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
Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas 2021-22 (6): A Christmas Scandal
January 28, 2022 00:00 - 11 minutes - 7.78 MBOne of the short bonuses provided to Patrons over the 2021-22 Christmas and New Year season, released generally a month later. A Christmas tale of villainy and corruption. There are all kinds of rumours about embezzlement and theft at a state bank, but the directors swear blind that all is fine. The chief teller is clearly rich beyond his means, and his wife is never seen but that she is dripping with diamonds, but no one sees fit to enquire further. Eventually, when it turns out that th...
Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas: 24 December 2021: Dmitry Mironov
January 24, 2022 00:00 - 13 minutes - 9.17 MBOne of the short bonuses provided to Patrons over the 2021-22 Christmas and New Year season, released generally a month later. Who is Lt. Gen. Dmitry Mironov? It may prove worth knowing about this bodyguard-turned-governor-turned-presidential-aide, in effect Putin's eyes and ears over the security forces, and now you can spend just 13 minutes and feel that you do! How being a bodyguard and an ice hockey player can be one of the best routes to success in Putin's Russia. You can also follow ...
In Moscow's Shadows 56: Jaw-Jaw so Far, not War-War (brief thoughts on the state of play)
January 22, 2022 11:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBAfter the Blinken-Lavrov talks, a brief one-segment podcast with a few thoughts on the current state of the dialogue, the risks of conflict, and the chances that Moscow will formally recognise the Donbas and Lugansk 'Peoples' Republics.' 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.
Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas 2021-22 (7): Russia’s Planet Business in 2022
January 12, 2022 00:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBOne of the short bonuses provided to Patrons over the 2021-22 Christmas and New Year season, released later: usually a month, in this case a fortnight, as I think it's worth hearing early in the year! I freely admit business is not my area of expertise, so who better to give a quick assessment of what may await in 2022 than Ben Aris, Editor-in-Chief of bne Intellinews (https://www.intellinews.com/) and one of the more grounded commentators on ‘Planet Business.’ You can also follow my blog,...
In Moscow's Shadows 55: Kazakhstan, through the Russian lens
January 09, 2022 10:00 - 39 minutes - 27 MBA Russian-led force deploying into Kazakhstan has inevitably had some people talking invasion, some stabilisation. I make no claims to being a Kazakhstan expert and look forward to people who are having the opportunity to work out if this was a coup by President Tokaev against his patron and master Nazarbaev or something else. So instead, I look at the crisis through the Russian lens: why did the CSTO agree to send forces, what are Moscow's interests, and what can we learn from the Russian m...
In Moscow's Shadows 54: Naughty or Nice? What 2022 May Hold For Russia's Rulers
January 01, 2022 16:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBTo kick off the year, rather than making some grand predictions about Russia, instead I speculate as to what 2022 may offer Putin, Patrushev, Mishustin, Shoigu, Kirienko and Kadyrov. So much will depend on one key decision, whether the system will legitimate itself 'socially' or as a 'fortress.' The twitter thread on the VTsIOM poll I mentioned is here, and the Riddle 'Key Event of 2021' compilation is here. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's ...
In Moscow's Shadows 53: Trick or Treaties - Russia's proposals to 'resolve' the current crisis
December 19, 2021 14:00 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBA short, one-segment piece on Russia's proposed new treaties and how, despite what their deputy foreign minister may say, we have to treat them as the basis for some kind of negotiation, and see what comes of it. So long, that is, that we also step up our deterrence, to ensure Moscow has good reason to talk. 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. ...
In Moscow's Shadows 52: Nightmares before Christmas? Ukraine and the Russian underworld
December 12, 2021 13:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBQuite what is Russia's game plan over Ukraine? It seems hard to explain through common sense, so I conduct a thought experiment: what would Putin have to be thinking to believe that a war, with all the consequent and catastrophic political and economic costs, might make sense? In the second part, I look at some developments in the Russian underworld that suggest that a long nightmare - the prospect of nation-wide mafia wars - might well actually be on the wane. You can also follow my blog,...
In Moscow's Shadows 51: Ukraine, Prisons, Legitimacy and Lombards...
