Fred C asks: “Can Ukraine use air bases in Nato territories to perform combat missions with their F-16s? For instance, could F-16s fly from and to Polish air bases after performing airstrikes on the frontline?"

Dom responds: "I think this would be deemed too participatory, i.e. those Nato countries hosting the Ukrainian F-16s would be directly participating in the war. That is a political decision and is a moment yet to happen as it would increase the likelihood of Russia targeting Nato territory, which would be a clear breach of Article 5."

Mike Martin asks: “Given recent Ukrainian successes against Russian aircraft, is there any evidence that the long-awaited F-16s are already operating (covertly) inside Ukraine?"

Dom: "I commented on the podcast a few weeks ago that the recent increase in losses to the Russian air force may be down to the injection of a hitherto unseen capability such as F-16. On balance, I don’t think this is the case (although I haven’t completely written it off) but I think if and when Ukraine does start operating F-16 we will only find out about it after the event (although I would expect imagery to appear quite quickly on social media)."

James Trumble asks: “I am unclear on the distinction between regular army combatants and mercenaries as POWs. Russia sentenced foreign fighters to death as mercenaries. Wagner fighters - who are mercenaries - are swapped as POWs."

Dom says: "The Geneva Conventions do not directly refer to mercenaries as a separate group of armed actors, the distinction is between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are non-combatants until such time as they ‘directly participate in hostilities’ at which point they lose their protected status as civilians. However, none of this changes the fact that under the Geneva Conventions, combatants that are deemed ‘hors de combat’ (‘out of the fight’) either by being captured, wounded or having surrendered must be treated humanely and kept safe from future harm. By saying mercenaries are to be sentenced to death, Russia is breaching the Geneva Conventions."

Will R asks: "Given how much of your time/energy/work-life balance/thought you all invest into this project, how do you manage to keep your collective morale going on those days (and we've had many of late) when the good guys are taking a beating, and it seems that the world is moving too slowly to address the menace and real threat of a Russia with its back against the wall?"

Dom responds: "It’s tough, but it helps that - for us - this is a very clear moral cause: Russia’s egregious actions are simply wrong; Putin must fail and be seen to fail. Friends, family and our wonderful listeners also help. In terms of resting the brain I like to focus on the small things in life: those that require attention to detail and leave no room for the noisy world outside to intrude. For me, this translates into doing a lot of ironing at home. I feel like I’m back in basic training!"