A podcast about the politics and the history of the eastern Europe - including, but not limited to the current state of Russia, politics of the EU, history of the USSR and the region in general Support this show at http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder
latvian, soviet union, ussr, baltic, iron curtain, eastern european, people who lived, russians, border, comrade, cold war, armenian, chernobyl, look at life, communism, you'll be glad, horror story, region, socialism, anecdotes.
Listeners of The Eastern Border that love the show mention:The Eastern Border podcast is a fascinating and informative show that delves into the history and culture of countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. With the host, Kristaps, providing excellent analysis from his perspective in Ukraine during Russia's attempted invasion, this podcast offers a personal touch to understanding the effects of the Soviet Union and its legacy.
One of the best aspects of The Eastern Border podcast is its ability to provide a unique perspective on the Cold War and the aftermath of the Soviet Union. By focusing on the experiences and thoughts of everyday people, rather than just political leaders or official narratives, listeners gain a deeper understanding of what life was like under Soviet rule and how it continues to shape these countries today. The podcast is both educational and entertaining, with Kristaps delivering information in a witty and engaging manner.
Another positive aspect is that The Eastern Border podcast fills a gap in knowledge for many listeners. It explores topics that are often not talked about extensively or from certain perspectives. For those living in the western hemisphere, this show offers a valuable look into the world of the Soviet Union and current Russian politics from an alternative viewpoint. Produced in Latvia, it provides an unfiltered look at events that may be harder to find from Russian sources due to potential censorship.
While there aren't many negative aspects to this podcast, one minor drawback could be that some non-American listeners may find it annoying when references or assumptions are made about American perspectives. However, this does not detract significantly from the overall quality and value of the content.
In conclusion, The Eastern Border podcast is highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about both historical events and current affairs related to the Soviet Union. With its informative yet entertaining approach, this show provides invaluable insights into a region often overlooked in mainstream media. Whether you consider yourself interested in history or not, give this podcast a listen – you may find yourself hooked like many others have been.
Operation "Spiderweb" hut vatniks more than usual - and some showed the very basics of analytical powers. However, I'd say that this is just a prelude. The main wave of utter lack of faith in Putin is still in the future. That much is unavoidable.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Russian official propaganda in the person of Margarita Simonyan threaten to blow up Berlin yet again. Vatniks don't even pretend that anything of the sort could actually happen, while, as usual, complaining about how in Russia, anything that can get stolen, will. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vatniks, more miserable than usual. Girkin's reached a new low, Russian government tirelessly working to put a stop to any Z-donations for the front and the economy...well, now even the openly pro-kremlin media is becoming concerned. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As expected, the negotiations went nowhere. The same trajectory where the Russian economy is heading, with the active help of state duma. Meanwhile, vatniks curse the Chinese drone maker DJI for daring to update their product line.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Russia's not taking the peace talks seriously - you can easily tell by whom they've sent there, which is not lost on the Z-vatniks as well. Girkin's posted a bunch of new analysis about what's going on in the front, and Russian economists predict further deteoriation of the economy. (Shocking, I know.)Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vatnik mindspace is full with discussions about the peace talks. One of Girkin's closest buddies, Pavel Gubarev, who used to be the first governor of the so-called DPR has gone completely insane, but even other vatniks now outright admit that a military victory for Russia has become impossible...but they also hate the possibility of a ceasefire. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, I am joined by Michael from The Red Line for an in-depth discussion about the Russian economy. (Or, well, what's left of it, besides the military.) We talk about who can still make money there, for how long, and what the multiple ‘?????' stand for, in the vatnik plans for glorious economical supremacy.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A nice return of our fan favorite segment - Igor Girkin has gotten some free time in his prison cell - and he's been busy writing analysis more than usual. Also, news from the front lines and Putin's actively confusing vatniks.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I'm back home now, and there's a lot of weird stuff to talk about. Putin's surprise unilateral ceasefire left many vatniks sad and confused - and now we have a whole slew of doomer mentality posts intermixed with praises for North Korea. Also, a bit of Girkin and economy news at the end.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Russia is a failed state. And at this point, vatniks are starting to admit it too. Empires crumble slowly and then...all at once. We're in the "acceleration" period.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Russia's now actively trying to interfere in the Baltics again, which has made some people a bit uppity. Thankfully, they continue to be systematically corrupt and incompetent. Oh, and another letter by Igor Girkin. He's awaiting the storm.