Best Mark Galeotti Podcasts (2024)

1
In Moscow's Shadows 144: Of Talks and Thugs 1:07:10

8h ago1:07:10

1:07:10

In the first part, I talk about some of the issues raised by a recent article in Foreign Affairs by Sam Charap and Sergei Radchenko for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia whenever they actually happen. In the second I dig into the rise and challenges of Viktor Zolotov, head of the National Guard. The Foreign Affairs article I mention is here. …

1
In Moscow's Shadows 143: Of MICE and Man 58:45

5d ago58:45

58:45

Why are some individuals, parties, even countries still so willing to believe (or at least affect to believe) Putin's nonsense? As a way of trying to explain it, I turn to the intelligence recruitment acronym MICE: Money, Ideology, Compromise and Ego. In the second half, I look at another potential up-and-comer, Yuri Trutnev, deputy PM and presiden…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 142: Heresies and Revolutions 53:18

18d ago53:18

53:18

Is Putin's Russia becoming a revolutionary state? A recent article on RT by Dmitry Trenin, once one of the doyens of Russian foreign policy analysis, suggests so, but perhaps doesn't go far enough. I consider Trenin's piece in conjunction with others by Fedor Lukyanov and one Henry Johnston, to wonder whether Putin, in so many ways the arch conserv…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 141: Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll (kinda) 55:31

19d ago55:31

55:31

After a sham election and a ghastly terrorist attack (and a pretty ghastly official response), time to talk about something else: sex, drugs and rock & roll. Well, demography, access to pharmaceuticals, and the state's culture war in music, film and beyond - but that's almost the same, isn't it? The Shaman video I mentioned is here, while if you wa…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 140: Terrorism and Totalitarianism 52:57

26d ago52:57

52:57

What a week it has been. I give my initial thoughts on the awful terrorist attack on the outskirts of Moscow, and then pivot to some further lessons of the sham presidential elections. It's all joy, all the time, here at In Moscow's Shadows... There are further details of Vienna event at the Kreisky Forum on 8 April here, and on the Newcastle Unive…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 139: Why Even Sham Elections Can Matter 55:09

1M ago55:09

55:09

Russia's presidential elections are coming to a close, and while Putin's landslide victory is a foregone conclusion in light of the manipulation of the process (I write about that here), that doesn't mean these elections don't matter. I discuss the things I'll be looking for, ranging from how the votes are allocated, through the potential for a cab…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 138: Gangster Geopolitics 54:16

1M ago54:16

54:16

Are we failing properly to consider the danger as the Kremlin turns to Russian-based organised crime groups abroad to make up for the expulsion of so many of its spies abroad and the constraints of the sanctions regime? I think so -- and here I explain why. The ECFR Crimintern report I mention is here, and Rebellion as Racket, for the Global Initia…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 137: They Pretend To Lead Us, We Pretend To Believe 50:14

2M ago50:14

50:14

An episode, I admit, on the nerdier end of the spectrum, as I dig into Putin's latest State of the Union, both for the detail and also for three big take-aways: that this was a stealth stump speech, that it left unanswered how (or if) the ambitious 6-year plan would be funded, and that it marks a new stage in Putin's Sovietisation. My earlier video…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 136: Avenging Navalny 41:50

2M ago41:50

41:50

Avenging may not be quite the right word, but what can the West do to punish the Kremlin for Navalny's death and furthering his cause in ways worthy of him? I set out some practical proposals. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-te…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 135: Navalny in the late Soviet Union 1:01:12

2M ago1:01:12

1:01:12

Well, not really, but how Navalny's awful death helps illustrate how late Putinism in its 'banana republic' phase comes to resemble the later Soviet era -- and what this may mean for its future. My video on Navalny is here and Sunday Times article is here. The Moskovsky Komsomolets article I cite is here. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 134: Kaliningrad still at the Crossroads 54:38

