War in Ukraine: Update from Kyiv

Dr. Marlene Laruelle, Research Professor of International Affairs and Political Science at George Washington University, discusses the ideology of Putin's regime, why Putin maintains domestic support despite the on-going costs of Russia's war in Ukraine, and Russia's relationship to far-right political elements in Europe and the United States.  More about Marlene's work: marlene-laruelle.com Marlene Laruelle: Is Russia Fascist? Unravelling Propaganda East and West Marlene Laruelle and Margarita Karnysheva: Memory Politics and the Russian Civil War More about the host: Jessica Genauer   

Carl "Grinch" Larson, a former US soldier who served in Iraq, and then spent 6 months in 2022 fighting in the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine, discusses fighting as a foreign national in Ukraine; differences between fighting in Ukraine and fighting for the US army in Iraq; challenges and lack of equipment for Ukrainian troops; and the work of the Ukraine Defense Support group in providing equipment - primarily to the International Legion and to the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces.  More about Ukraine Defense Support initiative: ukrainedefensesupport.org Overview of the Ukraine Defense Support group: Our mission - Ukraine Defense Support Contact the Ukraine Defense Support group: victory@ukrainedefensesupport.org   Carl Larson on Twitter (X): @UALegionnaire Jessica Genauer on Twitter (X): @jessicagenauer  

Maksym Yali, Head of a Center for New World Order and Professor of International Relations at the National Aviation University in Kyiv, discusses the mood in Kyiv and possible gaind for Ukraine's counteroffensive before winter.  Maksym Yali on X (twitter): @maksymyali  Jessica Genauer on X (twitter): @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Miriam Hess, Associate Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, discusses Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's place in the domestic Russian political landscape and relationship to Putin, Chechens fighting on both sides in the war in Ukraine, and the possible future of the Republic of Chechnya if Putin were to no longer be in power. More about Miriam's work: Miriam Hess Miriam Hess on: background to the relationship between Chechnya and Russia for The Hundred  Miriam Hess on Ramzan Kadyrov: The Controversial Chechen Leader who Supports Putin in Ukraine  Miriam Hess on: how Ramzan Kadyrov leverages Islam and internal conflict  Miriam Hess on X(Twitter): @miriamka_hess More about the host: Jessica Genauer Jessica on X(twitter): @jessicagenauer 

Mark McNamee, Europe Director at Frontier View, discusses the economic opportunities and challenges in Ukraine, the mood in Kyiv, the on-going counteroffensive, and political and economic pressures in Russia.  Mark McNamee in Frontier View Insights on Implications of Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal, August 2023  Mark McNamee in Frontier View Insights on How Prigozhin's mutiny reveals Putin's weakness, June 2023  Mark McNamee in Frontier View Insights on How the war has damaged Russian labor markets, June 2023  Mark McNamee on X/Twitter: @mmcnameefsg More about Fontier View: frontierview.com More about the host: Jessica Genauer  Jessica on X/Twitter: @jessicagenauer

Catrina Doxsee, associate director and associate fellow for the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), discusses the Wagner mutiny, Wagner's relationship to the Russian state, the relationship between Yevgeny Prigozhin and Putin, and the future of Wagner activities in Africa and elsewhere.  More about Catrina Doxsee's work: CatrinaDoxsee.com Previous episode with Catrina on background and activities of the Wagner group: Episode 124. ANALYSIS: Catrina Doxsee on the Wagner group Catrina on twitter / X: @catrinadoxsee Jessica Genauer on twitter / X: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