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A Russian rapper "Pasha Technic" had a mass funeral in Moscow - and that caused a huge outburst of vatnik tears. Because at the same time, Putin's "New Elite" are thrown aside and literally instructed to kill themselves. Oh, and we also have TWO new Girkin letters.Oh, and here's the Fourth Wall link: https://theeasternborder-shop.fourthwall.com/Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This time, we're back with the updates from the front. And that goes about as well for Russia at the moment, as their economy. The general theme of this episode is "betrayal" - as Russia will ALWAYS backstab you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode is dedicated to #FilthyCapitalists section of my Discord server, because from all the news, the investment people need some hugs and reminder that Happiness is Mandatory. Yeah, it's all economy. It's bad. Including Russia. Especially Russia. And it actually matters right now.Discord invite link: https://discord.gg/3kS3KpRnSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Once again, the Moscow Economics Forum is upon us, and there are some truly bizzare speakers. Like Dugin for example. Of course, Girkin's buddies react to this as well and bash the 'evil west', while in Russia itself a realtor from Tomsk has discovered a new method for women to get some quick buck.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ramzan Kadyrov has gotten himself into real trouble with Kremlin. Girkin reacts to the truce at sea and Moscow Patriachate has decided to turn Dota 2 into a true Orthodox game. Also, there's a new poem for you at the end.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, vatniks were busy writing about Russia's future after the war and how it should function – which is in stark contrast with reality and how this failed state actually functions. We also have a description of how exactly Russian assaults look like. And I might be mistaken here, but a death rate of 179/180 of a squad isn't really a good thing.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Part 2 of my discussion with Alex from History Impossible and Jack from Secret Police Podcast. Some deep dives into geopolitics and what would secret services do in a crisis.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Russian economical voes have caught up to it's healthcare industry - abulances are woefully slow and certain meds are unavailable. (MD's listening to this will have a blast.) Also, a long letter from Girkin and the regular vatnik gloom.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to the...ermm...Orange Border, I suppose. I continue to work here, as the Russian economy is still in the mud - and vatniks are dreading any pause in the war, as they feel that their whole army will collapse. Oh, also at the end, Finns did a funny thing again. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A long and complex chat about geopolitics with History Impossible, Secret Police Podcast and When Diplomacy Fails.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vatniks are confused about Russia's relationship with the USA, Putin's secret service officers get paid 900$ per month so have to become part-time delivery workers and Ukraine has a clear superiority in drones.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I was supposed to have a day off today, but then Trump and Vance literally destroyed the geopolitical, rules-based order of the world that had been in place since the end of WW2. However, Happiness is Mandatory. Things are going be rough, but not catastrophic.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I made this breather episode about a truly great animated movie from Latvia that's got a golden globe and is now nominated for an Oscar, because it is truly a masterpiece and I highly recommend it to everyone. I just did not know I'd post it in an evening as fucked up as this one.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A dictionary of the terms used by soldiers on the front and Z-vatniks, made with the help of my Ukrainian friends at the front - so that the western analysts (and You, comrades) know what's what and don't get confused.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The third anniversary of this nightmare. Vatniks are full of doom and sadness, same as the Russian economy. There's also some news from Girkin.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Everyone's going full WTF right now, because Trump's made a massive blunder in the peace negotiations. Including vatniks. We've no idea what's going on, and I'm having to explain this not only to you, but also to my friends on the front lines. Russia's problems haven't gone anywhere, of course - a collapse of Ukraine simply won't happen. But USA's reputation has now reached an all-time low at this point.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What to watch for in the incoming peace talks. What Putin wants and why – and what he probably doesn't care about. Z-vatniks lament the degeneration of Russia, and I take a look at their economy once again, to show why it looks extremely bad in the long run.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Z-vatniks continue to react to Ukraine peace talks. They are NOT happy, and they don't see it as any form of victory. Instead, they're becoming more and more disillusioned with Putin. Oh, also Russian economy is continuing to go down, and nobody seems to care.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Updates about the Kursk region. Girkin's officially sad now. Z-vatniks experience troubles from Kremlin – everything indicates that Putin's preparing a crackdown on these “turbopatriots”.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Igor Girkin and other Z-vatniks write about how Russia's doomed in case of an armistice, Russian army gets delivered military donkeys and Ukraine makes a breakthrough in the Kursk region. Also, Girkin's buddy Kvachkov has gone completely insane and is writing a manifesto. This and more in today's news catch-up episode.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Greetings, Comrades! This should be treated as the sequel to my Terminal stage of Homo Sovieticus episode. The independent Russian opposition media ‘Verstka' did another great piece on the Russian soldiers, this time about an amputee rehabilitation center. I found the article to be extremely important and so, here's a translation of it, with some of my added thoughts and comments. It is literally an inhuman void of complete darkness, and I also got massive PTSD flashbacks and a panic attack while working with this material, so…there's a lot to think about.