Ep105. The Cambridge Five - 'Stalins Apostles' and the Empire They Helped Build
1951. Young men are parachuted into Soviet-controlled Ukraine on secret missions. But Moscow already knows they are coming. The betrayal leads straight to the heart of British intelligence. To Kim Philby. The Cambridge Five — Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross — have long been portrayed as brilliant, charming traitors who humiliated the British establishment. But what if we have been telling the wrong story? What did Stalin actually gain from their espionage — and who paid the price? In this episode, British author Antonia Senior challenges the familiar mythology surrounding the Cambridge Five and reveals their role in Stalin’s ambitions to dominate Eastern Europe. We discuss the betrayal of Poland, the negotiations at Yalta, Soviet counterintelligence operations, and the deadly consequences for resistance fighters in Ukraine, Albania and the Baltic states. We also explore previously overlooked connections with Swedish intelligence, the struggle to bring the spies to justice, and why Vladimir Putin is now turning these men into Russian heroes. A story of ideology, loyalty, deception and betrayal — but above all, of the human consequences of espionage. Guest: Antonia Senior, British author, journalist and historical fiction critic, and author of *Stalin’s Apostles: The Cambridge Five and the Making of the Soviet Empire*. A podcast by: Mikael Hylin Music: Anton Fossum-Hylin Episode cover: AI-assisted adaptation of the original book cover of Stalin’s Apostles (Hodder & Stoughton, 2026). Concept and art direction by Mikael Hylin. Disclaimer: The stories, facts, views, and opinions presented in this podcast are solely those of the presenter or interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Spionpodden. Spionpodden is an independent, non-profit podcast with no affiliations to political, religious, economic, public, or private special interests. It is neither controlled nor owned by any third party. Spionpodden has not received any external funding, other than 100% anonymous, private, and entirely voluntary donations. The content is produced freely and independently, without influence from any outside parties. The responsible publisher is Mikael Hylin. Friskrivningsklausul: De berättelser, fakta, åsikter och synpunkter som presenteras i denna podcast är uteslutande de som tillhör presentatören eller intervjuobjektet och speglar inte nödvändigtvis Spionpoddens officiella hållning. Spionpodden är en oberoende, ideell podcast utan kopplingar till politiska, religiösa, ekonomiska, offentliga eller privata särintressen. Den är varken kontrollerad eller ägd av någon tredje part. Spionpodden har inte tagit emot någon extern finansiering, utöver 100 % anonyma, privata och helt frivilliga donationer. Innehållet produceras fritt och självständigt, utan påverkan från utomstående aktörer. Ansvarig utgivare är Mikael Hylin.
