After an excruciating six-month wait, new U.S. aid for Ukraine's defense could become law this week. Christopher Miller, Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times and author of The War Came To Us: Life And Death In Ukraine, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss how this is affecting the mood in Ukraine and what it could mean for the course of t…

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warns that Ukraine could lose the war if new U.S. aid is not approved. Is Russia about to make major advances? And why is the Kremlin doubling down on claims of a Ukrainian role in the Crocus City Hall attack despite a lack of evidence? Oleg Ignatov, senior analyst for Russia at the International Crisis Group, joins ho…

Gunmen killed at least 137 people at a concert hall outside Moscow in the deadliest terror attack in Russia in 20 years. Why did this happen now, what does it mean, and how will the Russian state respond? Author and analyst Mark Galeotti, an honorary professor at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London, joins host Steve Gutte…

Russia’s March 15-17 election is set to keep President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin for six more years. Given that certainty, does the election matter? And what might Putin’s fifth term mean for Russia, Ukraine, and the world? Russian historian and analyst Sergei Medvedev joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.…

Russian forces are seeking further advances after capturing Avdiyivka, and the $60 million U.S. aid package is still stuck in Congress. Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, joins the host to discuss a crucial juncture in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.By RFE/RL

Jan Matti Dollbaum -- research group leader at LMU Munich and co-author of the book Navalny: Putin's Nemesis, Russia's Future? – joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the life, death, and legacy of Aleksei Navalny.By Steve Gutterman

Ian Garner, an expert on Russian war propaganda and author of the book Z Generation: Russia's Fascist Youth, discusses the Kremlin's messaging about its war against Ukraine, the campaign for the noncompetitive election, and takeaways from Tucker Carlson's interview with President Vladimir Putin.By Steve Gutterman

The fate of Ukraine’s commander in chief is in doubt. So is the fate of future U.S. military aid. Christopher Miller, Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times and the author of the book The War Came To Us: Life And Death In Ukraine, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss what may happen and what it could mean as Russia’s full-scale invasion app…

Author and analyst Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the mysterious Russian military plane crash that Moscow claims killed 65 Ukrainian POWs, the verdict against nationalist Putin critic Igor Girkin, and the would-be presidential candidacy of Boris Nadezhdin.By Steve Gutterman

While Russia’s war on Ukraine may not end in 2024, this could be a make-or-break year for Kyiv’s defense against the invasion. Will the European Union come through with sufficient support? Marie Dumoulin, Director of the Wider Europe program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.…

Could Russia end up winning its war against Ukraine? If it doesn't, could Ukraine and the West still lose? Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, joins host Steve Gutterman to take stock as Russia's full-scale invasion nears its third year.By Steve Gutterman

Vladimir Putin vows to achieve his goals in the war on Ukraine as he heads toward another Kremlin term, while uncertainty looms over the future of Western support for Kyiv’s defense against the Russian invasion. What’s in store for Russia and Ukraine in 2024? Analyst and author Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.…

As its invasion of Ukraine rages on, Russia prepares for an election in which President Vladimir Putin is expected to claim a new six-year term. Andras Toth-Czifra, a fellow with the Eurasia Program of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.By Steve Gutterman

Will talk of a stalemate affect the course of the war in Ukraine and Western support for Kyiv? And in Russia, what are the potential ramifications of the anti-Semitic airport attack in Daghestan? Olga Oliker, the program director for Europe and Central Asia at the Crisis Group, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.…

An anti-Semitic rampage at the main airport in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Daghestan. In Ukraine, high-level disputes about how the war is going. Author and analyst Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the roots and ramifications of these developments.By Steve Gutterman

As fierce fighting continues along the front line in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the future of Western aid for Kyiv is clouded by an array of developments from Capitol Hill to the Middle East and beyond. Author and analyst Sam Greene, a professor at the Russia Institute at Kings College London and director of democratic resilience at the Center f…

A purported private military company called Redut is in reality a recruitment system for combat units that is coordinated and funded by Russia's armed forces and their intelligence agency, the GRU, RFE/RL investigative units Schemes and Systema have found. Investigative reporters Valeria Yehoshyna and Yelizaveta Surnacheva join the host to discuss …

Author and analyst Mark Galeotti talks about his takes on the struggle for the Black Sea, the state of Western support for Ukraine after potentially damaging developments in the United States and Europe, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarkable claim about the crash that killed mutinous Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.…

On October 4, 1993, a tense standoff between President Boris Yeltsin and opponents holed up in the "White House" came to a violent head when government forces shelled the parliament building on the Moscow River, a development that still reverberates in Russia today. This weekend, developments in the United States and Slovakia raised questions about…

Christopher Miller, Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times and author of The War Came To Us: Life And Death In Ukraine, speaks to RFE/RL about his book, his experiences covering the country and the war, and where things stand after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's visit to the United States.By Steve Gutterman