November 28, 2021 16:00 - 39 minutes - 27 MBSomething of a miscellany. First of all, latest thoughts - that turn out to be disappointingly inconclusive - about what's going on with Ukraine. Then reflections on the appointment of a career cop as the new head of FSIN, the Federal Penitentiary Service, and the prospects for pragmatic reform. (The 2011 blog I mentioned is here.) Then short and sour comments about the vacuous and dangerous virtue signalling that is the proposed Congressional resolution not to recognise Putin as president...
In Moscow's Shadows 50: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belarus and Ukraine
November 21, 2021 21:00 - 47 minutes - 32.6 MBIn the first part, a little exploration of MID, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its decline - and yet why it still ought not to be taken lightly. Then in the second half I look at the current crises in Belarus and Ukraine. The article by Kadri Liik I mentioned is here, and my earlier 'Free Sergei Lavrov!' article here. I also looked at the Belarus crisis (and why it should not be turned into a 'Putin story') here. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the po...
In Moscow's Shadows 49: Survivalism in Russia. And cheese.
November 14, 2021 15:00 - 50 minutes - 35.1 MBWhile still processing a month spent in Russia, I feel that the uniting leitmotif is survivalism, that every sector - from ordinary Russians through the liberal intelligentsia and the bureaucracy, all the way to the Kremlin - are hunkering down, bracing for winter. I explore what this means to each. Then in the second half I tackle a series of questions sent in by patrons, from whether I felt at risk in Russia (in short: no) to whether you can now get decent parmesan there (in short: yes). ...
In Moscow's Shadows 48: What can you learn from Tula? On Russian provincial life and politics, Governor Dyumin, and busses
October 24, 2021 10:00 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBA trip to Tula, 200km south of Moscow, provides a chance to mix a little history and travelogue with some thoughts about what the city reveals about the nature of provincial life, regional politics and the state economy versus the market economy. In the second half, I look at Tula's governor Alexei Dyumin, a former bodyguard to Putin and for some still a potential successor. How much do governors matter? The travel blog I mention is Travels in Deepest Muscovy, which will later feature a pho...
In Moscow's Shadows 47: Postcards from Moscow
October 17, 2021 09:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBJust back to Russia, my first trip since February 2020, and for this podcast I try something different - a random collection of impressions, mainly recorded on the street (so apologies for the often poor sound quality). Normal podcasting will resume shortly! 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 46: New 'Foreign Agent' restrictions and 'Hybrid Warfare'
October 02, 2021 14:00 - 43 minutes - 29.8 MBTwo quite big topics this episode. First of all, the restrictive new rules on 'Foreign Agent' status that, if applied, would make it almost impossible to discuss military, security and even space topics. They are as much about drawing sharper lines - are you with us or against us - as encouraging self-censorship. Then, after the break, some rumination on 'hybrid war' - why it's not that helpful a term, and why, when we talk about Russia, there is no one notion of 'hybrid war' but three. Yo...
In Moscow's Shadows 45: Pretty much everything but the election: Lavrov's corruption, Team Navalny's strategy, Zapad-2021, Stories That Didn't Bark, and Shoigu's future
September 19, 2021 17:00 - 42 minutes - 29 MBI confess at this stage I couldn't think of much to say about the Russian elections that wasn't obvious, or hadn't been said, so instead I recorded a 'magazine' episode covering a range of other topics: Team Navalny's latest video (here), this time on the corruption of Foreign Minister Lavrov, and why the opposition needs a new big idea The Zapad-2021 exercises and their political significance (coverage by Mike Kofman here and Konrad Muzyka here) Three stories that went under-reported in ...
In Moscow's Shadows 44: As above, so below - a prison riot in Kamchatka and a society looking to a sanitised past for hope
September 06, 2021 16:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MBA shorter episode that looks at a vicious criminal's end in a prison riot in Kamchatka, and after talking a little about prison realities in Russia, considers some possible lessons for Russia as a whole. I mention the vexed issue of police numbers, something I discuss here and 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 43: Poklonskaya, Ethnic Rumbles and Naryshkin's Claims to be Putin's Mate
August 29, 2021 16:00 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBSometimes it's worth digging into what look like less important stories, to see what lessons the offer about the big picture developments, so I tackle three - who's likely to be the next ambassador to Cape Verde, why airfare hikes contribute to street violence, and why Naryshkin is now claiming to be a long-time mate of Putin's - and see what I can make of them. For those figures I threw out, the proportions of staff of different Presidential Administration departments estimated to be curre...
