In Moscow's Shadows
175 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago -Russia, behind the headlines as well as in the shadows. This podcast is the audio counterpart to Mark Galeotti's blog of the same name, a place where "one of the most informed and provocative voices on modern Russia", can talk about Russia historical and (more often) contemporary, discuss new books and research, and sometimes talk to other Russia-watchers.
If you'd like to keep the podcast coming and generally support my work, or want to ask questions or suggest topics for me to cover, do please contribute to my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/InMoscowsShadows
The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and similar situations.
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Episodes
In Moscow's Shadows 106: The Spooky Side of Prigozhin's Mutiny
July 02, 2023 09:00 - 37 minutes - 26 MBA shorter episode, because there is still so much about the causes, course and consequences of Prigozhin's mutiny that we still don't know. Instead, I focus in on the spook side: what were the FSB, FSO and GRU doing? To a large degree, the answer is> failing. Will they be taken to account? I doubt it, and this underlines the way that 'late Putinism' is characterised by its refusal or inability to reform. The previous episode I mentioned looking at Russia's complex mercenary ecosystem is In...
In Moscow's Shadows 105: Prigozhin's Mutiny
June 25, 2023 15:00 - 50 minutes - 35.1 MBPrigozhin's mutiny... or, 36 hours of what-the-hell? It's too close for a really judicious take on this weekend's hijinks, but first thoughts on why Prigozhin did it, what happened, and what this all actually means. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and similar situations. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the po...
In Moscow's Shadows 104: Paranormal Putinism
June 20, 2023 08:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBAfter the usual quick run-through of war-related news, I consider the rise of mysticism and occultism not just in Putin's circle, but Russia as a whole. Tales of rituals in the Kremlin; the Communist 'battle mage;' predictions of triumph in Ukraine. What is the reason? My view is that it is a response to anomie and despair - but also incubates hope for change, and illustrates a desire for that change. So, however bizarre, it may be grounds for optimism. The Carnegie article by Ksenia Luchen...
In Moscow's Shadows 103: The Rise of the Princeling Patrushev, the Grey Cardigan
June 11, 2023 12:00 - 36 minutes - 24.8 MBAfter the inevitable quick look at the Ukrainian counter-offensive (too little to say really about the operation on the ground, but some points to make about the political context), I drill down into the life of Dmitry Patrushev - minister for agriculture and, arguably rather more important, son of Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev. Could he be a candidate to succeed Putin, and if so, what would this mean? If Patrushev senior is regarded as one of the grey cardinals, Jr is more...
In Moscow's Shadows 102: The Wolf that Only Howls: the Chechens in Ukraine
June 04, 2023 15:00 - 38 minutes - 26.5 MBA spat between Wagner's Prigozhin and Chechnya's Kadyrov provides a good opportunity to look at the role of the Chechens in the Ukraine War - or, rather, just how small a role they are playing. Why is that? Because the war is a microcosm of the Putin system in so many ways, and in that system Kadyrov has managed to create a comfortable place in which he loudly performs loyalty while actually exploiting Moscow as far as he can. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which ...
In Moscow's Shadows 101: Phoney Wars and Rising Stars
May 28, 2023 16:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBBakhmut has (probably, kinda) fallen and Belgorod raided. The first is hardly a real defeat for Ukraine nor a real victory for Moscow. The latter may prove more significant, not so much for the raid itself but the dilemmas it imposes on the Russians ahead of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. In the second half I kick off an occasional series of profiles of the next generation of insider political leaders by looking at Marat Khusnullin, the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Construction and ...
In Moscow's Shadows 100: All the News That's Fit to Print (in Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
May 14, 2023 09:00 - 34 minutes - 23.7 MBAs a change from the usual, I look through the top six news items currently on the website of Rossiiskaya Gazeta, the main government newspaper of record, on today, Sunday 14 May. What can one learn about the state of Russian politics, intra-elite conflicts, the survival of real journalism and how comfortable Russians are with being global outsiders, based on stories about everything from missile attacks in the Donbas to easier regulations on building sheds? As websites change, the six stor...
