Just one generation after they gained independence, people in the Baltic States are watching the threat from the Kremlin creep closer and closer. In Lithuania, the government is preparing the population to resist an invasion.

On “The Weekend Intelligence” Katie Bryant travels to Vilnius to ask how facing up to threat is changing the nation.

Topics covered:

Lithuania

Civil defence

Disinformation

Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—Subscribe to Economist Podcasts+

For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Music by bluedot Sessions and Epidemic Sound.

This podcast transcript is generated by third-party AI. It has not been reviewed prior to publication. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the transcript, its accuracy or its completeness, and we disclaim all liability regarding its receipt, content and use. If you have any concerns about the transcript, please email us at podcasts@economist.com.

Read more about how we are using AI.

Also on the daily podcast: what the Artemis Moon mission really accomplished and remembering a brave Soviet psychiatrist

SHOW-NOTES TEXT (60ish wds)

Binyamin Netanyahu says his strikes against Hizbullah are separate from the Iran-war ceasefire. That assertion is putting cracks in the deal, and in Israel’s relationship with America. We look at the stated and the unstated goals of the Artemis mission to the Moon—both achieved. And a tribute to Semyon Gluzman, who exposed the Soviet ruse of labelling dissidents as mental-health cases.

Guests and host:

• Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent
• Oliver Morton, senior editor
• Ann Wroe, obituaries editor
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• Israel, Iran war, Lebanon, America
• Artemis mission, NASA, Moon
• Semyon Gluzman, Soviet Union, psychiatry

Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Donald Trump has long threatened to pull America out of the alliance. We examine why the Iran war has made this time look significantly more serious. Westerners are fleeing their countries in record numbers—with economic consequences for their origins and destinations. And our series profiling the countries contesting the World Cup starts with Spain.

Guests and host:

• Anton La Guardia, diplomatic editor
• Callum Williams, senior economics writer
• Jon Fasman, senior culture correspondent
• Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”
• Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”

Topics covered:

• NATO, war in Iran, Donald Trump, Mark Rutte
• expats, emigration, economics
• World Cup, Spain

Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.