In early June, the British channel Sky News, in collaboration with Tortoise Media, launched a five-part podcast titled The Wargame. The creators successfully brought together former senior British politicians, security analysts, and military representatives to participate.
The Wargame simulates a fictional scenario of a Russian attack on the United Kingdom. It’s a strategic simulation involving two teams—British and Russian—each placed in separate underground rooms. In the British team, former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace plays the role of Prime Minister. Jack Straw reprises his former role as Foreign Secretary, while Amber Rudd takes on the position of Home Secretary, just as she did in real life.
Other participants include James Heappey, former Minister for the Armed Forces, and Lord Mark Sedwill, the former National Security Adviser. The role of the Russian president is portrayed by Keir Giles, an expert on Russia from Chatham House.
The aim of the simulation is to explore how the British government might respond to escalating tensions with Russia, including false flag operations, cyberattacks, and the threat of nuclear strikes—a danger that Dmitry Medvedev and other Russian officials have repeatedly raised against the UK over the past three years, almost weekly. The series also covers emergency warning protocols for civilians and assesses the state of Britain’s military, navy, and arms production.
The podcast clearly illustrates how, after the Cold War, national defence was pushed aside. Army personnel numbers were reduced, arms manufacturing was scaled down, and there was a blind reliance on the United States—whose reliability as an ally has been in question since the rise of Donald Trump.
What The Wargame reveals isn’t only relevant to the UK—it resonates across Europe, which for decades has thrived on the peace dividend.
Sky News security editor Deborah Haynes masterfully weaves together factual analysis with dramatic storytelling. The result is a gripping wake-up call to a new geopolitical reality. It’s unquestionably worth a listen.
Find the podcast here: Sky News – The Wargame