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In part five of How it Happened: Putin’s Invasion, Axios' Dave Lawler zooms into the frontlines of the war, seen through the eyes of a journalist who has been covering the war there and a soldier who has been fighting there, both since 2014.

Why it matters: The battle to defend this region, which has been partially controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, will determine the outcome of this war.

After being repelled from Kyiv and other cities, Vladimir Putin has concentrated his forces in the Donbas and vowed to "liberate" the full territory. 

In Mariupol, the remaining Ukrainian defenders surrendered this week after a brutal siege. The Russians are making grinding progress elsewhere in the region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described soldiers in the Donbas as some of the best Ukraine has. 

Axios World editor Dave Lawler spent weeks interviewing Ukrainian Cpl. Andrii Shadrin and news producer Kateryna Malofieieva to understand the region’s history and significance, the realities of daily life on the ground, and why the stakes of this fight are so high.

Go deeper: On the front lines in Donbas: One Ukrainian soldier's story

Credits: This episode was reported and produced by Dave Lawler and Naomi Shavin. Alison Snyder is the series editor. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief. Mixing, sound design, and music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Mixing by Ben O’Brien. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz.

Additional thanks to Kristina Zelenyuk, Anastasiya Ringis, Igor Kazimirov, Tanya Zhukova, and Hiroaki Kuromiya.

Putin's Invasion Part V: The Fight for the Donbas

Why the stakes of the fight in Ukraine's Donbas region are so high — through the eyes of two Ukrainians, a soldier and a journalist.

Photo illustration of a Ukrainian soldier with a map of Ukraine and the Donbas region in the background

 Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Narciso Contreras/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Russian invasion of Ukraine

How It Happened

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China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

In part four of How It Happened: Putin’s Invasion, Axios' Dave Lawler digs into polling indications that Russians are rallying around their president even as Western sanctions and global condemnations escalate.

This episode features interviews with a top political opposition leader, the director of the leading independent polling firm in Russia, a prominent sociologist from the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences and a journalist on the ground in Moscow. 

Across these interviews, Lawler sets out to learn why horrific allegations against Russia — such as the apparent massacre of civilians in Bucha— are being rejected by some Russians as lies. 

Go deeper: Inside wartime Russia, Putin isn't losing

Credits: This episode of Putin's Invasion was reported by Dave Lawler, Alison Snyder, and Naomi Shavin. Sara Fischer and Emily Peck contributed reporting. It was produced by Naomi Shavin. Alison Snyder is the series editor. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief. Ben O’Brien is the mix engineer. Mixing, sound design, and music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz.

Putin's Invasion Part IV: The View from Russia

Why horrific allegations against Russia have been being rejected by some Russians as lies.

Photo illustration of Vladimir Putin looking over Red Square

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Konstantin Zavrazhin, Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

In part three of How It Happened: Putin’s Invasion, Axios' Dave Lawler examines the red lines being drawn by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in discussions about possible paths to peace.

This episode features interviews with Zelensky’s chief of staff, a member of Parliament in his party, two close observers of Putin and the Kremlin, and a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine with decades of diplomatic experience in the region. 

Across these interviews, Lawler tries to determine the end games for Putin and Zelensky and the likeliest scenarios for how this conflict could end. 

Go deeper: No clear pathway to peace in Ukraine

Credits: This episode of Putin's Invasion was reported by Dave Lawler in collaboration with the Axios newsroom and produced by Naomi Shavin. Barak Ravid contributed reporting. Julia Redpath is executive producer. Alison Snyder is the series editor. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief. Ben O'Brien is the mix engineer. Mixing, sound design, and music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz.

Putin's Invasion Part III: How It Could End

Across a series of interviews, Dave Lawler examines the likeliest ways the conflict could end.

Photo illustration of Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin.

Photo Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photos: Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency, Alexey Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

In part two of How it Happened: Putin's Invasion, Axios' Dave Lawler explains how Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine catalyzed a chain of events that are reshaping our world.  

Lawler is joined by Axios managing editor Margaret Talev to discuss President Biden's decades of political experience with Russia and the sanctions the U.S. and Europe have brought against the country. 

Energy and climate reporter Andrew Freedman explains why it's so hard for the West to cut ties with Russia when it comes to energy, and why the Biden administration chose to do so even if it would send gas prices soaring. 

Subscribe to How It Happened wherever you listen to podcasts.

For more of Dave Lawler's world reporting, subscribe to Axios World.

Credits: This episode of Putin's Invasion was reported by Dave Lawler in collaboration with the Axios newsroom and produced by Naomi Shavin with help from Sabeena Singhani. Julia Redpath is executive producer. Alison Snyder is the series editor. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief. Mixing, sound design, and music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Additional mixing by Jayk Cherry. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz.

Putin's Invasion Part II: The Consequences

Why February 24 was such a major turning point and why pushing back on Russia is so complicated.

Illustration of the earth with a stock line and abstract shapes.

In part one of How it Happened: Putin's Invasion, Axios' Dave Lawler presents reporting and analysis from the Axios newsroom on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Lawler shares insights from a career covering global affairs and dozens of interviews with experts and high ranking officials about how Russian President Vladimir Putin came to power and how the autocrat has wielded it.