In Moscow's Shadows 99: All Hail the Tsar? Why Putinism has suffered from becoming monarchical
May 07, 2023 09:00 - 45 minutes - 31.6 MBIt's an easy journalistic shorthand to hall Putin a new tsar (I've done it myself), but what might it mean? Coronation weekend in the UK seems a fitting time to consider the pitfalls for Putinism of its pseudo-monarchic tilt. In the second part a quickfire look at Ukraine's war of sabotage inside Russia, the incredible shrinking Victory Day parade, and the even more quickly shrinking Prigozhin. My articles on the drone attack and sabotage campaign are in the Spectator and Sunday Times; the...
In Moscow's Shadows 98: Dogs of War (and Racoons)
April 29, 2023 07:00 - 54 minutes - 37.3 MBNews that gas corporation Gazprom appears to be sponsoring a mercenary unit in Ukraine prompts me to explore the complex ecosystem of Russian private military companies and mercenaries. Not so much the onset of a new era of warlordism, I see it as a reflection of Putin's adhocratic mobilisation state. In the second half, I provide a guide to some of the varies organisations in question, from MOD fronts to ultra-nationalist thugs. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, whi...
In Moscow's Shadows 97: Where Are They Now?
April 22, 2023 09:00 - 47 minutes - 32.9 MBEven loyalists seem in some cases to be taking a step back, not for a moment standing against the Kremlin but less able or willing to be so vocal and visible supporting it. I look at four such figures - Alexander Bortnikov, director of the FSB, Dmitry Kiselev, general director of Russia Today, Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigatory Committee, and Alexei Dyumin, governor of Tula - and wonder what their different political strategies portend. The podcast's corporate partner and sponso...
In Moscow's Shadows 96: Of Leaks and Lengths
April 16, 2023 08:00 - 49 minutes - 33.8 MBWhat can we learn from the massive trove of US secret documents recently and incautiously leaked? And what are the signs that Russia really is digging in, not for a 'Forever War,' but certainly a lengthy one? The Moskovskii Komsomolets article I mention is here. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials right here. Support the Show.
In Moscow's Shadows 95: Tatarsky, Gershkovich, Patrushev and Guns
April 04, 2023 16:00 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MBSomething for everyone? What we may conclude from the murder of milblogger 'Vladlen Tatarsky', thoughts on the hostage-taking of journalist Evan Gershkovich, the madness of Nikolai Patrushev and a new report on guns in Ukraine. The Spectator piece I mention is here (paywalled), Patrushev's latest interview is here, the report 'On U.S. Objectives With Respect to the USSR To Counter Soviet Threats to U.S. Security' is here, and our report 'Peace and Proliferation: the Russo-Ukrainian war and ...
In Moscow's Shadows 94: What do you do with a problem like Medvedev?
March 26, 2023 09:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBSpinning off from a recent piece for the Spectator, I look at Dmitri Medvedev's decline and fall, from technocratic liberal hope to peddler of toxic anti-Western vitriol, and what this tells us about late Putinism: the hawkish turn, chameleonic politics, the need for scarecrows and the downside of Putin's loyalty. The Spectator piece is here You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exc...
In Moscow's Shadows 93: Oligarchs and Judges
March 19, 2023 09:00 - 44 minutes - 30.6 MBIsn't it time to scrap the term 'oligarch'? In Russia - as perhaps, not in Ukraine - the time when rich people able to assert power because of their wealth (as opposed to getting wealthy because of their power) seems long gone. And a justice vs pragmatism question: will the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant against Putin on war crimes charges, help the cause of peace? Sadly, although I don't think there is any doubt he is a war criminal, I fear not. You ca...
In Moscow's Shadows 92: Everyone's Got an Agenda: Hungary, China, Neo-Nazis, Kadyrov, Anime Fans...
March 05, 2023 17:00 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBWhy did Budapest 2023 remind me of Moscow 2007? Are Hungary or China 'pro-Russia'? What can we read into pro-Ukrainian neo-Nazi incursions into Russia and Kadyrov's claims that he wants to set up a mercenary company? And speaking of which, what on earth is PMC Ryodan? You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials right here. Support the Show.
In Moscow's Shadows 91: Russian Fantasies - Putin's address to the nation and the lessons from Russian science fiction
February 11, 2023 18:00 - 53 minutes - 36.5 MBPutin has finally set a date for his annual address to the Federal Assembly, 21 February. He will likely try to tread the balance between scaring and reassuring his audience, but it takes place at a time when there is evidence of the security state digging in for the long haul, not least with a reshuffle at the Security Council Secretariat. In the second half, I talk about Russian scifi, especially of the imperialist variety, and what we can learn from it. For those interested, I write abo...
