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Podcast Episode

This Is Not a Mayday: How a Russian ship sank in NZ waters

Long Story Short··31 May 2026·53 min

About this episode

In 1986, the Russian cruise liner Mikhail Lermontov sank in the Marlborough Sounds. Decades later, questions still float around. Why was the ship sailing through dangerous waters? Why did the captain resist help to save it? And did Vladimir Putin really attend the inquiry? Adam Dudding and Eugene Bingham dive into a strange maritime mystery – a tale of tragedy, intrigue and Cold War paranoia. If you value this kind of storytelling and want to help us keep making it, you can become a Long Story Short supporter at LSSpodcast.com. You’ll get early, ad-free access to episodes, and we’ve got some subscriber-only bonus content in the pipeline as well. You can also sign up to our free newsletter so you’ll hear from us each time a new story drops. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.