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In Moscow's Shadows: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Mark Galeotti
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.
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- 5 days ago54 min
In Moscow's Shadows 269: White Flags and Red Banners
This week's conversation between Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre and Vladimir Putin certainly ruffled some feathers. Setting aside the did-he-didn't-he fluff about whether Putin delivered another of his historical lectures (anonymous sources say so, but I'm willing to believe the on-the-record denials from Stubb and Støre), it's a useful start (and no more than that) to European diplomacy with agency. Europe cannot outsource dialogue with Moscow to to the White House and ...
- 1 weeks ago54 min
In Moscow's Shadows 268: Peace and (Info) War
A peace deal is easy to sketch and brutally hard to land. The latest reported shape of US-led talks offers some promise, especially with the talk of genuinely solid security guarantees for Ukraine and European involvement, although the last portion of the Donbas remains a seemingly-insuperable roadblock. Nonetheless, at least the announced ceasefire around Oleshky sounds like a little good news amidst the misery. From there, I turn to the part of modern conflict that gets blamed for almost e...
- 2 weeks ago49 min
In Moscow's Shadows 267: Once Upon A Time In... Chelyabinsk?
A mid-sized gang in Chelyabinsk should not be front page news, and that is exactly why it is so useful. When the Artakovsky criminal group is rolled up, the details point to bigger trends in the Russian underworld: how gangs recruit, Chechen criminal 'franchising,' the AUE threat, how they govern themselves, and how the state is learning to prosecute them with sharper tools. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis ...
- 3 weeks ago44 min
In Moscow's Shadows 266: Diesel and Delusion
Donald Trump's diesel deal is, of course, in effect a birthday present for Putin, explained by The Donald’s transactional self-interest and hunger for a headline before the midterms, not baroque theories about hidden loyalties. Even if not a single barrel of diesel ever ships, though, this is undoubtedly good for Moscow. Maybe some revenue (if need be, Putin can starve domestic markets to export), but above all a political gain. Washington is again at odds with an angry Kyiv, while Europe is ...
- Oct 4, 202649 min
In Moscow's Shadows 265: Valdai and Putin on Peace
The annual shindig of the Valdai Discussion Club is one of those Kremlin set pieces that invites two equally lazy reactions: treat it as sacred insight into Vladimir Putin’s mind, or wave it away as pure Russian propaganda. It's a bit of both, but does give an insight into Russia's changing foreign policy priorities, as much from who is invited as what is said. (And a side-note on the questioning of Ian Proud, host of the Peacemonger podcast, on his return to the UK.) Of course, the keynote i...
- Sep 27, 202650 min
In Moscow's Shadows 264: Russia’s Bear(s) On The March
A fat, smug bear sits at the heart of Russia’s politics right now and it is not just a party logo. The State Duma election has handed United Russia - whose logo is the bear - its biggest ever share of seats. Of course, the vote was rigged, but what does Putin do with this mandate now? A quick look at the state of the Ukraine war (where it's heading to be a nasty winter) then leads to a few words about the threat the Russian bear poses Europe: not a direct military one, but increased and poten...
- Sep 20, 202646 min
In Moscow's Shadows 263: Voting for War Putinism
In Russia’s elections, the ballot box is no longer a measure of consent but rather a tool for manufacturing it. It's only two days into the three days of elections to the State Duma, but I catch up on the latest and consider what to look for, before addressing the growing concern/hysteria about the Russian threat to the West (no, Putin didn't try to kill Boris Johnson), mobilisation and the BRICS summit. In the second half, I use Dmitry Medvedev’s striking line that Russia is “either a great ...
- Sep 6, 202648 min
In Moscow's Shadows 262: Jaw-Jaw Not Ending The War-War
I start with a round-up of current news stories: the Witkoff-Kushner peace mission that is likely heading nowhere, Zelensky's apparent threat to civil aviation that was likely more psyop than serious, and the SCO summit in Bishkek that was likely more significant than either of the above. (And medieval counterfeiting, for good measure...) In the second half, I look at Russia's drone strike on the SBU HQ in Kyiv and the signs of a SBU-GUR rivalry, driven by both politics and also the thriving ...
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About In Moscow's Shadows
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.
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