In Moscow's Shadows 90: A Murder in Donbas Evokes the 90s and Putin Cosplays the 40s
February 05, 2023 20:00 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBThe apparent hit on a Russian rightist, propagandist, and self-styled "swindler and mercenary" raises a range of questions about coordination in the Russian forces, the role of Evgeny Prigozhin and Russia's slide back towards the 'wild 90s.' Still, that's a better prospect than Putin's repeated invocation of the 1940s, most recently at the 80th anniversary of the battle of Stalingrad... You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons an...
In Moscow's Shadows 89: Tanks, the New Patriotic War and the Strelkov-Prigozhin Spat
January 29, 2023 15:00 - 57 minutes - 39.3 MBWhat does it mean that Western-designed tanks will now be supplied to Ukraine, and what - if any - potential responses does Putin have? At the very least, it will be used to hammer home the new notion of the 'New Patriotic War,' in an attempt to provide a rationalisation for totalitarianism. However, any unity imposed is just superficial - as the recent spat between Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin and Evgeny Prigozhin illustrates, there are growing divisions within the system. The Tsargrad article o...
In Moscow's Shadows 88: Enter Gerasimov
January 12, 2023 14:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MBSo what might it mean for Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov to be made the new overall commander of Russian operations in Ukraine? I suspect Putin is impatient for some kind of victory - and if Gerasimov absolutely has to provide it, then he will need to find some form of escalation. Details of the Chelsea Society event on 16 January I mentioned are here, and the Lewes Speakers Festival event on the 22nd (lots of other interesting authors, by the way) is here. You can also follow my blo...
In Moscow's Shadows 87: War, Politics and Putin's New Year's Address
January 01, 2023 15:00 - 54 minutes - 37.8 MBA collection of topics: Putin's rather bellicose New Year Address and what to make of it, the limits of Russian politics, what to make of Medvedev's and Prigozhin's bizarre statements, and some good news, especially for those who consider Peruvian shaman to be soothsayers... The Russian cyber report I mentioned is here, Prigozhin's latest broadside is here, and news of the Peruvian shaman (in Russian) is here. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast...
In Moscow's Shadows 86: Russian Rumours and Cognitive Biases
December 10, 2022 15:00 - 35 minutes - 24.7 MBIs Putin contemplating fleeing to Venezuela? Is Medvedev more powerful than Patrushev? Does it make sense to decolonise Russia? Is a maverick spook spilling the beans on Putin's personal life? As a lack of hard information on inner Kremlin politics generates rumours and assumptions to fill the data vacuum, I ponder our analytic biases. The survey of 100 top politicians is here. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain qu...
In Moscow's Shadows 85: War and Peace (and how both are changing)
December 04, 2022 15:00 - 55 minutes - 38.1 MBWhat broader lessons about the changing nature of war, peace and power can we draw from the Russo-Ukrainian conflict? A more conceptual and rambling episode than usual... The Meduza article on FSO polling I mentioned is here. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials right here. Support the Show.
In Moscow's Shadows 84: Putin the History (Abuse) Man
November 20, 2022 16:00 - 59 minutes - 41.2 MBMy own contribution to the current discussion about how Putin tries to use and abuse history, and how he doesn't even get Russian history right. And, after the break, the costs of the war to Russia and the all-too-often overlooked (not least by Putin) regional dimension. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials right here. Support the Show.
In Moscow's Shadows 83: Putin's decision-making; and Russian organised crime after the invasion
November 13, 2022 14:00 - 54 minutes - 37.5 MBA fresh batch of Patrons' questions, clustered around Putin, his influences (no, Ivan Ilyin is not his guru) and decision-making; and then in the second half, how are the effects of invasion and sanctions reshaping Russian organised crime? You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials right here. Support the Show.
In Moscow's Shadows 82: What Prigozhin Wants, What Putin Believes, and Why Russia Might Create its own Bureau 39
November 06, 2022 14:00 - 53 minutes - 36.5 MBIn the first part of the podcast, I address the first batch of questions put to me by my Patrons, including Prigozhin's authority and whether Putin really believes some of the increasingly bizarre nonsense that is being spouted by his officials. In the second part, I explore whether Russia might be tempted to follow North Korea in establishing a 'ministry of organised crime.' Oh, and do buy my new book Putin's Wars! The ECFR Crimintern report I mention (from 2017) is here. You can also f...
