Assassinations Podcast

A Russian journalist living in Ukraine, Arkady Babchenko was supposedly shot to death in his apartment by an assassin operating on behalf of a mysterious Russian conspiracy. Or so the story went ... until Babchenko turned up at a press conference that had been convened to discuss his death. Rather than an assassination, the assembled media was informed that the hoax was perpetrated in order to foi...

Patrice Lumumba was the first prime minister of an independent Congo. The leader of a national liberation movement, he fell victim to powerful forces that sought to control his country. Stepping into the crisis in the Congo, Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary-General of the United Nations and one of the most brilliant diplomats of his generation, sought to bring about peace. It was a mission that cost hi...

Trotsky was a devoted Marxist and the co-leader of the Russian Revolution of 1917. Pushed out of the Soviet Union that he had helped to create, Trotsky was condemned to death. Granted asylum in Mexico, Trotsky was hunted by Stalin's henchmen before being assassinated by a Soviet agent who had posed as a political supporter. In this episode of Assassinations Podcast, we explore the extraordinary an...

Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was unpopular in Viennese society and hated by the Serbian nationalists. Though he wanted a quiet life with his beloved family, he accepted his role as heir to the throne - and all the dangers that came with it. But an official visit to Sarajevo in the summer of 1914 was so poorly planned that one aide described the archduke's safety as hav...

Grigori Rasputin, the so-called Mad Monk, was a mystic layman. He had a deep faith and many believed in the power of his prayers. But others saw him as a charlatan who had weaseled his way into the royal household. As his legend spread across Russia, those who were suspicious or jealous of his "powers" castigated him as a sex maniac, a huckster and even a heretic. Rasputin was fiercely loyal to th...

Are you fascinated by the darker side of history? Do you love uncovering conspiracies and delving into political intrigue? If so, then join me on April 30th when Assassinations Podcast launches its first season by investigating the killing of Gregori Rasputin— a man whose life and death were shrouded in scandal and mystery. Our first season will explore the assassinations of six of the 20th centur...