In Moscow's Shadows

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In Moscow's Shadows

Mark Galeotti

249 episodes

1 week ago

To end the year, instead of the grand sweep of geopolitics, let's look at a collection of people making the news, sometimes whether they like it or not. (PS: Listened to JD Vance at the Moscow Security Conference? A Freudian slip there -- of course, I meant Munich Security Conference!) And of course, as befits the last episode of the year, a little round up and thanks to everyone listening -- and doubly so, to my paying Patrons. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which ...

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News Commentary

All content for In Moscow's Shadows is the property of Mark Galeotti and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

To end the year, instead of the grand sweep of geopolitics, let's look at a collection of people making the news, sometimes whether they like it or not. (PS: Listened to JD Vance at the Moscow Security Conference? A Freudian slip there -- of course, I meant Munich Security Conference!) And of course, as befits the last episode of the year, a little round up and thanks to everyone listening -- and doubly so, to my paying Patrons. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which ...

Show more...

News Commentary

Episodes (20/249)

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 229: Heroes and Villains

To end the year, instead of the grand sweep of geopolitics, let's look at a collection of people making the news, sometimes whether they like it or not. (PS: Listened to JD Vance at the Moscow Security Conference? A Freudian slip there -- of course, I meant Munich Security Conference!) And of course, as befits the last episode of the year, a little round up and thanks to everyone listening -- and doubly so, to my paying Patrons. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which ...

4 days ago

44 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 228: Blood & Soil versus Bread & Butter

Putin's latest marathon press conference/call-in show Itogi Goda ('Results of the Year'), once Direct Line, has become an annual ritual. 4.5 hours, 3M submitted questions, but what can we learn? Intransigence over Ukraine, attempts to talk up the economy, but a marked disconnect with a population that feels its social contract has been broken... and a president who felt just a little less grounded and focused than in the past. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, wh...

1 week ago

48 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 227: It's War! (within the emigre opposition, at least)

A demilitarised zone that invites armoured cars. A referendum that can’t be fairly run. A €210 billion pot that solves today’s bills but complicates tomorrow’s peace. We start with shuttle diplomacy and the hard edges of a potential DMZ in Donetsk. On paper it pauses the fight; in practice Rosgvardiya blurs policing and militarisation, turning “demilitarised” into a loophole big enough for armour. We then map the constitutional and moral traps around wartime elections or referendums, w...

2 weeks ago

53 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 226: Monsters in the Woods

There's not all that much to say about the Ukraine peace negotiations as delegations head to the USA and Russia, but I cover a few issues, from Trump's 'businessified' approach to geopolitics to the departures of both Andrii Yermak and Dmitri Kozak. In the second half, I use Russian folklore, and the arrays of terrifying threats in the deep woods and the potentially terrifying spirits of hearth and home as a parable for Russian strategic culture. Honestly. The forthcoming book I mention is So...

1 month ago

34 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 225: A Chance for Peace in Ukraine?

In the first half of the podcast, I look at the proposed Ukraine peace deal, which is only a foundation for proper negotiations, especially in terms of what it is not. In the second, I spin off Susanna Rabow-Edling's excellent book, The First Russian Revolution. The Decembrist Revolt of 1825 (Reaktion Books) to consider some of the modern resonances. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hyb...

1 month ago

51 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 224: In Helsinki's (and Kyiv's) Shadows

From where's Lavrov to whether it's time for Europe to speak to Putin directly, some questions with wider significance raised during my recent hectic trip to Finland. And, in the second half, how should we think about the likely fall of Pokrovsk and what to make of Ukraine's Midas Case corruption scandal -- and how it's being covered in Russia? The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, cou...

1 month ago

44 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 223: After Putin, Who... or What?

We need to talk about post-Putin. It's fruitless at this point to try and come up with names of potential successors -- but maybe we can identify potential archetypes, the kinds of people who might succeed him, depending on the perceived needs of the day. The Julian Waller article I mention is here. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and similar situ...

1 month ago

42 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 222: Are We Seeing A New Putin?

The forthcoming release of the updated version of my WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT PUTIN gives me an excuse to consider whether and how Putin has changed since I originally wrote the book in 2018. My conclusion: not so much a different Putin as 'Putin squared.' In the second half, I discuss and riff off Russia’s Turkish Wars. The Tsarist Army and the Balkan Peoples in the Nineteenth Century by Victor Taki, published by University of Toronto Press. Sign-up for the Wikistrat webinar I mentioned on 5 No...

2 months ago

47 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 221: Is the Sun Rising over Russo-Japanese Relations?

The new Japanese PM wants to conclude a long-delayed peace treaty with Russia - but that will mean selling a thorny territorial dispute. Will Moscow show the cunning and vision to try and undermine Japanese support for Ukraine -- indeed, can it, while keeping China and North Korea happy? The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and similar situations. You...