2M ago54:38

54:38

Is the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad a dangerous Russian bastion threatening the West, a point of vulnerability for Moscow, or a potential point of reconnection with Europe? How about a mix of all three -- and also an example of how even figures from a new 'Putin generation' politician can be technocrats rather than zealots. In the second half, a …

1
In Moscow's Shadows 133: Books on Russia, Books on Ukraine 50:06

3M ago50:06

50:06

As I'm travelling this weekend, this episode is a compilation of two sets of comparative book reviews already provided to my Patrons. First up, three recent books on Russia that, together, would make up one pretty fine, balanced and comprehensive one... Thomas Graham, Getting Russia Right (Polity) Richard Sakwa, The Lost Peace (Yale) Leon Aron, Rid…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 132: A View from the Provinces 48:56

3M ago48:56

48:56

Barring particularly high-profile developments, we tend to look at Russia through the prism of Moscow (and maybe St Petersburg). How good a picture does this give us? To try and redress the balance, I use a recent Association D'Est report on 'Grassroots Propaganda and Repression in Russia's Komi Republic' to consider some of the wider lessons about…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 131: European Strategy and Vorobyov's Prospects 1:08:57

3M ago1:08:57

1:08:57

A podcast of two halves. First of all, I look at the dilemmas and limitations facing European (EU and UK) strategy over Ukraine. Why is it so hard? After the break, I consider another of the younger officials sometimes listed as an up-and-comer: Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov. Why do I not really rate him? The podcast's corporate partner an…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 130: Questions I Can't Answer 45:43

3M ago45:43

45:43

The essence of podcasting and punditry may be to peddle confident certainties, but often we don’t really know. So today I raise some important questions to which I really don’t know the answer, but which, alas, matter. When will Russians' patience run out? What will the next 'black swan' disruptor be? Would a ceasefire in 2024 benefit Ukraine more …

1
In Moscow's Shadows 129: It's All About Putin's Eggs 39:36

4M ago39:36

39:36

Russia is still gripped by an egg crisis, after prices rose 46% last year. Now the security apparatus is investigating hoarding and profiteering, the Agriculture Ministry is talking price controls and Lukashenko is having some fun at Putin's expense. At the risk of sounding glib, in this podcast I explain why the crisis explains everything you need…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 128: Politics, War and Lunacy - a look forward to 2024 55:28

4M ago55:28

55:28

Less whimsical than the last one, the final episode of 2023 looks ahead to the coming year: the candidates for the presidential elections, the prospects for the war, and - spinning off a deeply-bizarre interview with hawkish academic Sergei Karaganov - whether the Kremlin can find a convincing narrative. The Karaganov interview is here. The podcast…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 127: When Napoleon was Nuked and Other Russian Conspiracy Theories 55:33

4M ago55:33

55:33

Was Moscow nuked in 1812? Have a thousand years of history been made up to conceal the power of the 'Russian Horde'? Was Lenin a mushroom? Are reptiloids trying to subvert Russia with Satanism? Of course not: but these -- and many, many more -- conspiracy theories and mobilised falsehoods remain deeply and depressingly prevalent in Russia, and even…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 126: Truth and Tedium in Putin's Marathon Town Hall and the Russian Press 45:59

4M ago45:59

45:59

I felt I ought to cover Putin's combined press conference and online town hall, but it was just so, so boring. And maybe that's the point: tedium weaponised as the new electoral strategy. But what else can we read into the Kremlin's public messaging? To explore that, after some brief thoughts on that 4 hour 4 minute banquet of banality, I delve int…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 125: Putin's Coming Back! And So's the Cold War? 49:45

4M ago49:45

49:45

So, surprise, surprise, Putin's standing for re-election. A few thoughts on how it was announced and the vibe around it, before I look at 'Preventing the Next War,' a report from DGAP, the German Council on Foreign Relations, that believes Russia could rearm within 6 years of the end of the war, and that if NATO has not already armed itself to matc…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 124: Putin's Performative Politics 53:38