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode is very unlike my regular stuff – but a contact of mine from Russia sent me a sports story that is just so strange, that I had to include it somewhere. So, you're getting this “footy special”. Normal news episodes and some history incoming soon, but this story is genuinely bizzare. Consider it a throwback to our early days and enjoy!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A sincere and very human talk with my friend and a listener of the show, Gabriel a.k.a Lord Grapefruit about transgender issues. What the Z-vatniks and Russian propaganda say about LGBT people and why it's important for Putin's regime to blame them for everything, answers to listener questions, mostly from the average Latvian including very conspiracy theory one's that would quite probably would not be considered appropriate elsewhere, and also a very human look on the LGBT issues and the political left in general.Please also check out Gabe on YouTube and Twitch, currently he's playing Vampire: The Masquerade and it's tons of fun!https://www.twitch.tv/lordgrapefruithttps://www.youtube.com/@lordgrapefruitSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Russia's reaction to Trump's ultimatums. Angry at first, then predictably sad - Igor Girkin has given lengthy comments as well. And a Russian scientist gets imprisoned for "wrong research", that did not even happen in Stalin's era.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode's named a bit differently, because I owe a moral debt to the honorable and proud nation of Louxembourg. But it fits - as today we're looking at how Z-vatniks react to Trump's inauguration...and contrast it with the real situation on the ground. There's some brutal analysis by the Rusich group at the end as well.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dugin complains, that Russians are interested only in money. Which makes sense, seeing as their country is about to run out. Solovyev produces a massive fail for propaganda and now everyone hates his guts and vatniks discuss how the impact of drone warfare.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Opposition analysts look at the Democrats and especially Jake Sullivan and their numerous failures related to the war, meanwhile Z-vatniks are extra worried that a societal collapse in Russia is likely unless there is a radical change in the administration. Which isn't going to happen.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I finally completed the economy episode, that I had promised long ago. With some…well…economically philosophical essays by a few very well respected Russian opposition economists. So that you'd get some autoritative opinions on my views about why, in the long term, Putin's just screwed over the regular people completely.Also, join my discord:https://discord.gg/WsYwnupcSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This year started with an infamous traitor to Latvian people dying in Russia. I wanted to talk about this guy, who also happens to be a buddy of Igor Girkin, but then I fell into a rabbit hole.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, we take a look of the Russian economy and what the main news stories not related to the war were in Russian infosphere. Spoiler alert: They're more screwed than you could probably imagine. And that's even IF they manage to end the war with something positive.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latvian Public Broadcaster has an interesting research on the Russian "liberal opposition" journalists, Ukrainian drone advancements shock Z-vatniks and Transnistria is collapsing.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Azeri president Aliyev scores a powerful diplomatical haymaker, bruising Putin's ego, vatniks are losing the will to live and...well...Happiness is mandatory for You in the New Year!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ramzan Kadyrov gets more air defence, uses it to shoot down a civilian Azerbaijani plane. Russia now has a law that will put a fee on all volunteer donations to the army and they've been using the cars, confiscated from the troops to plug up their lack of armored vehicles on the front.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
General who spewed the "biolab" nonsense killed; Putin spends over 4 hours, spewing nonsense and irritates Z-vatniks; Russian Central Bank thinks it can get the inflation to 4% next year.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vatniks have now reached the point of irrepairable cognitive dissonance. Russian economy is doing horribly bad, mobilized realize that they probably won't have any carreer to go back to...and many other symptoms of a failed state.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Reaction to the collapse in Syria. Girkin's buddies plotting to take power at the right moment. Russian economy is basically in the drain...and Ramzan Kadyrov appears to be humbled and a bit weak.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Actually, I should've just called this episode War in Syria. But, as usual, it all ties together as we're seeing a second front open up...and then collapse violently. And in between all of this, Ramzan Kadyrov just MASSIVELY overstepped the line, and now there's just complete madness everywhere. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
While I was preparing for an economy episode, major events in Syria happened. Oh, and the Russian army is taking away cars from the front line now. Together with the phones.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Yeah, this is a long one – lots of important things happened during my vacation, which just shows that I'm not alllowed to relax. I talk about the Oreshnik, economy, Merkel's memoires…oh and the Orthodox Church have been extra weird lately.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As I'm about to go to a short vacation to The Netherlands, I'm bringing You my discussion with our friend Alex from History Impossible podcast, where we talk about the Trump election, it's impact and how you might deal with it on a philosophical level. It's a weird, catharsis episode. I, for one, tried to find optimism where I could.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.