German leader Angela Merkel was the most powerful woman in the world.Which is why Putin was determined to take her down.His campaign started by playing on her famous fear of dogs... and ended with the biggest migrant crisis the world had seen.

German leader Angela Merkel was the most powerful woman in the world. Which is why Putin was determined to take her down. His campaign started by playing on her famous fear of dogs... and ended with the biggest migrant crisis the world had seen.

RUSSIA | S03 04 - Putin's obsession with crushing the mother of Germany

The world is on fire. There's a coup. Inflation is through the roof, and AI is taking our jobs. What does it all mean? Each week, Matt Bevan explains the biggest story in world news while hiding in his basement from assassins and authoritarian regimes.

Recent episodes include an exploration of the relationship between India and China, a closer look at the Saudi Arabian city of NEOM, the conflict in the Middle East, the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, and Ukraine's incursions into Vladimir Putin's Russia. Matt Bevan draws connections between stories from the past and the events of the present to help listeners understand world news and international affairs.

The podcast also features series about big moments in world news; previous series have focused on the United States presidential election, the United Kingdom's 14 years of Conservative Party leadership, Donald Trump's relationship with Russia, Donald Trump's presidency and promise to Make America Great Again, the Mueller Report, Vladimir Putin's scheme to destroy western democracies, how the relationship between Australia and China came to the verge of collapse, and Australia's turbulent history with climate change.

There's a new episode of If You're Listening every Thursday.

News

Politics

The world is on fire. There's a coup. Inflation is through the roof, and AI is taking our jobs. What does it all mean? Each week, Matt Bevan explains the biggest story in world news while hiding in his basement from assassins and authoritarian regimes. Recent episodes include an exploration of the relationship between India and China, a closer look at the Saudi Arabian city of NEOM, the conflict in the Middle East, the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, and Ukraine's incursions into Vladimir Putin's Russia. Matt Bevan draws connections between stories from the past and the events of the present to help listeners understand world news and international affairs. The podcast also features series about big moments in world news; previous series have focused on the United States presidential election, the United Kingdom's 14 years of Conservative Party leadership, Donald Trump's relationship with Russia, Donald Trump's presidency and promise to Make America Great Again, the Mueller Report, Vladimir Putin's scheme to destroy western democracies, how the relationship between Australia and China came to the verge of collapse, and Australia's turbulent history with climate change. There's a new episode of If You're Listening every Thursday.

Share RUSSIA | S03 04 - Putin's obsession with crushing the mother of Germany

Sign up to save your podcasts

RUSSIA | S03 04 - Putin's obsession with crushing the mother of Germany

RUSSIA | S03 04 - Putin's obsession with crushing the mother of Germany

More shows like If You're Listening

Background Briefing

Hack

Pacific Beat

Saturday Extra - Full program podcast

Radio National Breakfast — Separate stories podcast

Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

Big Ideas

Saturday Extra - Separate stories podcast

RN Drive - Separate stories podcast

Pacific Review

The Economy, Stupid

Politics Now

Australian Politics

AM

PM

The World Today

ABC News Daily

Australia Wide

The Morning Edition

7am

Full Story

What's That Rash?

Ms Represented

Not Stupid

After The Disaster

ABC News Top Stories

Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

No One Saw It Coming