5M ago53:38

53:38

There's a myth that authoritarian leaders don't have to worry about public politics: arguably they have to worry all the more. Spinning off from the recent bizarre criminalisation of the mythical 'international LGBT movement' and one or more raids on gay clubs, I unpack how I think Putin's political 'offer' to Russians will emerge over the months l…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 123: Russia's 'Red-Brown' Leftists, and How I Became A Voice of the West 55:25

5M ago55:25

55:25

Has hell frozen over? Left Front leading light Leonid Razvozzhaev is backing the inclusion of ultra-nationalist Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin in unofficial 'people's primaries' for presidential opposition candidates. How is the Russian left different from the West's, and why does this make 'red-brown' alliances with the nationalists more plausible and wor…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 122: Taking on Conventional Wisdom About Putin 42:53

5M ago42:53

42:53

After looking at a few recent news stories that caught my eye, on everything from the Ministry of Happiness to a surprisingly subversive economic plan, I look at four conventional wisdoms about Putin. He knows what he wants and it never changes. He doesn't have to care about public opinion. He needs the war to go on for ever. He can't be negotiated…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 121: Making Sense of Makhachkala 51:47

6M ago51:47

51:47

What can we learn from the ugly anti-Semitic riot at Makhachkala airport? Officially sanctioned, foreign-inspired subversion, a symptom of state failure or societal anti-Semitism? I don't think any of these capture the significance of the incident, but instead it highlights some fundamental challenges for Moscow, and reasons why the North Caucasus …

1
In Moscow's Shadows 120: Putin is Dead! (well, probably not) 43:39

6M ago43:39

43:39

In what sounds more like a scene from Armando Ianucci's Death of Stalin, an anonymous Telegram channel tells us Putin is dead, his body stuffed into deep freeze while Patrushev takes over. Credible? Not really, but that doesn't stop many Western media outlets running with the story. So, why this fascination with Putin's health, why does it matter, …

1
In Moscow's Shadows 119: Manifestos to the Left of me, Manifestos to the Right 58:31

6M ago58:31

58:31

Alexei Navalny has posted a list of 10 questions he thinks all movers and shakers in the Russian (opposition) political scene ought to be asked ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. His questions, and his list of those whom he thinks should answer them, and an interesting bid to remain politically relevant - but also tell us something about his…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 118: Clueless in Gaza - Russia and the current Middle East crisis 42:19

6M ago42:19

42:19

A quick and early episode looking at what roles and goals - if any - Russia has in the current Hamas-Israel war. The bottom line is that Russia was not behind the terrorist invasion, doesn't really know how to respond, is putting out different and even contradictory messages and yet will taken whatever advantage from it that it can. The podcast's c…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 117: Security Politics and the President Who Can't Change His Spots 46:01

7M ago46:01

46:01

The Russian police are increasingly under pressure. The National Guard is getting into the mercenary game. There is talk (probably empty) of Wagner being reconstituted under Evgeny Prigozhin's son Pavel. These three apparently separate developments all point to the way Putin is not learning the lessons of past mistakes. In the second segment, anoth…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 116: Putin's "Forever War" (which isn't) 51:17

7M ago51:17

51:17

The easy cliche that the Ukraine conflict may become a 'forever war' is a convenient notion for Putin - it may help dismay his enemies, and provides an organising principle for 'late Putinism.' To paraphrase the SF game Warhammer 40,000, in the grim darkness of the present, there is only war. Yet, of course, no war last forever and, in particular, …

1
In Moscow's Shadows 115: Kadyrov and the Conflict Entrepreneurs 1:02:27

7M ago1:02:27

1:02:27

Is Kadyrov dying? If so, who might replace him - and what may this mean for Russia. If Chechnya again becomes unstable, will Putin be faced with a choice of losing in Ukraine or in Chechnya? In any case, Kadyrov was one of the first and most successful of Russia's 'conflict entrepreneurs,' able to monetise the threat or actuality of war. The invasi…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 114: Six of the Best (?) 52:40

