Podcast: The Week Ahead In Russia - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

On December 31, 1999, Boris Yeltsin stepped down and handed Russia's reins to Vladimir Putin, the former KGB officer he had named prime minister months earlier -- and who remains in power to this day. Analyst and author Mark Galeotti joins the host to discuss Putin's 25-year rule.

Sam Greene, professor at the King's Russia Institute at King's College London and director of democratic resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss Russia's war against Ukraine, including the prospects for a cease-fire in 2025 and the role that public opinion in Russia, Ukraine, and the West could play.

Lucian Kim, author of the new book Putin's Revenge: Why Russia Invaded Ukraine, joins the host to discuss Putin's growing resentment, Russia's imperialist legacy, the Kremlin's turn toward autocracy, and other factors behind the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. permission for Ukrainian strikes deeper in Russian territory. A new Russian nuclear doctrine and a ballistic missile attack. Olga Oliker of the Crisis Group joins the host to discuss what the rush of recent developments could mean for the war in Ukraine.

What does Donald Trump's election mean for the war in Ukraine? Author and analyst Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the ramifications of the U.S. vote and examine Russia's sabotage campaign in Europe. 

As it focuses on its war against Ukraine, Russia is also seeking to leverage violence in the Middle East to improve its global standing and condemn the West. The Kremlin is reaping rewards, but it also faces risks posed by its footprint in the volatile region. Hanna Notte, director for Eurasia at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins the host this week.

As Moscow's forces press forward and Ukraine holds onto part of Russia's Kursk region, there are new "mutterings" in the West about the prospects for an end to the fighting. Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the situation on the battlefield and the latest wave of talk about talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy took his "victory plan" to Biden, Harris, and Trump in a U.S. visit that also included UN speeches. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued yet another nuclear threat. Analyst and author Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss what it all means for the war in Ukraine.

How big a deal is Kyiv's incursion into the Kursk region? What are Ukraine's goals? And what are the ramifications for Russia? This week, host Steve Gutterman discusses these issues with Oleg Ignatov, a senior analyst for Russia at the International Crisis Group.

Russian forces press forward in eastern Ukraine but also suffer setbacks. Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an expert on Russian military issues, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the battlefield situation, manpower problems, and the talk about efforts to end the fighting.

President Joe Biden has withdrawn from the U.S. presidential race and Donald Trump has picked J.D. Vance as his running mate. Sam Greene, director of Democratic Resilience at CEPA and a professor at the King's Russia Institute, discusses what these developments could mean for Ukraine and its defense against the Russian invasion.

July 17 marks 10 years since a Russian missile shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over the war zone in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew. 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.

NATO leaders meet after a Russian strike on a children's hospital underscores the horrors of Russia's war on Ukraine. And the U.S. election looms after votes in Britain and France. Nigel Gould-Davies, the senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, joins the host to discuss.

What do Western elections and new support deals mean for Ukraine's defense against Russia? And a year later, how is the Wagner mutiny still reverberating across Russia and beyond? Mark Galeotti, author of Downfall: Prigozhin, Putin, And The New Fight For The Future Of Russia, joins host Steve Gutterman discuss.

How has the rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary force changed Russia, and what effects may still be to come? Kirill Shamiev, a fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations and an expert on Russia and civil-military relations, joins the host to discuss.

How will relaxed U.S. rules for Ukraine's use of American weapons affect Kyiv's defense against Russia's invasion? And can the upcoming Peace Summit in Switzerland make a difference? Olga Oliker, program director for Europe and Central Asia at the Crisis Group, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Under increasing pressure to untie Kyiv's hands, the United States has changed course and allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons to strike at some targets inside Russia. Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, joins the host to discuss the significance of the shift.

Dr. Allyson Edwards, a lecturer at Bath Spa University in Britain and an expert on Russian militarism, youth, memory, and patriotic education, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the Kremlin's misuse of history in the war in Ukraine and beyond.

What's behind the shake-up that is sending longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to President Vladimir Putin's Security Council and putting a longtime economic official in charge of the military? Author and analyst Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the personnel shifts and Russia's new offensive in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.

U.S. weapons for Ukraine, more talk about talks, and calls for the containment of Russia. As Russian President Vladimir Putin starts yet another term, Sam Greene, director of Democratic Resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis and a professor at King's Russia Institute, joins the host to discuss developments in Moscow's war on Ukraine and confrontation with the West.

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 the war.

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 host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

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 Gutterman to discuss.

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.

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.

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.

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 approaches the two-year mark.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 for European Policy Analysis, joins Steve Gutterman to discuss.

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 the remarkable investigation and the revelations it produced.

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 the future of Western support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion. Kadri Liik, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

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.

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 potential consequences for Russia, the war in Ukraine, and Belarus.