2 months ago

39 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 220: Power Politics in the FSB and a new 'Most Dangerous Man in Russia'?

Time to look at the spooks again. It seems that the FSB's Military Counterintelligence Department (in other words, the anti-coup squad) may be getting a new head. What does this mean for the internal struggles to replace the ailing current director, Bortnikov? Is 'crown prince' Sergei Korolev finally going to take his place? And what might this mean? My previous look at Korolev was in In Moscow's Shadows 171: The invisible and invidious Sergei Korolev, perhaps the next head of the FSB (20 Oct...

2 months ago

44 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 219: Decoding Putin in Valdai

Putin's 4-hour keynote and Q&A at Valdai gives us at least some insight into his thinking and his assumptions, but the interesting thing is that the key themes are strangely also reflected in the thinking of some of his fiercest critics, as everyone oversimplifies a complex world. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and similar situations. ...

2 months ago

49 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 218: Putin, the Blunderer-in-Chief?

We spend a great deal of time thinking about Putin's intentions, his strategy. Yet it's hard to argue that this position, mired in Ukraine, sanctioned and facing recession, is where he wanted to be. Maybe, then, a better way of trying to analyse his regime and Late Putinism's prospects is through his blunders... The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and...

3 months ago

58 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 217: MiGs in Estonian skies, exercises on Poland's borders - a threat to Europe?

MiGs in Estonian airspace, military exercises in Belarus, talk of the next war against NATO being prepared. Are we under threat? Well, maybe that’s up to us. I look at recent events, and Carlo Masala's new book 'If Russia Wins' to wonder if the West risks encouraging Russian pressure and undermining its own position. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affair...

3 months ago

52 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 216: What Security Guarantees for Ukraine Might Work?

Zelensky said on Friday that "the basic document on security guarantees for Ukraine, and therefore for the whole of our Europe, is practically ready." I suspect this may be a stretch, but it is worth considering what might and might not work. Crucially, any guarantees must be credible, meaningful and sustainable, if they are to reassure Kyiv and deter Moscow. As I mention, the revised and updated version of my book We Need To Talk About Putin is published in the UK by Penguin on 13 ...

3 months ago

47 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 215: A Tale of Two Coups

The 1991 August Coup and the 1993 October Coup are oddities, at once still very current in Russia, yet also veiled in myth and self-deception. Why? I'll argue is that together, they inadvertently paved the way for Putin. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and similar situations. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the...

3 months ago

48 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 214: Law and Lawlessness in Late Putinism (or, Late Brezhnevism redux)

The FSB is trumpeting its arrests of Ukrainian saboteurs and demanding more surveillance powers. Prosecutor General Krasnov is set to become the chair of the Supreme Court. Figures have been released showing that corruption cases rose 16% in the first half of the year. Put together, how do these highlight the hollowing out of Russia, the convergence of late Putinism and late Brezhnevism? Information about forthcoming book events are here. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conduct...

4 months ago

45 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 213: Foreign Agents in Russia, Foreigners in Ukraine...

After a brief comment on the frozen peace process, I look at the case of Sergei Markov, voluble Kremlin loyalist, who has just been declared a Foreign Agents. What's going on - he seems to have been caught by Russia's escalating feud with Azerbaijan - and what does this say about the decay of late Putinism? In the second half, I consider three recent books and what they say about how we discuss and think about the war in Ukraine. They are: Colin Freeman, The Mad and the Brave. The Untold Stor...

4 months ago

50 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 212: War and Peace and Alaska

Alaska was owned by Russia - was the summit also? Where is the world after the Alaska summit? Putin won, but did Trump really lose (I'd suggest not really, because his interests are not that opposed)? And if - if - we are any closer to a peace, what might that look like? Tickets for the Waterstones book event I mentioned in London on 4 September are available here. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises i...

4 months ago

46 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 211: Trump, Putin, Alaska...

So Trump and Putin are meeting in Alaska on Friday. Are we on the brink of peace in Ukraine or another mess? I wish I could be more optimistic. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and similar situations. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to e...

4 months ago

46 minutes

In Moscow's Shadows

In Moscow's Shadows 210: Is Russia Being Sentenced To The Digital Gulag?

With calls for WhatsApp to be banned and searching for 'extremist' material punishable by fines, there is much talk of a 'North Koreanisation' of Russia, of a 'digital gulag.' After a first half looking at developments in Ukraine, the war and international perceptions of threat, I dive into this issue. There are some interesting parallels with Soviet times, with different generations having different ideas about quite what to do with the online world. More details on my forthcoming new book H...

5 months ago

44 minutes