In Moscow's Shadows 81: A Sampling of the Latest News; and the Russo-Chinese Intelligence Relationship
October 30, 2022 22:00 - 39 minutes - 27.3 MBIn the first segment, I touch on some of the latest news stories: Ukraine's drone attack on Sevastopol and the ending of the grain deal; will Russian withdraw from Kherson; and what Russians think. In the second half, I pivot to exploring the complex intelligence relationship between Russia and China and why, whatever the talk of a 'friendship without limits,' at least in the secret realm they are not frenemies maybe but frivals... The recording of the talk at George Washington's Institute ...
In Moscow's Shadows 80: Annexations, Mobilisations, Martial Law and More
October 22, 2022 14:00 - 59 minutes - 41 MBI'm back after a month of travels, and what a month it's been. In this longer-than-usual catch-up episode, I look at its main developments, including annexations, mobilisation, martial law and political machinations. And how Sergei Kirienko admitted that this was not a popular war... You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials right here. Support the Show.
In Moscow's Shadows 79: Putin's Dilemmas, on and off the battlefield
September 16, 2022 13:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBMilitary analysts often talk about the way forces seek to 'impose dilemmas' in their enemy on the battlefield. The extraordinary Ukrainian advance from Kharkiv is imposing a series of dilemmas both military and, more importantly, political on Putin. And, faced with a choice of difficult options, none of which look especially palatable, he is doing what he usually does: dodge the hard decisions, dig in and hope things work out. From tactical nukes and mobilisation to why bother with increasi...
In Moscow's Shadows 78: Organised Labour in a Neoliberal and Authoritarian Russia
September 05, 2022 14:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBIt's Labo(u)r Day here in DC, so I look at the - pretty poor - state of organised labour in Russia, but also the hints that coming economic pressures could help encourage some solidarity and lateral connections, key to effective civil society. My post 'Mikroraion Life' in my Travels in Deepest Muscovy blog on life in Kotel'niki is here. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclus...
In Moscow's Shadows 77: Gorbachev's Hope vs Putin's Victimhood, a short rumination
September 01, 2022 12:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MBA short, one-segment piece in which I consider one of the less widely-discussed aspects of Gorbachev's legacy (and quite why he sat so uncomfortably for the present regime): that he stood for hope (however naive or badly-executed sometimes) rather than the victimhood at the heart of Putin's message. My snap appreciation of Gorbachev is here, and Leon Aron's obit is here. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-a...
In Moscow's Shadows 76: The Impotence of Power and Giving Liz Truss some options for Narrative Warfare
August 28, 2022 13:00 - 58 minutes - 40.2 MBHow far is the Kremlin grappling with the problem of power and relevance: it has made promises, it issues decree, but is it really able to achieve any more at home than in the stalemate in Ukraine? Does Putin's recent decree on expanding the military mean more than just more Potemkin politics? And as a result, are more and more elements of Russian society seeing the regime as incapable, creating a dangerous potential threat? In the second half, Liz Truss, the UK's likely next prime minister...
In Moscow's Shadows 75: Shoigu and Power under Putinism-Patrushevism
August 15, 2022 12:00 - 53 minutes - 37 MBContinuing from last episode, in which I postulate that Russia is now in the grip of 'Putinism-Patrushevism,' I look at what this has meant for Defence Minister Shoigu - and how his return to high-profile public politics suggest he has been forced to adapt to the new era of constant conflict. How can this help illuminate what the ingredients of power in late Putinism may be? You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain questi...
In Moscow's Shadows 74: Putinism-Patrushevism
July 31, 2022 14:00 - 49 minutes - 34.3 MBI play around with the concept of Putinism-Patrushevism, that while Putin's broad ambitions may be pretty consistent over time, quite how they are understood and meant to be achieved varies over time depending on who has most influence with him - and now, sadly, it's Nikolai Patrushev, leading to the current state of the country. (I float this idea in this Sunday Times piece). The earlier podcast in which I label Patrushev 'the most dangerous man in Russia' is here, by the way. You can als...
In Moscow's Shadows 73: From Liberal Politics to Boris Johnson's Departure, answers to more listener questions
July 17, 2022 07:00 - 59 minutes - 40.6 MBThe final batch of patrons' and listeners' questions answered - sometimes better than others - on everything from Ekaterina Schulmann's "reverse cargo cult" thesis to the flaws of liberal politics, Naryshkin's fumbles to naval dilemmas in the Ukraine war. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials right here. Support the Show.
