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 84: Putin the History (Abuse) Man
My 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 83: Putin's decision-making; and Russian organised crime after the invasion
A 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 82: What Prigozhin Wants, What Putin Believes, and Why Russia Might Create its own Bureau 39
In 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 81: A Sampling of the Latest News; and the Russo-Chinese Intelligence Relationship
In 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 80: Annexations, Mobilisations, Martial Law and More
I'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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 79: Putin's Dilemmas, on and off the battlefield
Military analysts often talk about the way forces seek to 'impose dilemmas' in their enemy on the battlefield. The extraordinary Ukrainian advance from Kharkiv…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 78: Organised Labour in a Neoliberal and Authoritarian Russia
It'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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 77: Gorbachev's Hope vs Putin's Victimhood, a short rumination
A 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 76: The Impotence of Power and Giving Liz Truss some options for Narrative Warfare
How 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 75: Shoigu and Power under Putinism-Patrushevism
Continuing 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 74: Putinism-Patrushevism
I 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 73: From Liberal Politics to Boris Johnson's Departure, answers to more listener questions
The final batch of patrons' and listeners' questions answered - sometimes better than others - on everything from Ekaterina Schulmann's "reverse cargo cult"…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 72: A Tale of Two Colonels, Strelkov and Putin
I 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 71: Russia, Ukraine and beyond - another miscellany
After tackling three of recent developments worth noting - the evolving military command structure of the war, Sergei Kirienko's role and the emergence of the…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 70: A Miscellany - Being Banned, Putin and Lavrov Speak Out, Divisions in the Elite and Listeners' Questions
Something 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 69: A Bargain-Basement Empire in the Offing, and Who Is Sergei Kirienko?
In 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 68: No, Russia isn't winning in Ukraine, and no, there's no coup imminent...
Good 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 67: Why September is the Month to Watch, and 'Putin, Ukraine and the Revenge of History'
When 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 66: Silovik, Nuclear, Criminal and Religious - a Choice of Victories
A week before Victory Day, I consider some different constituencies' notions of victories. For Patrushev and the hard-liners, they could win politically not…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 65: Fabian Burkhardt on Russia's Elites, Coups and Rumours
For 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 64: Dvornikov, Mishustin, Scenarios and Traitors - more about Ukraine
Who is General Dvornikov, the new Russian operational commander for the war in Ukraine? Will Prime Minister Mishustin and the other technocrats be able to…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 63: Terrible Crimes, Terrible Rulers, Terrible Dilemmas
Another brief and unedited podcast trying to track some of the latest Ukraine-related Russian stories, all distinctly depressing:- the war crimes of Bucha (and…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 62: Ukraine: A New Strategy, An Absent Shoigu, An Angry National Guard and a Medieval Lithuanian Comparison
A brief and thoroughly unedited look at four particular issues relating to Ukraine:- the 'new strategy' of concentrating on the Donbas- where's Shoigu?- fear…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 61: Ukraine: When Autocracy meets Technocracy - Putin's War, Info War, Spook War
Rather 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 60: Ukraine: Nuclear Options, National Morale, and How Kyiv Can Save Moscow
What 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 59: Imagining a Ukrainian peace deal
It 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 58: Ukrainian thoughts, welcome to stagnation, and more 2022 predictions
With 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 57: Who's Trapping Whom on Ukraine, and some 2022 Predictions for Russia
I 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas 2021-22 (6): A Christmas Scandal
One 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas: 24 December 2021: Dmitry Mironov
One 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?…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 56: Jaw-Jaw so Far, not War-War (brief thoughts on the state of play)
After 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
Twelve Days of Shadowy Christmas 2021-22 (7): Russia’s Planet Business in 2022
One 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 55: Kazakhstan, through the Russian lens
A Russian-led force deploying into Kazakhstan has inevitably had some people talking invasion, some stabilisation. I make no claims to being a Kazakhstan…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 54: Naughty or Nice? What 2022 May Hold For Russia's Rulers
To kick off the year, rather than making some grand predictions about Russia, instead I speculate as to what 2022 may offer Putin, Patrushev, Mishustin…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 53: Trick or Treaties - Russia's proposals to 'resolve' the current crisis
A 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 52: Nightmares before Christmas? Ukraine and the Russian underworld
Quite 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 51: Ukraine, Prisons, Legitimacy and Lombards...
Something of a miscellany. First of all, latest thoughts - that turn out to be disappointingly inconclusive - about what's going on with Ukraine.Then…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 50: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belarus and Ukraine
In 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 49: Survivalism in Russia. And cheese.
While still processing a month spent in Russia, I feel that the uniting leitmotif is survivalism, that every sector - from ordinary Russians through the…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 48: What can you learn from Tula? On Russian provincial life and politics, Governor Dyumin, and busses
A 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 47: Postcards from Moscow
Just 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 46: New 'Foreign Agent' restrictions and 'Hybrid Warfare'
Two 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
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
I 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 44: As above, so below - a prison riot in Kamchatka and a society looking to a sanitised past for hope
A 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 43: Poklonskaya, Ethnic Rumbles and Naryshkin's Claims to be Putin's Mate
Sometimes 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 -…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 42: Moscow's Afghan Worries, and the Trouble with Predictions
There 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 41: The Communist Party Embattled...And Occultism and Russian Politics
Having 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 40: 'Mishustinism' and 'Kozakisation' - the adventures of technocrats in Moscow and the Donbas
Is PM Mikhail Mishustin thinking long-term? His vision for Russia seems to be technocratic, maybe even techno-authoritarian, but it is interesting - and maybe…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 39: Putin's latest article on Ukraine and his attempt to place himself on the right side of history
Another short, single-segment episode, this time looking at 'On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,' Putin's latest venture into the role of…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 38: The topic I never thought I'd address: Sport
A 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 37: Direct Line and the Politics behind Politics; and Wars in Afghanistan Compared
The 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 36: Good News/Bad News: The Geneva Summit and Coronavirus on the Rise
The 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 35: Crackdown, Belarus, HMS Defender and the Putin-Biden Summit
A 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 34: Belarus, of course
A 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 33: The Russian Orthodox Church PLC; and No Country For Old Securocrats
Is 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 32: Victory Day and Memory Politics, and the Kremlin in WW2
Today (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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 31: Navalny, Patrushev, Orban, and more [RELOADED]
A 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 30: The (Czech) Lion that Roared
A 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 29: Is Russia Declining, and Is Putin's Handsome?
Why 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…
- In Moscow's Shadows
In Moscow's Shadows 28: The LDPR: Paralunatic Wing of United Russia
Rumours that Zhirinovsky is going to step down from leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party look more credible these days, and oligarch Oleg Deripaska is…