In Moscow's Shadows 42: Moscow's Afghan Worries, and the Trouble with Predictions
August 21, 2021 20:00 - 39 minutes - 27 MBThere may be a little schadenfreude as America abandons Afghanistan and the Taliban sweep into Kabul, but Moscow is worried, above all about the country's three traditions exports: terror, refugees and opium. The fate of the Afghan regime - and the way the 1991 August Coup caught the West by surprise - are also reminders of the problems in trying to predict the future...especially when it comes to Russia. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's sup...
In Moscow's Shadows 41: The Communist Party Embattled...And Occultism and Russian Politics
August 04, 2021 19:00 - 34 minutes - 23.8 MBHaving long relied on it as a stalwart of the ‘systemic opposition’, the Kremlin now seems to be treating the Communist Party (KPRF) as if it were a real opposition party. Might this push it into real opposition? I build off a recent piece I wrote in the Moscow Times. The previous podcast I mentioned is here. And in the second half, I indulge myself musing about occultism in Russian politics, from the search for Shambhala to 'red battle magician.' But is occultism perhaps really the best le...
In Moscow's Shadows 40: 'Mishustinism' and 'Kozakisation' - the adventures of technocrats in Moscow and the Donbas
July 27, 2021 16:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBIs PM Mikhail Mishustin thinking long-term? His vision for Russia seems to be technocratic, maybe even techno-authoritarian, but it is interesting - and maybe implicitly subversive. In the second half, I look at Russian-Ukrainian relations over the Donbas, public lunacy and private pragmatism. There's all kinds of silliness - including a case Moscow is taking to the European Court of Human Rights - but maybe the very tone actually reflects the resigned pragmatism new Donbas 'curator' Dmitry...
In Moscow's Shadows 39: Putin's latest article on Ukraine and his attempt to place himself on the right side of history
July 13, 2021 17:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MBAnother short, single-segment episode, this time looking at 'On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,' Putin's latest venture into the role of amateur historian (available in English here). Equal parts history, polemic and paranoia, it says more about VVP's state of mind than anything else, in my opinion. 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 38: The topic I never thought I'd address: Sport
July 12, 2021 14:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBA brief, single-segment podcast on the distinctive roles of sport for today's Kremlin. Not a topic that I'd usually expect to discuss... The journal article I mentioned on RT is ‘Russia isn’t a country of Putins!’: How RT bridged the credibility gap in Russian public diplomacy during the 2018 FIFA World Cup' by Rhys Crilley et al, 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 exclusiv...
In Moscow's Shadows 37: Direct Line and the Politics behind Politics; and Wars in Afghanistan Compared
July 03, 2021 12:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MBThe main reasons for the annual ritual of Putin's Direct Line phone-in encounter with the Russian people is to allow him to present himself as the caring father of the nation, savvy chief executive and watchful tsar. However, there is also a less-understood dimension: how the Kremlin uses it to gauge the mood of the masses. If it leads to genuine concerns being addressed, even in the name of keeping an authoritarian kleptocracy in power, is that a bad thing? In the second part, I briefly dr...
In Moscow's Shadows 36: Good News/Bad News: The Geneva Summit and Coronavirus on the Rise
June 18, 2021 19:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MBThe Geneva Summit: frankly, as good as one could expect, with Biden offering a shrewd carrot and stick - Russia can feel itself more like a great power, if it plays more by the rules. No step-change breakthrough, but a decent start. Worse news about the spread of COVID-19 in Russia, and again Putin and the government has gone AWOL, forcing Moscow mayor Sobyanin to take the lead. Why does this happen? The Baunov article I mentioned is here; you can also read something I wrote about the impo...
