Shows / In Moscow's Shadows
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. 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…
Episodes
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 202: What Is This Resilience Thing Anyway?
An IMS on a Thursday? Although I'm still not quite yet over the cold that stopped me recording on Sunday, as I can't record next Sunday, needs must...In the…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 201: Peacetalkers and Warfighters
Negotiations (of a sort) in Istanbul: a real engagement or just a piece of theatre? The answer, of course, is a bit of both.And what can one read into the…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 200: Victory Day (whose?)
The 200th episode! Hard to believe.After briefly assessing Putin's late-night offer of talks with Kyiv, I dig into the Victory Day parade and what it means…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 199: the General in GenPop
General Ivan Popov, once hailed as one of the heroes and rising stars of the Russian army, has just been sentenced to 5 years in a general regime penal colony…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 198: War (in Russia's underworld) and Peace (in Ukraine)?
In the first half, I consider the latest twists in the saga of the US-pushed 'ceasefire' plan. Has Trump has an epiphany in the Vatican, or will Kyiv still…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 197: Russia's future fascist turn?
An intemperate recent interview from Foreign Minister Lavrov, at which he warned that 'fifth columnists' within the elite wanted to hand Russia to the West on…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 196: Space, the Failing Frontier
In the first half, I look at developments regarding Ukraine (I'm getting more sceptical about Putin's interest in a deal) and profile former FSB general Sergei…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 195: Q&A, Part 2
A bonus second batch of questions, relating to war, peace and my attitudes to social media!The CASE survey of emigre attitudes is here.The RUSI commentary on…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 194: Q&A, Part 1
Comrades! Forgive the tedious title, but this episode is the first of two answering questions set by my esteemed Patrons, covering Russian domestic and foreign…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 193: Mishustin's Annual Report: what he says, what he doesn't
One, I suspect, more for the wonks. I dig into Prime Minister Mishustin's lengthy and not-so-exciting annual report to parliament, and the responses from the…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 192: What if Ukraine could join the EU in months, not years?
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has suggested Ukraine should be allowed into the EU on 1 January 2030 (by which time the war will be over or frozen...)…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 191: How is Russian Foreign Policy Made?
What shapes Russian foreign policy? I start by looking at the core issue of the moment, Moscow's thinking over the proposed ceasefire, then consider more…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 190: Sanctions, Spies, and Suspect Legitimacy
Reflecting the chaotic and fast-moving nature of the times, another podcast of two parts. In the first, looking at various issues of the week, from Trump's…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 189: Oval Office Mugging and Russia's Police in Crisis
Much as I would love not to have to keep talking about Trump, it's inevitable that I cover the extraordinary events of this week: Trump as King Lear, demanding…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 188: War and Peace and Trump
In a more-freeform-than usual episode, I consider the aftermath of the Munich Security Conference, why Trump is such a Putin fanboy (more about being a wannabe…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 187: Tatarstan
As Russia-watchers, we know that Russia is not just Russian, or Russian Orthodox, but there is also a glib assumption that to be Muslim or otherwise a minority…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows Bonus Minipod: Ukrainskii Sindrom
Originally one of the 'Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas' bonuses for Patrons, in this short pod I explore whether, when the soldiers come home, Russia is…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 186: Why is Putin's Russia so Prone to Conspiracy Theories?
The Russian response to Tucker Carlson's claim that the Biden administration tried to assassinate Putin has to a large extent been driven by political…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 185: The One With All The Stuff
How else, frankly, to title an episode which covers Trump and Putin, the CIA's Ukrainian cooperation, Russo-Iranian and -Indian relations, Belarus, and four…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 184: One Hundred Years of Companionship?
The UK has signed a 'One Hundred Years Partnership Agreement' with Ukraine -- what's really involved under this grandiose title, and what does it show us about…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 183: War and Peace (and Public Opinion)
We pundits have done more than our fair share speculating on whether, how, when and with what consequences there could be peace or a ceasefire in Ukraine, but…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 182: Things To Watch in 2025
Outright prediction may be a mug's game, but what are some of the people and processes I will be watching in 2025?For those who get lost in the flow, they…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 181: Strap in for a Bumpy 2025
Sabotage under the Baltic, a grudging apology, a possible attack on a Russian cargo ship, firebombing ATMs, energy blackmail in Moldova... what connects them…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 180: Keep Calm and Carry On
What can one learn from Putin's 4½-hour-long end of year press conference? Essentially, his message to his people is that - however they might feel -…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 179: Sex, Drugs & Rocky Roads
We tend to focus on the big challenges facing Russia: war, sanctions, the struggle of authoritarianism vs the remnants of civil society. Maybe it is time to…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 178: Assad la vista, baby - what does Damascus's fall mean for Russia?
So Bashar al-Assad's blood-drenched regime has fallen. Hurrah. But what now for Russia? Is this a terrible geopolitical defeat, or actually something that…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 177: Adaptation in Russia and Ukraine
President Zelensky's suggestion that military attempts to retake the occupied territories could be abandoned in return for rapid NATO membership for Ukraine…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 176: Is Andrei Belousov the Lavrov of the Defence Ministry?
