Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring
Carole Cadwalladr & Peter Jukes with Ruth Abrahams
Journalists Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes – with the help of Conservative party whistleblower Sergei Cristo – expose an alleged secret spy ring operating at the very heart of the British political system. This is the untold story of the most audacious Russian influence operation in British history. It involves honey traps, Russian agents and information warfare.
Russian wealth and glamour collide with a wild west of new digital landscapes. And as Sergei tries and fails to raise the alarm, this intoxicating cocktail – shaken and stirred from within the Russian Embassy in London – masks the tightening iron fist of Vladimir Putin inside Russia and murder of traitors on foreign soil. All while MPs, intelligence officers and the police turn a blind eye.
Not since the reach of the Cambridge spy ring in the second half of the 20th century has the Kremlin aimed so high and gone so unnoticed in penetrating the highest echelons of British politics.
Together, Conservative whistleblower Sergei Cristo, Orwell Prize-winning journalist Carole Cadwalladr and creator of the hit podcast, Untold: The Daniel Morgan Murder, Peter Jukes, uncover a story that forms one small corner of Vladimir Putin’s plot against the West. It’s a story we’re still living, where the stakes couldn’t be higher.
This podcast seeks to shine a light in the dark corners of a Westminster spy ring hidden in plain sight and search for the answers we all deserve.
A Project Citizen & The Citizens production.
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Top 10 Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Meeting Mr Brexit: Why Nigel Farage is a 'Person of Interest'
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring
11/29/18 • 39 min
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Digital Gangsters: Cambridge Analytica and Facebook
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring
03/07/19 • 32 min
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Chemical Attacks
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring
02/04/25 • 44 min
Relations between Russia and the Conservative-led British government are being pushed to the brink. In Salisbury, former KGB officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia are found unconscious on a park bench, poisoned by the radioactive nerve agent Novichok. The attack sends shockwaves through Britain and Europe, while the suspected perpetrators are flaunted in a prime time TV interview on Russia Today, convincing Sergei Cristo that his former homeland is now run like a mafia state.
NATO countries respond by expelling swathes of Russian diplomats and spies. So why does the UK’s foreign secretary shake off his security detail to party in Italy with his pal, the Russian oligarch Evgeny Lebedev, just one month after this critical incident?
Tensions are rising and a demand for answers about Russian interference in British politics growing. But it seems that powerful forces are determined to keep the truth buried.
Episodes drop weekly!
A Project Citizen production
To find out more about the story and issues it raises visit www.the-citizens.com
Presented by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes
Written by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes
Producer and Sound Design: Ruth Abrahams
Studio Producer: Sean Byrne Roberts
Location Producers: Sheridan Flynn and Manasa Narayanan
Original Music: Phil Channell
Mixed: Nigel Appleton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sergei Cristo versus the Security Service
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring
02/25/25 • 29 min
On reading the Russia Report finally published by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) in the Summer of 2020, Sergei realises the significance of his experience with the Russian diplomat and MI5 eight years previously.
He writes to his old friend Dr Julian Lewis MP, who becomes the Chairman of the Committee. The advice comes back from Westminster, which sends Sergei round the circles of police and judicial authorities, which, in the end, yields nothing. But not without some odd footwork by the authorities, including redacted police reports and delayed responses.
As Sergei’s case is declared “out of time”, it seems that the western complacency with Putin’s active measures is about to bear a heavy price. After months of building up a heavy military presence on the Russian Ukrainian border, Putin strikes...
A Project Citizen & The Citizens production
To find out more about the story and issues it raises visit www.the-citizens.com
Presented by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes
Written by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes
Producer and Sound Design: Ruth Abrahams
Studio Producer: Sean Byrne Roberts
Location Producers: Sheridan Flynn and Manasa Narayanan
Original Music: Phil Channell
Mixed: Nigel Appleton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Preamble: the Golden Lift
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring
11/17/18 • 30 min
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Trailer for Dial M for Mueller
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring
11/16/18 • 1 min
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A Party at the Embassy
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring
12/31/24 • 29 min
Sergei Cristo starts making enquiries into the mysterious new diplomat whose conversation over tea at the Carlton club has raised red flags. And what his friends, Marina Litvinenko and Oleg Gordievsky, tell him only increases his anxiety. Meanwhile, a new organisation launches - Conservative Friends of Russia - at the gardens of the Russian Embassy in London, just days after members of Pussy Riot are imprisoned in Moscow.