In Moscow's Shadows 35: Crackdown, Belarus, HMS Defender and the Putin-Biden Summit
June 12, 2021 20:00 - 38 minutes - 26.6 MBA bit of a grab-bag: what to make of the continuing crackdown in Russia, is there scope to undermine the cohesion of the security forces in Belarus, should HMS Defender be heading into the Black Sea, and, in the second half, thoughts about the upcoming Geneva Summit between Biden and Putin. The article by Josh Huminski 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 exclusi...
In Moscow's Shadows 34: Belarus, of course
May 27, 2021 09:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBA spur-of-the-moment, off-the-top-of-my-head take on what's going (wr)on(g) in Belarus: the Russian connection or rather the absence of any evidence of one, Lukashenko's motivations, and above all what can be done. We need a strategy, a sense of what we want, and above all to realise that we cannot force change on Belarus but should rather help the Belarusian people generate it. The article by Leonid Ragozin I mention is here. For a general take of mine from August of last year that I thin...
In Moscow's Shadows 33: The Russian Orthodox Church PLC; and No Country For Old Securocrats
May 23, 2021 13:00 - 59 minutes - 40.8 MBIs the Russian Orthodox Church a spiritual community, a political institution, or a business empire? The truth of the matter is that it has become all three, and I toy with the idea that we should think of it as FGUP RosBog, Federal State Unitary Enterprise 'Russian God'... In the second half, I note that most of Russia's security chiefs are in their late 60s. Are they going to be allowed to leave when they hit the compulsory retirement age of 70, or will Putin seek to hold onto them? Eithe...
In Moscow's Shadows 32: Victory Day and Memory Politics, and the Kremlin in WW2
May 09, 2021 20:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MBToday (9 May) is Victory Day, and the sad truth is that this also inevitably means claims and counter claims of 'memory wars' over the Great Patriotic War. So what can and should we do about this? And in the second part, a little historical vignette: how was the Kremlin fortress protected during WW2? The answer is by hiding it in plain sight. The Henry Jackson Society event convened by Dr Jade McGlynn that I mention is here, and the previous Victory Day podcast is here. If you want to read...
In Moscow's Shadows 31: Navalny, Patrushev, Orban, and more [RELOADED]
May 01, 2021 20:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBA mysterious glitch silenced the first, Navalny-related part of this podcast. This has now been fixed, and the full, uncensored version is now up - should now be up. From why the Kremlin fears Navalny to what Patrushev believes and whether Hungary is a Russian proxy, I reply to a selection of patron's questions. The articles I mentioned are my take on 'post-post-modern authoritarianism' in the Moscow Times here and Patrushev's interview in Argumenty i Fakty here. You can also follow my ...
In Moscow's Shadows 30: The (Czech) Lion that Roared
April 18, 2021 12:00 - 28 minutes - 19.7 MBA personal and unpolished snap response to the news that the Czech government is expelling 18 Russian diplomat-spies after an investigation linked the GRU's Unit 29155 - and the infamous 'Petrov and Boshirov' of Salisbury novichok fame - with the explosion at an arms depot in 2014 that killed two. And I touch on how this may help Prague adopt more of a leadership role in Central Europe, another of my hobbyhorses... There are previous articles of mine on the 2020 'ricin case' here and Presid...
In Moscow's Shadows 29: Is Russia Declining, and Is Putin's Handsome?
April 13, 2021 20:00 - 33 minutes - 23.3 MBWhy is there this talk of Russia as a 'declining power' - and is it true? I'd suggest we ought to use the term with caution, not least as we are all declining... The Saradzhan and Abdullaev piece I mentioned is here. In the second part, I take a silly survey that claimed to find that Putin is Russia's most handsome man and combine it with criminal slang and plastic pop music to speculate about power versus legitimacy... Oh, and if you want more of that song (gods have mercy on your soul),...
In Moscow's Shadows 28: The LDPR: Paralunatic Wing of United Russia
April 02, 2021 11:00 - 42 minutes - 29.1 MBRumours that Zhirinovsky is going to step down from leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party look more credible these days, and oligarch Oleg Deripaska is even being mooted as a successor. So, it's time for a bit of an exploration of the LDPR, what it stands for, what role it plays, and where it might go. After the break, I take a quick look at a story in Znak on police procurement (here) and the Amazing Activities of the Singular Bastrykin. I talk about Korolev in this cellcast and in th...