As Ukraine's counteroffensive against the Russian invasion continues, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy heads to the United States for the UN General Assembly and a potentially crucial visit to Washington. Olga Oliker, program director for Europe and Central Asia at the Crisis Group, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the big week.…

Four days after a fiery plane crash, Russian investigators said they have confirmed the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary boss who led a brief but shocking mutiny in June. Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, joins Steve Gutterman to take a look at the potentia…

Analyst and author Mark Galeotti joins RFE/RL to discuss Moscow's war on Ukraine, its reverberations in Russia, and how it's related to the invasion of Georgia in 2008. Also on the agenda: the continuing aftermath of the Wagner mutiny.By Steve Gutterman

The words for things that shut out sound and let you hear it are the same in Russian. Of course they are.By Michele A. Berdy

President Vladimir Putin's most prominent foe, the imprisoned opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, has been convicted of extremism and sentenced to 19 years in the harshest kind of penitentiary Russia has. Jan Matti Dollbaum -- co-author of the book Navalny: Putin's Nemesis, Russia's Future? -- joins host Steve Gutterman to talk about what the verdic…

It's hard to know where general language ends and criminal slangs begins.By Michele A. Berdy

The joy of particles (not).By Michele A. Berdy

After scuttling the agreement that allowed for the safe shipment of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea and out to the world, Russia has attacked export facilities on the Black Sea and the Danube in Ukraine. Why did Moscow withdraw from the grain deal, and what's next? Alissa de Carbonnel of the Crisis Group joins Steve Gutterman to discuss.…

What you say when you bribe depends on whether you want something or they want something.By Michele A. Berdy

Since President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, policymaking in Russia has been subordinated to the war and long-term planning is at a standstill. Political analyst Andras Toth-Czifra joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the chaotic situation and its potential consequences.…

The preposition "c" has some weird constructions.By Michele A. Berdy

Two weeks after the short-lived Wagner mutiny, how badly weakened is President Vladimir Putin -- and what does it mean for Russia and its war on Ukraine? Also, what's in store for Ukraine at the NATO summit this week? Analyst and author Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.By Steve Gutterman

When a person eats his teeth, is that bad or good? Or even possible?By Michele A. Berdy

What happened last week is a changing story that depends on speaker, day, mood and the subjunctive.By Michele A. Berdy

Why did Yevgeny Prigozhin halt Wagner’s advance toward Moscow so abruptly? How badly weakened is Russian President Vladimir Putin, and what might the 24-hour rebellion mean for the course of the war in Ukraine? Olga Oliker, program director for Europe and Central Asia at the Crisis Group, host Steve Gutterman to discuss.…

If you thought you knew the names of the months in Russian, think again.By Michele A. Berdy

This week Russia celebrated Russia Day. If you have no idea what that holiday is, join the gang.By Michele A. Berdy

Сбор and сборы are unusual words: sometimes the singular and plural forms have unrelated meanings.By Michele A. Berdy

Oh, those false friends... every translator's nightmare.By Michele A. Berdy

Crimea is Ukraine, but some in the West say Kyiv should not try to take it back by force if it gets the chance. Is that good advice, or could such an approach be dangerous for Ukraine and the West? Ruth Deyermond, a senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, joins Steve Gutterman to discuss.…

Russia claims its forces, led by Wagner mercenaries, have captured all of the ruined Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after many months of heavy fighting. Kyiv denies it. How important is the battle for Bakhmut? Author and analyst Mark Galeotti joins Steve Gutterman to discuss.By Steve Gutterman

Long-ruling authoritarian Alyaksandr Lukashenka showed up in a state-issued video after looking ill at May 9 ceremonies in Moscow and then disappearing from view for five days. His absence and apparent illness have raised questions about the future in Belarus. Katia Glod, a fellow at the European Leadership Network and the Center for European Polic…

Using the right verb and the right case to express changing and exchanging is a big headache.By Michele A. Berdy

More than a year into its war on Ukraine, Russia holds a military parade on Red Square as part of ceremonies marking the defeat of Nazi Germany 78 years ago. Allyson Edwards, a lecturer at Bath Spa University and an expert on Russian militarism, youth, memory, and patriotic education, joins RFE/RL to discuss.…

Sitting on stumps, falling out of trees and stepping in rotten logs figure prominently in Russian expressions.By Michele A. Berdy

Cats are popular pets In Russia but unpopular in folk expressions.By Michele A. Berdy

The confusing terminology of conscripts, reservists and draft dodgers.By Michele A. Berdy

Oh, the joy of little Russian words.By Michele A. Berdy

How some Russian words change meaning in and out of church.By Michele A. Berdy

All about things and people that pass by, pass through, and ought to pass off forever.By Michele A. Berdy