In Moscow's Shadows 72: A Tale of Two Colonels, Strelkov and Putin
July 10, 2022 10:00 - 55 minutes - 37.9 MBI look at the career of Igor Girkin, better known as Strelkov, the ultra-nationalist who has turned against Putin - but gets away with it. What does it tell us about Russian politics? In the second half, I read the coda added to later editions of my book 'We Need To Talk About Putin' to reflect the invasion of Ukraine and expand on a few points in it. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and acc...
In Moscow's Shadows 71: Russia, Ukraine and beyond - another miscellany
July 02, 2022 11:00 - 58 minutes - 40.3 MBAfter tackling three of recent developments worth noting - the evolving military command structure of the war, Sergei Kirienko's role and the emergence of the war economy - I tackle a dozen listeners' questions, from how the conflict is affecting Putin's thoughts about his future, to whether monarchy could return... You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials righ...
In Moscow's Shadows 70: A Miscellany - Being Banned, Putin and Lavrov Speak Out, Divisions in the Elite and Listeners' Questions
June 18, 2022 16:00 - 46 minutes - 32.3 MBSomething of a magazine episode. In the first half I talk about my being banned from Russia (here's the Foreign Ministry announcement), Putin at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Lavrov interviewed by the BBC (see more here) and Pertsev's recent article about the elite in Meduza (here). In the second half, I tackle a range of questions from listeners, broadly about geopolitics. A reminder, if you have a question you want me to address, send it to me by Monday 20 June, either ...
In Moscow's Shadows 69: A Bargain-Basement Empire in the Offing, and Who Is Sergei Kirienko?
June 13, 2022 08:00 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MBIn the first part of this slightly rambling episode, I develop on a theme I covered for the Sunday Times (here) on whether Moscow will move beyond annexing the Donbas and Lugansk People's Republics and actually seek to grab more territories. And why on earth might anything think this a good idea? One such might be Sergei Kirienko, the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration, who ought to know better but may have his reasons, So in the second half I look at this product of the 1...
In Moscow's Shadows 68: No, Russia isn't winning in Ukraine, and no, there's no coup imminent...
May 29, 2022 09:00 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBGood news and bad news? Anyway, in the first part I explore what's happening in the Donbas, why it is far too soon to talk of Russia 'winning' and the signs it is digging in for the long haul, and looking for things to call victories. In the second part, I return to the vexed question of a coup against Putin, and why it is so unlikely - unless and until there is a serious crisis that poses a real threat to elite interests and forces them to make a choice. (And why it matters who has been ap...
In Moscow's Shadows 67: Why September is the Month to Watch, and 'Putin, Ukraine and the Revenge of History'
May 18, 2022 08:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBWhen are Russians really going to start feeling the pressure of the shooting war in Ukraine and the economic/political one with the West? I explain why I think September is when they will really start to feel it. In the second part, I read the coda written for the paperback edition of my Short History of Russia (out now, and a bargain!) And apologies for some sound issues with background noise, that I could not edit out... You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one o...
In Moscow's Shadows 66: Silovik, Nuclear, Criminal and Religious - a Choice of Victories
May 01, 2022 11:00 - 53 minutes - 37.1 MBA week before Victory Day, I consider some different constituencies' notions of victories. For Patrushev and the hard-liners, they could win politically not despite failing in the war, but thanks to it. Nuclear rhetoric may be scary, but it is also a reflection not of victory but failure. The war and sanctions are reshaping the opportunities in the Russian underworld, and this create new winners and losers. And what does Patriarch Kirill hope to win? The Moscow Times piece I mentioned is h...
In Moscow's Shadows 65: Fabian Burkhardt on Russia's Elites, Coups and Rumours
April 22, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 44.4 MBFor an experimental change in format, this episode is given over to a long conversation with Fabian Burkhardt of IOS-Regensburg, who works on Russian elites, institutions and authoritarian politics. He gives his sense on the state and loyalties of the elites, on the chances of any kind of palace coups, and the degree to which we are all flailing around in the fog of (info)war. As for relevant publications of Fabian's on the topic of the podcast: "Institutionalising Authoritarian Presidencie...
