For the fourth episode, the SLA Spotlight is on Andrew Monaghan, a leading authority on Russian politics, security, and foreign policy. He is the Director of AM Leadmark Research Ltd and a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London and a Non-Resident Associate Fellow at NATO's Defense College in Rome.

He has published extensively on the dynamics of Russia-West relations, providing expert analysis to governments and international organisations. Dr Monaghan is a regular speaker at international conferences and literary festivals, having authored numerous works on Russia and its surrounding geopolitics – the most recent of which, The New Politics of Russia: Interpreting Change, was published in spring 2024.

He sat down with veteran journalist Malcolm Munro on the 26th of September to discuss various pressing topics around Russia, notably the conflict in Ukraine – how we got here, his assessment of the current situation, and where it may go next.

Tune in to hear the view of a top expert on one of the most critical geopolitical crises since the Second World War.