growth: will complex health issues be ignored?

3. On your smart speaker

If you have an Amazon Echo, Google Home or Apple HomePod smart speaker, ask it to “play the latest episode of World Review”. The same command also works with virtual assistants on mobile devices.