Schrödinger's Defence Minister, at once busy and visible yet strangely inconsequential and intangible, what can one make of Andrei Belousov, his rise and his…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 175: 'In a dangerous world, strike first' - Russian strategic culture
'Strategic culture' means the underlying cultural assumptions about threats and options that informs a nation's specific strategic choices, and Russia's has…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 174: Putin, Trump, and the 'Polyphonic' world order
It's impossible to avoid talking about the potential implications of Donald Trump's election, even as its difficult to know for sure what he intends and almost…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 173: Personalistic Power under Putin
I use reviews of three books to consider the risks and limitations of personalistic explanations of power under Putin, and whether a medieval concept of clan…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 172: BRICS without Straw
(It seems to be obligatory to use a weak BRICS/bricks pun, so I felt I had to follow...)The BRICS summit in Kazan (a smart place to hold it) gives all the…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows bonus minipodcast: North Koreans in Russia?
Released to Patrons yesterday, a bonus mini-pod on the claims that North Korean combat troops are heading to fight in Ukraine and what the media discussion…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 171: The invisible and invidious Sergei Korolev, perhaps the next head of the FSB
An all-spook episode, as I try to piece together the rise of FSB First Deputy Director Sergei Korolev, who seems the most likely figure to succeed current…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 170: The Opposition Soap Opera
At times it does look as if the emigre liberal opposition to Putin is in such a mess that it looks like a soap opera. So what are some of the recent plot…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 169: The GUSP, the most secret of Russia's secret services
The appointment to the Security Council of Alexander Linets, head of the Main Directorate of Special Programs of the President of the Russian Federation…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 168: Putin Wants Us To Have Nuclear Nightmares
Putin's at it again, raising nuclear fears to unsettle the West. Or is the new revision to Russian nuclear doctrine more than just a bit of sabre-rattling? I…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 167: Shoigu Redux
While the Security Council itself is having its time wasted with trivia, new Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has been busy. How has he survived (is it…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 166: Raider Nation, a quick news round-up
I still haven't decided how/if to continue with these mid-week quickfire podcasts picking up on some news stories that catch my eye, but in the meantime…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 165: Prince Bogdoi, Information Logjams and Public-Private Empire
What may a misadventure from 17th century Russian imperial history tell us about modern Russia? Why, about the perils of information logjams and public-private…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 164: From Ballots to Babies, a quick news round-up
As promised, a quickfire interim episode covering some of the past week's stories, from drones over Moscow and reactions to the US presidential debate to…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 163: The Importance of Optimism (even when it comes to Russia)
I spin off two recent books, Elena Kostychenko's, I Love Russia. Reporting from a lost country and Sergei Medvedev's A War Made in Russia, both of which are…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 162: Lavrov's (Living) Obituary
Empty rumours of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's death on the internet yesterday, got me thinking about his shrinking role, and the twilight of…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 161: What's Going On in Russian Prisons?
After another armed hostage taking by inmates (and bloody response), I consider what’s going on in Russia’s prisons, and what it may tell us about what’s…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 160: Kursk as Political Actor and Allegory
As Ukraine's Kursk incursion rumbles on, what does it tell us about the political processes in Russia behind the warfighting? From how Russians really aren't…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 159: The Kursk Incursion
I had hoped to not have to record a podcast this weekend, but life does enjoy its little pranks. A slightly shorter than usual episode on Ukraine's unexpected…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 158: A Hectic Week in Russia
Where to start? The prisoner exchange and subsequent furore over released dissidents' statements? More arrests of senior military figures? The bizarre…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 157: No Crime and Much Punishment: the Gershkovich Case and recent books on Russia's prisons
With Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years on what I consider wholly spurious espionage charges (and I explain why I think this)…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 156: Are Putin's Praetorians up to the challenges of the future?
The Rosgvardiya, the National Guard, is the final backstop of Putin's rule, the public order force on which he relies to control the streets.* However, facing…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 155: Putin's Shadow War on the West
The claim that Russian intelligence planned to murder a German industrialist highlights the Kremlin's escalating campaign of mayhem and disruption in Europe…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 154: What (if anything) does the Labour Party victory in the UK mean for Ukraine and Russia?
Will the change in government in London and Sir Keir Starmer's elevation to prime minister mean anything for Kyiv and Moscow? Are there lessons to be learned…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 153: Geopolitics, Nepotism, Terror and Assassination... (all the nice things)
A compilation of current issues, which will nonetheless somehow connect:The Trump-Biden debate: what does the Kremlin really want?Nepotism: why are the…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 152: Prigozhin's Mutiny, One Year On
Exactly one year after Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary army began its mutiny, what has changed, and what can be learned? And why are so many Russians so keen to…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 151: From Switzerland to SMERSH
Ukraine's Ten Point Peace Plan, which received only limited endorsement at the recent Swiss Peace Summit, is essentially a demand for Russia's surrender…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 150: An Unfunny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
Putin's lengthy Q&A at the St Petersburg International Forum (SPIEF), in conversation with hawkish academic Sergei Karaganov, provided a useful opportunity to…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 149: Dyumin, Deterrence and a Deputy
An episode of various bits and pieces: what (if anything) can we read into Alexei Dyumin's appointment to be secretary of the State Council, what (if anything)…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 148: 'Purging' the Military; the politics of anti-corruption in a corrupt system
What is behind the current spate of corruption-related arrests within the Russian military? Fears of a coup, an FSB takeover, punishing the generals for a…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 147: The Reshuffle, Or Change To Preserve Things As They Are
There has been an unexpectedly interesting and extensive reshuffle of the Russian government, but what does it mean? I suggest it is about creating an enduring…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 146: Britain and Russia, Eternal Frenemies
Reading Barbara Emerson's excellent The First Cold War: Anglo-Russian Relations in the 19th Century got me thinking more about the nature of British-Russian…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 145: How Corruption Works Under Putin
The case of Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov, long known as 'king of the kickback,' but only now arrested and charged, provides a good opportunity to…