The podcast also features Jonathan Swan, Axios national reporter and host of the first season of How It Happened, speaking about his exclusive Axios on HBO interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Putin's Invasion Part I: How We Got Here

Dave Lawler and Jonathan Swan explain how Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky each came to power.

Photo illustration of President Vladimir Putin and tank barriers.

Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photos: Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency, Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images

In How it Happened: Putin's Invasion, Axios World editor Dave Lawler curates the best of Axios' reporting and analysis on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, explaining how the conflict played out in slow motion across eight years and then suddenly escalated.

Lawler will share insights from a career covering global affairs and dozens of  interviews with experts and high ranking officials about how Russian President Vladimir Putin came to power and how the autocrat has wielded it. 

The podcast will also feature Jonathan Swan, Axios national reporter and host of the first season of How It Happened, speaking about his exclusive interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Reporters and editors from across the Axios newsroom including Sara Fischer, Emily Peck and Margaret Talev will unpack how this conflict is playing out in the media and on social media and why it's so hard to push back against Putin and Russia. 

The podcast will break down what happened on the ground in the early hours of February 24, 2022 in Ukraine and how this war is changing the world around us in real time. 

Listen now to the trailer and subscribe to hear the new season when it launches on Mar. 5, 2022.

Subscribe to the podcast to receive an alert when the first episode drops.

Credits: Putin's Invasion was reported by Dave Lawler in collaboration with the Axios newsroom and produced by Naomi Shavin. Julia Redpath is executive producer. Alison Snyder is the series editor. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the Editor-in-Chief. Mixing, sound design, and music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Additional mixing by Jayk Cherry. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz.

Introducing How it Happened Season Four: Putin's Invasion

Axios World editor Dave Lawler hosts the new podcast season focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This episode tells the previously unreported story of how a desperate attempt to stop Israel from annexing part of the occupied West Bank led to the most significant Middle East peace agreement in a generation. 

Dive in: In the finale of our two-part season, Axios Middle East correspondent Barak Ravid tells national political correspondent Jonathan Swan how Trump's failure to make peace between the Israelis and Palestinians led to an unexpected success.

In episode 1, we explored the dramatic collapse of Trump's plan to broker "the deal of the century." Listen here or on your favorite podcast provider.

Note: This episode contains some explicit language. 

Credits: The senior producer is Ariana Gharib Lee. The senior editor is Ted Robbins. Dan Bobkoff is the executive producer. Sara Kehaulani Goo is the editor-in-chief. Our managing editors include Alison Snyder and Margaret Talev. Dave Lawler is the world editor. Sound design and mixing by Jeanne Montalvo and Alex Sugiura. Our series theme music is by Michael Hanf. Fact checking by Jacob Knutson.

Trump's Big Deal, Part II: From Secret Alliance to the Abraham Accords

The chaotic events that led to an unexpected breakthrough between Israel and the UAE.

Israel

In this episode, Axios Middle East correspondent Barak Ravid and national political correspondent Jonathan Swan explore the dramatic collapse of Donald Trump's plan to broker "the deal of the century" between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Dive in: In an exclusive interview, Trump tells Barak that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bears much of the blame. He also reveals that their supposed bromance is over, saying of Netanyahu: “F--k him.” 

In part 2, hear how a surprise breakthrough emerged from the wreckage of Trump's peace plan: the Abraham Accords. Listen here or on your favorite podcast provider.

Trump's Big Deal, Part I: May your house be destroyed

Go behind the scenes as Trump's peace plan collapses.

Israeli-Palestinian peace process

Axios’ Jonathan Swan is back with a sneak preview of How It Happened’s third season, arriving on Monday. Subscribe here.

Why it matters: With exclusive reporting, Swan and Axios’ Barak Ravid go behind the scenes on the gripping, chaotic events that led t0 the Abraham Accords — the deals between Israel and four Arab states that are changing the Middle East.

Trump blasts Netanyahu for disloyalty: "F**k him"

Introducing How it Happened Season Three: Trump's Big Deal

Jonathan Swan and Barak Ravid lift the lid on the Abraham Accords.

In part five of How it Happened: The Next Astronauts, Axios space reporter Miriam Kramer follows the Inspiration4 crew to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to cover their launch and catches up with each of them after their return.

Kramer takes listeners to the press center at the Kennedy Space Center and inside of a pre-launch press conference with the four civilian astronauts the day before launch.  

Kramer reports on the launch from on the ground and analyzes the livestream hosted by SpaceX, including the abrupt termination of real-time access to the crew once they reached orbit. 

She tracks the crew during their three days in orbit, their high-risk descent back through the Earth's atmosphere, and what the safety and success of the mission means for the entire industry going forward.

For more of Miriam Kramer's space reporting, subscribe to Axios Space.

Credits: The Next Astronauts is reported and produced by Miriam Kramer, Amy Pedulla, Naomi Shavin, and Alice Wilder. Dan Bobkoff is Executive Producer. Mixing, sound design, and music supervision by Alex Sugiura. Theme music and original score by Michael Hanf. Fact-checking and research by Jacob Knutson. Alison Snyder is a managing editor at Axios and Sara Kehaulani Goo is executive editor. Special thanks to Axios co-founders Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz. 

The Next Astronauts Part V: The Launch

On the ground in Florida for the Inspiration4 launch and first person accounts of the mission.

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