In Moscow's Shadows 27: Men and Force and Forceful Language
March 24, 2021 19:00 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBWho are the main 'siloviki' or 'men of force,' the heads of Russia's security structures? In response to a request from a patron, I give a run-through of the people and their prospects. Relevant other IMS episodes I mention are on Shoigu (here), Naryshkin (here) and Patrushev (here). And then after the break, I take a quick look at Biden's "killer" comment, how it was received, and what it might - or might not - mean. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the...
In Moscow's Shadows 27: Men of Force and Forceful Language
March 24, 2021 19:00 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MBWho are the main 'siloviki' or 'men of force,' the heads of Russia's security structures? In response to a request from a patron, I give a run-through of the people and their prospects. Relevant other IMS episodes I mention are on Shoigu (here), Naryshkin (here) and Patrushev (here). And then after the break, I take a quick look at Biden's "killer" comment, how it was received, and what it might - or might not - mean. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the...
In Moscow's Shadows 26: Moscow's Marvels, and Mob Murder
March 14, 2021 14:00 - 52 minutes - 36.2 MBAll the Ms. First of all, as a counter to the understandable pessimism about Russia at the moment, I look at some of the aspects of Moscow that still make me marvel, and consider how they offer signs of long-term (which really means post-Putin) hope for Russia as a whole. And then after the break, we have mob murder, as the newly-opened case of the 2009 murder of old-school gangster Vyacheslav 'Yaponchik' Ivankov says something not just about the decline of the traditional criminal 'vory v ...
In Moscow's Shadows 25: Navalny in Prison
February 27, 2021 21:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBA short. 'one act' special: with the news (still unconfirmed) that Navalny is being sent to IK-2 penal colony in Vladimir region, I look at the prison, and what that may mean for him. 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 24: Scenarios for Russia after Navalny, and Dzerzhinsky vs Nevsky [reloaded]
February 21, 2021 20:00 - 56 minutes - 39.2 MBWith Navalny in prison, the opposition mobilising, and the state cracking down, what will happen next? The only honest answer anyone can give is "no idea." So instead of trying to make predictions, I instead offer up a variety of scenarios, to illustrate the range of possibilities and also highlight some specific issues we need to bear in mind. In the second part, I build off a piece In wrote in the Spectator and address the question of whether 'Iron Felix' Dzerzhinsky will be returning to...
In Moscow's Shadows 23: Is Navalny the best thing that ever happened to Putinism? Russia's 'Stolypin moment'?
February 06, 2021 19:00 - 39 minutes - 27.1 MBIt's a deliberately provocative title, I know, but how might the 'Navalny effect' impact late Putinism? A swing towards blunt and uncompromising authoritarianism? A genuine 'reform that you may preserve' conservative reformulation? The truth is likely to be something between the two, but it is worth considering that even if Navalny is not successful in bringing genuine democracy to Russia - we'll have to see - he may nonetheless improve ordinary Russians' lot. In the second half, quite why ...
In Moscow's Shadows 22: The Morning After A Hot Day in Russia
January 24, 2021 09:00 - 33 minutes - 22.8 MBYesterday saw major protests all across Russia, a genuine success for Team Navalny. But now what? My rough and uncurated first thoughts... 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 Cellcast: 18 January 2021: What does the Kremlin do with Navalny?
January 18, 2021 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.1 MBAnother short 'cellcast', though given its timeliness, going public straightaway. In this cellcast, recorded on 18 January 2021, I take a very speculative, un-thought-through look at the Kremlin's options for dealing with Navalny now he is once again in its hands as of last night... 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 21: The Federal Protection Service (FSO) and Russian security politics; and Three Stories About the Opposition
January 11, 2021 16:00 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MBThe FSO, the Federal Protection Service (or Federal Guard Service) is more that just Putin's dark-suited bodyguards, or the goose-stepping soldiers at the Eternal Flame. In my latest exploration of Russia's security community, I look at these 'watchers of the watchers' who even do their own opinion polling. (The Meduza article I reference is here.) In the second part, I look at the opposition's concerns about Trump's twitter ban, an interesting study of electoral politics by Andras Toth-Czi...
Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas: 4 January: Kulikovo, 1380 to 2021
January 11, 2021 09:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBSo Russia has a new laser system, called Peresvet. Pere-who? This gets me talking, for the last of the Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas cellcasts, about the battle of Kulikovo in 1380 - and why it matters in 2021. (It is, by the way, a bit of a fascination for me, and if you're interested you can find more about it in my book Kulikovo 1380: the battle that made Russia) Support the Show.
Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas: 1 January: Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu
January 08, 2021 09:00 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MBHow did Defence Minister Shoigu make it from graduating from Krasnoyarsk Poly as a construction engineer to being discussed as a potential future president? In this third cellcast of the 2020-21 Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas, I give my quick take. 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 (including the other Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas, as only the cell...
Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas: 28 December: Directorate K and the FSB's dilemma
January 04, 2021 09:00 - 20 minutes - 14 MBHow might a scandal from 2019 affect who runs the FSB in 2021? And should we consider levels of elite embezzlement a good index of their confidence? In this second cellcast of the 2020-21 Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas, I take a look at the agency's future. One erratum, by the way, that serves me right for trying to convert big numbers on the fly: the 120 billion rubles I mention at one point is, of course, £120 million, not £12 million... You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadow...
Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas: 25 December: Afghan Christmas
January 01, 2021 09:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBToday in 1979, Afghanistan was waking up under Soviet domination. In this first cellcast of the 2020-21 Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas, I pull out three aspects of that conflict of relevance today. The Levada poll I mention on Navalny, by the way, is here. And if anyone is interested in my PhD on the impact of the war, the book-of-the-thesis is Afghanistan: the Soviet Union's last war (1995), and I have a book on Operation Storm-333 coming out this March from Osprey. You can also follow ...
In Moscow's Shadows 20: Spooks: more Navalny, will the FSB change tack, and did the SVR carry out a 'cyberattack'?
December 22, 2020 14:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBMore on the Navalny case, the story that keeps unfolding, following the publication of his conversation with one of his would-be killers, and a rumination on whether there will be implications for the FSB and its approach. Then, as a reminder that Russia also has competent spooks, I turn to the recently-revealed and massive hack of largely US systems. Is this really a 'cyberattack,' as so many in the US are saying, and why does this terminology matter? You can read the Navalny conversation ...
In Moscow's Shadows 19: The Navalny Hit (after the Bellingcat/Insider report)
December 15, 2020 17:00 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MBAn impressively detailed investigation by Bellingcat and The Insider meticulously details the Russian Federal Security Service operation against Alexei Navalny, so here is a short podcast episode devoted to this case and some implications. The report is available here, and Navalny's video on it here. My hot take in the Moscow Times is here, any my October piece about General Smirnov is here. Finally, I discussed the poisoning through the prism of 'hybrid war' in this article. You can also ...
In Moscow's Shadows 18: Life in the Communist Party? And Three Random Stories
December 06, 2020 20:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBIs there life in the Communist Party, and any chance of it again becoming an opposition party, maybe even in some kind of entente with Alexei Navalny? My thoughts. And in the second part, I highlight three quirky stories that caught my eye, on presidential nicknames, on misleading ratings, and on life after high politics. 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 materia...
In Moscow's Shadows Cellcast: 24 November 2020: Konstantin Malofeev and his Tsargrad party - a potential threat to the Kremlin from the right?
December 01, 2020 00:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBAnother short 'cellcast', going out directly to my Patrons, and to everyone else a week later. In this cellcast, recorded on 24 November, I look at the Orthodox, nationalist businessman Konstantin Malofeev and his new Tsargrad political party. In and of itself, it will not really become a threat to the Kremlin - nor is it meant as such - but the rise of nationalist politics not stage-managed and initiated by the system is an interesting sign of the times and a potential problem for the futu...
In Moscow's Shadows 17: Russian Gangsters; and Kadyrov and Captain America
November 22, 2020 11:00 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MBAn introduction to the Russian underworld and, especially, three problematic concepts - the 'honest thief,' the 'thieves' world' and the 'mafia state' - to kick off a series of segments about aspects of Russian criminality. And in the second part, why the rest of Russia doesn't share Ramzan Kadyrov's hostility to Captain America. 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 ...