7M ago52:40

52:40

As a way of getting away from the perennial talk of Wagner and the Ukrainian counter-offensive, I look at current stories relating to six individuals - Dmitri Medvedev, Anton Siluanov, Sergei Surovikin, Sergei Sobyanin, Valentin Konovalov and Sergei Aksenov - and what they tell us about today's Russia, Nepotism, statism, warlordism, and the limits …

1
In Moscow's Shadows 113: And Goodnight Wagner? 51:42

8M ago51:42

51:42

After looking at Prigozhin last time, this episode I focus on Wagner. Will it survive in Africa (I suspect not), what this may mean for Russia's Africa non-quite-a-strategy, and will we see a 'Wagnerisation' of the Russian military (probably) and society (hopefully not). And why Wagner was like one of the great global football teams... The podcast'…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 112: Goodbye Prigozhin 46:01

8M ago46:01

46:01

What can we say about the death of Prigozhin (beyond good riddance?). At the risk of overstating the case, I feel this is a watershed moment, and Putin's willingness to turn on his own, at the expense of his own promises, is both symptomatic of deep decay in the system and also something that will further undermine it. The Sunday Times article I me…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 111: A Nervous Kremlin and a Neglected Police Force 58:25

8M ago58:25

58:25

Marking the anniversary of the second day of the 1991 August Coup, the day when momentum began to shift away from the hardliners behind the seizure of power, a look at how the Putin regime - the spiritual descendant of those same plotters - is getting jumpy, cracking down on critics left and right and unable to win the loyalty of society. An aspect…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 110: Why Navalny Doesn't Hate The Goat 55:27

8M ago55:27

55:27

He may have just been sentenced to another 19 years, now in a 'special regime colony', but the indomitable Alexei Navalny has just produced a broadside against the 'reformists' of the 1990s - whom he considers nothing of the sort, but instead the architects of kleptocracy and authoritarianism. And it's hard to disagree with that. I go through what …

1
In Moscow's Shadows 109: A Tale of Two Last Wars, Afghanistan and Ukraine 53:46

9M ago53:46

53:46

Can one draw meaningful parallels between the Soviets' 1979-88 war in Afghanistan, and the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine? The wars may have been very different, but I would suggest there are ways in which the Afghanistan experience helps inform our understanding of the Ukraine war - and above all, how this will affect Russia politically, socially a…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 108: Where Have All The Generals Gone? 40:43

9M ago40:43

40:43

Is there a post-mutiny purge of the military going on? What can we learn from the apparent dismissal or detention of figures such as Generals Surovikin and Popov? And what does this mean about the prospects of the war and whether there will be the military coup some seem to be anticipating? The Dara Massicot (@MassDara) twitter thread I mention sta…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 107: Where Are We Now On Prigozhin's Mutiny? 56:44

10M ago56:44

56:44

There still seems no escaping the fallout from Prigozhin's mutiny, whether we're talking about the fate of Wagner in Africa or those bizarre wig selfies. I take a series of questions from Oligarch/Hetman patrons as a structure to look at what we do - and don't - know at present. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provid…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 106: The Spooky Side of Prigozhin's Mutiny 37:43

10M ago37:43

37:43

A shorter episode, because there is still so much about the causes, course and consequences of Prigozhin's mutiny that we still don't know. Instead, I focus in on the spook side: what were the FSB, FSO and GRU doing? To a large degree, the answer is> failing. Will they be taken to account? I doubt it, and this underlines the way that 'late Putinism…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 105: Prigozhin's Mutiny 50:59

10M ago50:59

50:59

Prigozhin's mutiny... or, 36 hours of what-the-hell? It's too close for a really judicious take on this weekend's hijinks, but first thoughts on why Prigozhin did it, what happened, and what this all actually means. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hyb…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 104: Paranormal Putinism 46:38