Episodes drop weekly!
A Project Citizen & The Citizens production.
To find out more about the story and issues it raises visit www.the-citizens.com
Presented by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes
Written by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes with Ruth Abrahams
Producer and Sound Design: Ruth Abrahams
Studio Producer: Sean Byrne Roberts
Location Producers: Sheridan Flynn and Manasa Narayanan
Original Music: Phil Channell
Mixed: Nigel Appleton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A Meeting at the Carlton Club
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring
12/31/24 • 24 min
A Russian diplomat newly posted to the capital contacts a Conservative party activist, Sergei Cristo, and asks for an introduction. They meet at the oldest Conservative private member’s club in London, late 2011. The conversation raises suspicions for Sergei and he looks to share his concerns. But is anyone listening?
Episodes drop weekly!
A Project Citizen & The Citizens production.
To find out more about the story and issues it raises visit www.the-citizens.com
Presented by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes
Written by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes with Ruth Abrahams
Producer and Sound Design: Ruth Abrahams
Studio Producer: Sean Byrne Roberts
Location Producers: Sheridan Flynn and Manasa Narayanan
Original Music: Phil Channell
Mixed: Nigel Appleton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Digital Barbecues
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring
01/07/25 • 37 min
With seemingly little interest from MI5 in Sergei’s concerns around what he believes to be an illegal offer of Russian funds into the Conservative party, he looks for other ways to raise the alarm. And after the success of the Conservative Friends of Russia launch party, the Russian embassy opens up a new charm offensive, inviting bloggers and social media specialists to ‘digital barbecues’ within their sumptuous surroundings. Insider, Steve Lacey, takes us on his journey down the rabbit hole of Russian propaganda.
Episodes drop weekly!
A Project Citizen & The Citizens production
To find out more about the story and issues it raises visit www.the-citizens.com
Presented by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes
Written by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes with Ruth Abrahams
Producer and Sound Design: Ruth Abrahams
Studio Producer: Sean Byrne Roberts
Location Producers: Sheridan Flynn and Manasa Narayanan
Original Music: Phil Channell
Mixed: Nigel Appleton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Question Everything
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring
01/14/25 • 39 min
It’s now 2013 and a new organisation has risen from the ashes of the disgraced Conservative Friends of Russia - the Westminster Russia Forum. This time the launch is on the House of Commons riverside terrace. Russia Today is booming, experimenting with new ways to reach new audiences through packaging up content for online viral hits. Its tagline is question everything. Marina Litvinenko is dismayed when the government rejects her call for a public inquiry into her husband’s fatal poisoning. And in Ukraine, there’s an uprising in Kyiv - the Maidan - a fight to defend a pro-EU, pro-Western future. Months later Russia invades Crimea. Meanwhile, the chatty Russian diplomat who first met Sergei at the Carlton club is socialising across the capital. Has anyone paid any attention to the warnings of Sergei Cristo?
Episodes drop weekly!
A Project Citizen production
To find out more about the story and issues it raises visit www.the-citizens.com
Presented by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes
Written by: Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes
Producer and Sound Design: Ruth Abrahams
Studio Producer: Sean Byrne Roberts
Location Producers: Sheridan Flynn and Manasa Narayanan
Original Music: Phil Channell
Mixed: Nigel Appleton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring have?
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring currently has 15 episodes available.
What topics does Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring cover?
The podcast is about News, Russia, History, Democracy, Spy, Podcasts and Politics.
What is the most popular episode on Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring?
The episode title 'Digital Gangsters: Cambridge Analytica and Facebook' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring?
The average episode length on Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring is 29 minutes.
How often are episodes of Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring released?
Episodes of Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring?
The first episode of Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring was released on Nov 16, 2018.
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