In Moscow's Shadows 64: Dvornikov, Mishustin, Scenarios and Traitors - more about Ukraine
April 16, 2022 10:00 - 52 minutes - 35.9 MBWho is General Dvornikov, the new Russian operational commander for the war in Ukraine? Will Prime Minister Mishustin and the other technocrats be able to prevent the militarisation of the Russian economy? Four scenarios for the war. And why it's all about 'enemies' versus 'traitors' for Putin now... The piece on Rusich I mentioned is here, and the Telegraph piece is here. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question...
In Moscow's Shadows 63: Terrible Crimes, Terrible Rulers, Terrible Dilemmas
April 03, 2022 20:00 - 28 minutes - 19.5 MBAnother brief and unedited podcast trying to track some of the latest Ukraine-related Russian stories, all distinctly depressing: - the war crimes of Bucha (and the Kirill Shamiev twitter thread I mentioned is here) - comparing Ivan the Terrible and Vladimir (Putin) the Pretty Terrible Too - the dilemmas for ordinary Russians - and why today's support may not be tomorrow's (the Farida Rustamova piece I mention is here) You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of ...
In Moscow's Shadows 62: Ukraine: A New Strategy, An Absent Shoigu, An Angry National Guard and a Medieval Lithuanian Comparison
March 26, 2022 21:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MBA brief and thoroughly unedited look at four particular issues relating to Ukraine: - the 'new strategy' of concentrating on the Donbas - where's Shoigu? - fear and loathing in the National Guard - a comparison with medieval Lithuania (yes, really) You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials right here. Support the Show.
In Moscow's Shadows 61: Ukraine: When Autocracy meets Technocracy - Putin's War, Info War, Spook War
March 12, 2022 14:00 - 46 minutes - 32 MBRather than try and follow the day-by-day, I tackle one of the tricky conundra: not just why the Russians have done so badly, but why the Ukraine war hasn't been fought the way the Russian army is meant to fight. My suspicion is that it is what happens when autocracy meets technocracy, and I explain what I mean. In the second part, I look at the current claims that Colonel General Beseda of the FSB is under arrest and the hints of opening divisions in the security apparatus, as well as the ...
In Moscow's Shadows 60: Ukraine: Nuclear Options, National Morale, and How Kyiv Can Save Moscow
February 27, 2022 19:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBWhat can one say about the unfolding horror in Ukraine. In this podcast I alight on a few specific issues: Putin's nuclear signalling (at least I hope that's all it is), the idiocy of 'No Fly Zones' in this context, Russian morale, and how, if Putin is re-booting the Brezhnev franchise, this could in the long-term let Russia finally complete its reform process. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking right...
In Moscow's Shadows 59: Imagining a Ukrainian peace deal
February 20, 2022 10:00 - 31 minutes - 22 MBIt may well be, as US/UK leaders are saying, that it is too late, that Putin is determined to wage war on Ukraine, but even as we assiduously wargame the potential routes of advance and attack, we should continue to try and peacegame, too, to apply the same imagination to framing any potential settlement. It would be exquisitely difficult and complex, but right up until the tanks cross the border, we ought to try. Today, I try and sketch out some thoughts as to what such a deal - one that do...
In Moscow's Shadows 58: Ukrainian thoughts, welcome to stagnation, and more 2022 predictions
February 14, 2022 10:00 - 32 minutes - 22.4 MBWith Schrodinger's War both imminent and unthinkable there is, to be blunt, only so much that can usefully be said about Russia and Ukraine. I start with a few observations on whether insiders are trying to warn Putin off escalation and what it means if Russia does launch a full-scale invasion (in short, welcome the Brezhnevian stagnation and the rule of the hawks), before turning to some listener questions. Specifically, why Russia is so good at hacking the international system, whether it ...
In Moscow's Shadows 57: Who's Trapping Whom on Ukraine, and some 2022 Predictions for Russia
January 30, 2022 12:00 - 52 minutes - 36.1 MBI spin a post on the Nezygar Telegram channel out to explore the current uncertain state of play over Ukraine, covering topics from the current US claims of what its intelligence says about both Zelenskyy and Putin to whether recognising the Donbas pseudo-states is being floated in Moscow precisely as an escape route. In the second segment, I tackle some of the requests for predictions sent in by Patrons and offer what turn out to be some disappointingly unexciting responses. The article ...