In this final episode, discover what happens as the threat from Russia returns and the UK attempts to rearm. 

Join us for The Wargame: Decoded on January 29th in London. 

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Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you?  

The Wargame from Sky News and Tortoise imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out – and invites real-life former ministers, military chiefs and other experts to figure out how to defend the country.  

Written and presented by Sky News' security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes. 

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Come to “The Wargame: Decoded” - our live event in January 2026.  

It will put you in the mind of the people who took part. Deborah Haynes and some of our participants, including Sir Ben Wallace, Amber Rudd and Jack Straw, will talk through the decisions they made, the pressures they felt - and there’s chance to experience some of the key moments of the Game for yourself. 

How would the UK respond in a crisis? And how prepared are we? 

Join us for The Wargame: Decoded on January 29th in London. 

So, how has the UK been left so poorly defended? Candid interviews with almost every real-life defence secretary since the end of the Cold War reveal all. 

Join us for The Wargame: Decoded on January 29th in London.  

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Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you?  

The Wargame from Sky News and Tortoise imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out – and invites real-life former ministers, military chiefs and other experts to figure out how to defend the country.  

Written and presented by Sky News' security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes. 

-

Come to “The Wargame: Decoded” - our live event in January 2026.  

It will put you in the mind of the people who took part. Deborah Haynes and some of our participants, including Sir Ben Wallace, Amber Rudd and Jack Straw, will talk through the decisions they made, the pressures they felt - and there’s chance to experience some of the key moments of the Game for yourself. 

How would the UK respond in a crisis? And how prepared are we? 

Join us for The Wargame: Decoded on January 29th in London.  

Hostilities worsen despite attempts to broker a ceasefire. What happens next requires difficult decisions and hard choices.  

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Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you? 

A major five-part series from Sky News and Tortoise which imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out – and invites real-life former ministers, military chiefs and other experts to figure out how to defend the country. 

Written and presented by Sky News' security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes.

A city is on fire. The UK fights back. Russia and Britain both have nuclear weapons. Will either country use them?  

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Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you? 

A major five-part series from Sky News and Tortoise which imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out – and invites real-life former ministers, military chiefs and other experts to figure out how to defend the country. 

Written and presented by Sky News' security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes. 

The Prime Minister must address the nation. Meanwhile his ministers and officials do their best to deal with a crisis the UK hasn’t seriously prepared for in a generation. 

-

Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you? 

A major five-part series from Sky News and Tortoise which imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out – and invites real-life former ministers, military chiefs and other experts to figure out how to defend the country. 

Written and presented by Sky News' security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes. 

Hostilities with Russia erupt into an unprecedented attack. The Prime Minister and his team scramble to respond. Will the UK’s allies choose to help them? 

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Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you? 

A major five-part series from Sky News and Tortoise which imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out – and invites real-life former ministers, military chiefs and other experts to figure out how to defend the country. 

Written and presented by Sky News' security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes. 

Tensions with Russia escalate, and an imaginary week in the near future takes a turn for the unexpected. The Prime Minister calls an emergency Cobra meeting.

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Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you? 

A major five-part series from Sky News and Tortoise which imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out – and invites real-life former ministers, military chiefs and other experts to figure out how to defend the country. 

Written and presented by Sky News' security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes.

In this final episode, we have the first ever interview with serving MI5 officers who work in counter intelligence.

Tom and Kate talk about the challenge of grey zone threats from Russia and reveal their shock at the Salisbury spy poisonings.

They also reveal that the Security Service has bolstered protection for people in the UK deemed at risk from Russia and is doing “everything we can” to prevent another Salisbury-style attack, but there are no “absolute guarantees” – in the grey zone.

Guests:

Tom, senior MI5 intelligence officer working on Russia

Kate, MI5 intelligence officer investigating the activities of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU

Lord Mark Sedwill, former UK national security adviser

Dominic Grieve, former senior Conservative MP, former chair of Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, former attorney general

Credits:

Written and narrated by Deborah Haynes

Edited and produced by Chris Scott

Production support from Sophia McBide and Michael Greenfield

The Head of Sky News Radio is Dave Terris

What happens when the grey zone becomes a war zone and what might future wars look like, with hypersonic missiles, artificial intelligence and cyber changing calculations?

These are questions Sky News journalist Deborah Haynes explores in this episode, in part, by looking at Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

She also talks to General Sir Nick Carter, the head of Britain’s armed forces, about what he thinks is the gravest threat to the UK and about how the military is adapting to operate in the grey zone.

Guests:

General Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff

General Sir Richard Barrons, former head of Joint Command, now Strategic Command

Emine Dzhaparova , First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine

Sergei Markov, political scientist and former member of the Russian parliament

Keir Giles, senior consulting fellow at Chatham House

Orysia Lutsevych, head and research fellow, Ukraine Forum, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House

Credits:

Written and narrated by Deborah Haynes

Edited and produced by Chris Scott

Production support from Sophia McBide and Michael Greenfield

The Head of Sky News Radio is Dave Terris

This episode explores a global battle of values between China and leading democracies over issues like Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang.

It’s being fought with an array of covert weapons, from cyber attacks and information operations to economic coercion and even something called “lawfare”.

Allegations of such behaviour are made and denied by both sides, which of course is to be expected - in the grey zone.

Guests:

Tom Tugendhat, Conservative MP, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee

Matthew Turpin, visiting fellow, Hoover Institution

Charlie Parton, former British diplomat, senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute

Dr Shi Yinhong, Director of the Academic Committee of the School of International Studies and US Research Center of Renmin University in Beijing

Nathan Law, pro-democracy activist from Hong Kong

Julie Marionneau, research fellow, Policy Exchange

Freddy Lim, Taiwanese politician, lead singer of heavy-metal band Chthonic

Alexander Downer, former Australian foreign minister

Puma Shen, assistant professor at National Taipei University

Chinese embassy in London – via email statement

Credits:

Written and narrated by Deborah Haynes

Edited and produced by Chris Scott

Production support from Michael Greenfield

The head of Sky News Radio is Dave Terris