A Spy at War | Charles Beaumont

About this episode

Charles Beaumont discusses his experiences as an MI6 officer and the themes of his novel A Spy at War, particularly in relation to the Ukraine War and Russian disinformation.

Charles Beaumont spent years as an MI6 officer running human sources before turning to fiction—and his second novel, A Spy at War, carries the authority of someone who has actually done the work. Set against the early days of the Ukraine War in 2022, the book maps the architecture of Russian disinformation: corruption narratives seeded into sympathetic media, useful idiots at senior policy levels, and the Chechen enforcers whose own histories implicate Moscow in the violence that built Putin's state.

People in this episode

Host: Matt

Guest: Charles Beaumont

Topics covered

• espionage
• disinformation
• Ukraine War
• intelligence
• public opinion
• global issues

Keywords

• MI6
• CIA
• SIS
• Ukraine War
• disinformation
• public opinion
• Charles Beaumont

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MI6, CIA, SIS

Books & works: A Spy at War, A Spy Alone

Places: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Donbas

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