10M ago46:38

46:38

After the usual quick run-through of war-related news, I consider the rise of mysticism and occultism not just in Putin's circle, but Russia as a whole. Tales of rituals in the Kremlin; the Communist 'battle mage;' predictions of triumph in Ukraine. What is the reason? My view is that it is a response to anomie and despair - but also incubates hope…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 103: The Rise of the Princeling Patrushev, the Grey Cardigan 36:00

11M ago36:00

36:00

After the inevitable quick look at the Ukrainian counter-offensive (too little to say really about the operation on the ground, but some points to make about the political context), I drill down into the life of Dmitry Patrushev - minister for agriculture and, arguably rather more important, son of Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev. Coul…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 102: The Wolf that Only Howls: the Chechens in Ukraine 38:29

11M ago38:29

38:29

A spat between Wagner's Prigozhin and Chechnya's Kadyrov provides a good opportunity to look at the role of the Chechens in the Ukraine War - or, rather, just how small a role they are playing. Why is that? Because the war is a microcosm of the Putin system in so many ways, and in that system Kadyrov has managed to create a comfortable place in whi…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 101: Phoney Wars and Rising Stars 49:30

11M ago49:30

49:30

Bakhmut has (probably, kinda) fallen and Belgorod raided. The first is hardly a real defeat for Ukraine nor a real victory for Moscow. The latter may prove more significant, not so much for the raid itself but the dilemmas it imposes on the Russians ahead of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. In the second half I kick off an occasional series of prof…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 100: All the News That's Fit to Print (in Rossiiskaya Gazeta) 34:27

11M ago34:27

34:27

As a change from the usual, I look through the top six news items currently on the website of Rossiiskaya Gazeta, the main government newspaper of record, on today, Sunday 14 May. What can one learn about the state of Russian politics, intra-elite conflicts, the survival of real journalism and how comfortable Russians are with being global outsider…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 99: All Hail the Tsar? Why Putinism has suffered from becoming monarchical 45:52

12M ago45:52

45:52

It's an easy journalistic shorthand to hall Putin a new tsar (I've done it myself), but what might it mean? Coronation weekend in the UK seems a fitting time to consider the pitfalls for Putinism of its pseudo-monarchic tilt. In the second part a quickfire look at Ukraine's war of sabotage inside Russia, the incredible shrinking Victory Day parade,…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 98: Dogs of War (and Racoons) 54:13

12M ago54:13

54:13

News that gas corporation Gazprom appears to be sponsoring a mercenary unit in Ukraine prompts me to explore the complex ecosystem of Russian private military companies and mercenaries. Not so much the onset of a new era of warlordism, I see it as a reflection of Putin's adhocratic mobilisation state. In the second half, I provide a guide to some o…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 97: Where Are They Now? 47:48

1y ago47:48

47:48

Even loyalists seem in some cases to be taking a step back, not for a moment standing against the Kremlin but less able or willing to be so vocal and visible supporting it. I look at four such figures - Alexander Bortnikov, director of the FSB, Dmitry Kiselev, general director of Russia Today, Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigatory Committe…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 96: Of Leaks and Lengths 49:05

1y ago49:05

49:05

What can we learn from the massive trove of US secret documents recently and incautiously leaked? And what are the signs that Russia really is digging in, not for a 'Forever War,' but certainly a lengthy one? The Moskovskii Komsomolets article I mention is here. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's suppo…

1
In Moscow's Shadows 95: Tatarsky, Gershkovich, Patrushev and Guns 56:53

1y ago56:53

56:53

Something for everyone? What we may conclude from the murder of milblogger 'Vladlen Tatarsky', thoughts on the hostage-taking of journalist Evan Gershkovich, the madness of Nikolai Patrushev and a new report on guns in Ukraine. The Spectator piece I mention is here (paywalled), Patrushev's latest interview is here, the report 'On U.S. Objectives Wi…

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