The podcast begins with a reflection of Ghessen’s 12-year career as a Royal Marine, spanning service across the world including Afghanistan and Iraq before working as a high-profile bodyguard.

The pair then discuss Ghessen’s turn toward documentary making, joining colleagues in Syria to document the fight against ISIS in 2017, Ukraine in 2019 and Armenia-Azerbaijan in 2020-21.

45 Days – The Fight For A Nation analyses the recent Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict from a humanitarian perspective, while examining the history of intergenerational trauma in Armenia dating back to the Armenian genocide.

However, when promoting the film in Hollywood – Russia began their invasion of Ukraine, prompting Ghessen to travel to Ukraine to document the day-to-day of life in Ukraine.

Ghessen details his last three months in Ukraine, providing insight into the recent conflict direct from the front lines – including failures within Russian military strategy, irregular warfare behind enemy lines, the recent siege of Mariupol, and a discussion around the hotly debated Azov Regiment.

To learn more about Ghessen, you can visit his page here or view his recent film 45 Days – The Fight For A Nation here.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect Team