James Acuna, founder of Frontier Vectors security and business consultancy and former CIA officer, discusses the use of intelligence drones in Ukraine, the way in which open source intelligence has impacted the war, and the information domain.    More on James Acuna: Founder of Frontier Vectors security and business consultancy based in Tallinn, Estonia. Prior to this James worked for over 27 years in both defense and security in the United States including 20 years with the Directorate of Operations at the CIA and 8 years supporting the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. More on Frontier Vectors More about the host: Jessica Genauer  Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Yvonne Breitwieser-Faria, PhD candidate at the T.C. Beirne School of Law at the University of Queensland, discusses the forced deportations of Ukrainian children to Russia, atroctiy crimes, allegations of genocide and the implications of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for President Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova.  Yvonne Breitwieser-Faria on Are Russian transfers of Ukrainian children to re-education and adoption facilities a form of genocide? Yvonne Breitwieser-Faria on twitter @YBFLaw Jessica Genauer on twitter @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Edward Price, former British Trade Official, Principal for Geopolitical Forecasting at Ergo Intelligence and non-resident Senior Fellow at New York University's Center for Global Affairs, discusses Ukraine's financial strategy, on-going risks and global economic implications of the war in Ukraine.  More about Edward Price  Edward Price on The Man Financing Ukraine's Fight for Freedom  Edward Price on Global Implications of the war in Ukraine Edward Price on twitter: @ed_s_price Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Alexander Titov, Lecturer in Modern European History at Queen's University Belfast, discusses imperialism in the Northeast Asian region, Russian imperialism, common mechanisms of appropriation of former imperial territories, and possible echoes of patterns of imperial territorial conquest in Russia's current full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  Alexander Titov on Ukraine: Putin isn't mad - he's following a long-established great power playbook for conquest Alexander Titov on National appropriation of imperial lands in Northeast Asia in forthcoming edited volume Competing Imperialisms in Northeast Asia  Alexander Titov on twitter: @titovalexander Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Maksym Yali, Head of a Center for New World Order and Professor of International Relations at the National Aviation University in Kyiv, comments on when we are likely to see the Ukrainian counteroffensive commence, what's at stake and where it might take place.   Maksym Yali on twitter: @maksymyali  Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Daria Isachenko, Associate at the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), discusses Turkey's relations with Russia in light of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine: Turkey-Russia relations and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, war in Ukraine, Presidential elections in Turkey this year, and how relations might change this year.   More about Daria Isachenko's work Daria Isachenko on Turkey's Stakes in the Russia-NATO Rivalry Daria Isachenko on Turkey-Russia Partnership in the War over Nagorno-Karabakh  Daria Isachenko on Turkey and Russia: The Logic of Conflictual Cooperation More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Oleksa Drachewych, Assistant Professor in History at Western University, discusses the echoes of history in Russia's invasion of Ukraine: implications of the Bolshevik revolution and its aftermath, the use of narrative and symbols from World War II, and the brutal echoes of history in the way in which Russia has been carrying out the current invasion of Ukraine.  The current Russian regime "by conflating the Soviet experience [in World War II] to being Russian - they are essentially removing the Ukrainian experience from the broader narrative."  "The Russian rhetoric that tends to dehumanise Ukrainians very much mimics a lot of the way that the Soviet Union aimed to dehumanise the Germans, Romanians and others... during the Second World War... and that... dehumanisation then turned into violence and anger against civilians". Oleksa Drachewych on Calls for peace in Ukraine a year after Russia's full-scale invasion are unrealistic Oleksa Drachewych on How Russia's fixation on the Second World War helps explain its Ukraine invasion Oleksa Drachewych on Putin's War on Ukraine and on History  Oleksa Drachewych on twitter:  @ODrachewych Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer

Jenny Mathers, Senior Lecturer in International Politics at Aberystwyth University discusses the intersection of gender, heroism, security and war - in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine: types of heroism, different trajectories of the Ukrainian armed forces and the Russian military, and how the war might play out this year.  Jenny Mathers on Ukraine war: attitudes to women in the military are changing as thousands serve on front lines Jenny Mathers on Women and the War in Ukraine Jenny Mathers on Ukraine war: why Russian soldiers' mothers aren't demonstrating the strong opposition they have in previous conflicts Jenny Mathers on Ukraine war 12 months on: how Volodymyr Zelensky became the nation's unlikely hero Jenny Mathers on Ukraine war: what the last 12 months has meant for the ordinary Russian soldier Jenny Mathers and Veronica Kitchen on Heroism and Global Politics  Jenny Mathers on twitter: @jgmaber Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Luca Anceschi, Professor of Central and East European Studies at Glasgow University, discusses the way in which Russia's invasion of Ukraine has impacted the Central Asian region: recalibration of relations with Moscow, how the region will navigate relations with both China and Moscow, and how the invasion is being viewed from the region.  Luca Anceschi on Russia - Central Asian Relations in the Aftermath of the Invasion of Ukraine Luca Anceschi on Analysing Kazakhstan's Foreign Policy: Regime Neo-Eurasianism in the Nazarbaev Era  Luca Anceschi on Turkmenistan and the Virtual Politics of Eurasian Energy  Luca Anceschi on twitter: @anceschitan  Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer  More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Pavel Slunkin, visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, discusses Belarus' position vis-a-vis Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including what Pavel learnt from being present at the Minsk negotiations summit in February 2015, how Lukashenka's relationship with Putin has changed from Russia's territorial incursions into Ukraine in 2014 to Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, how the invasion is viewed from Belarus, and whether Lukashenka would commit Belarus to participate directly in Russia's war in Ukraine.    More about Pavel Slunkin's work: Pavel Slunkin - European Council on Foreign Relations   Pavel Slunkin on Why the Belarusian army cannot help Russia in Ukraine  Pavel Slunkin on Why the Belarusian regime and its people are not one and the same Pavel Slunkin on Why the West should keep a close eye on Lukashenka Pavel Slunkin on twitter: @PavelSlunkin Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Ben Herscovitch, Research Fellow at the School of Regulation and Global Governance, on China's position vis-a-vis Russia and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, how this position might evolve in 2023, and how lessons China is learning from Russia's invasion of Ukraine are likely to shape its approach towards Taiwan in coming years.  Ben Herscovitch's substack: Beijing to Canberra and back  Ben Herscovitch on twitter: @B_Herscovitch Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer

Catrina Doxsee, Associate Director and Associate Fellow for the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), outlines the relationship between Wagner and the Russian state, why PMCs are not likely to be legalized in Russia, founding and evolution of Wagner, changes in Prigozhin's behavior, and global security implications of Wagner actiivty beyond Russia.  'The fact that PMCs are not legal in Russia... gives Putin a tremendous amount of leverage over those PMCs...'  'You have dissent within the ranks... as [Wagner] brings in populations out of prisons there's an intense social stigma between non-prisoners and prisoners in the ranks - as well as between the prisoners themselves given the very strict hierarchy socially in Russian prisons...'  Catrina Doxsee on Putin's Proxies: Examining Russia's Use of Private Military Companies Catrina Doxsee and Jared Thompson on The Wagner Group's Mounting Humanitarian Cost in Mali  Jared Thompson, Catrina Doxsee and Joseph Bermudez on Tracking the Arrival of Russia's Wagner Group in Mali More on the Transnational Threats Project Catrina Doxsee on twitter: @catrinadoxsee Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Kanykei Tursunbaeva, journalist, translator and Research Associate at the European Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Mark Neville, award-winning photo journalist working in Ukraine since 2015, discuss operating under conditions of war, taking photos in conflict zones, being a 'war artist' and the project Stop Tanks with Books.  More about the European Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (EUASU) Special issue of American Behavioral Scientist with EUASU scholars: Special Issue: War in Ukraine   EUASU fund to support their work: Keep Scholars and Journalists Safe Postcode Ukraine Charity - mentioned in the epside: Postcode Ukraine  More about Mark's work: markneville.com Kanykei Tursunbaeva on twitter: @k_tursunbaeva Mark Neville on twitter: @NevilleStudio More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Niklas Masuhr, Senior Researcher and Military Analyst at the Center for Security Studies at the ETH Zurich University, discusses activities of the Wagner group; comparison of Russian and Chinese PMC activity; the role of the Wagner group in Ukraine and implications for the Russian domestic context.  Charlotte Hirsbrunner and Niklas Masuhr on: Russia's Footprint in Africa Allard Duursma and Niklas Masuhr on: Russia's return to Africa in a historical and global context: Anti-imperialism, patronage, and opportunism Julia Friedrich and Niklas Masuhr on: Why is Russia Being So Brutal in Ukraine?  Niklas Masuhr and Benno Zogg on: The War in Ukraine: First Lessons  Julia Friedrich and Niklas Masuhr on: Mercenaries in the Service of Authoritarian States Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer

Bastian Brinkmann, journalist and Deputy Head of the Economics Department of the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) discusses drivers in the Germany domestic political context behind Germany's pattern of deliberation and hesitation in making each new decision regarding supplying weapons to Ukraine, German constituency in favor of supplying all necessary weapons to Ukraine, legacy of Angela Merkel's 16-year tenure as Chancellor, and economic lessons for Germany from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.   Bastian Brinkmann on twitter: @BasBrinkmann More about Bastian's work: Bastian Brinkmann *** Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer About the host: Jessica Genauer 

Lucan Way, Profesor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, discusses his recent book (with Steven Levitsky) Revolution and Dictatorship: The violent origins of durable authoritarianism - implications of violent social revolution for the character of the Soviet Union, legacies for Putin's regime, the distinct trajectories of Russia and Ukraine & Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way: Revolution and Dictatorship: The violent origins of durable authoritarianism Lucan Way: Pluralism by Default: Weak autocrats and the rise of competitive politics Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way: Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid regimes after the Cold War Lucan Way on twitter: @LucanWay Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer  More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Keir Giles, Senior Consulting Fellow at the Chatham House Russia and Eurasia program as well as Director of the Conflict Studies Research Centre discusses his latest book Russia's War on Everybody: And What it Means for You, how the Russian regime wages aggressive campaigns, cyber interference, disinformation, and the war in Ukraine.    "It's that grey area between the state and commercial businesses and organised crime and the intelligence agencies, all of which work very closely together in Russia for projecting these effects abroad" "Putin has not created this idea that Russia is pursuing... he is just enacting it"  Keir Giles: Russia's War on Everybody: And What it Means for You Keir Giles: Moscow Rules: What Drives Russia to Confront the West Keir Giles on twitter: @keirgiles Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Maksym Yali, Head of the Center for New World Order and Professor of International Relations at the National Aviation University in Kyiv, forecasts how Russia's war in Ukraine will evolve in 2023 including conflict escalation, Ukrainian military successes and expected timeline of events given up-coming Presidential elections in Russia, Ukraine and the United States in 2024.  Maksym Yali on twitter: @maksymyali  Support Maksym's work Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Maksym Yali, Head of the Center for New World Order and Professor of International Relations at the National Aviation University in Kyiv, updates on the mood in Kyiv following attacks during the festive season and Putin's recent unilateral ceasefire declaration.  Maksym Yali on twitter: @maksymyali  Support Maksym's work Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Greta Uehling, Lecturer in International and Comparative Studies at the University of Michigan, discusses her forthcoming book Everyday War: The Conflict Over Donbas, Ukraine: how the war in Ukraine has been impacting citizens' lives since 2014, responses to the war, and why interpersonal relationships matter for the experience and trajectory of war.  Greta Uehling on Instagram: @greta.uehling Greta Uehling on twitter: @uehlingumiched1 Everyday War: The Conflict over Donbas, Ukraine can be pre-ordered with a 30% discount from Cornell University Press with discount code - 09BCARD - and will start shipping mid-January.    More about the host: Jessica Genauer

James Rodgers is a journalist and author and a Reader in International Journalism at City, University of Moscow, discusses his book Assignment Moscow, working as a foreign correspondent in Moscow in the 1990s and in the 2000s under Putin's regime, the way in which the media environment has changed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  Assignment Moscow: Reporting on Russia from Lenin to Putin  More about James Rodgers and his work: jamesrodgersauthor.com James Rodgers on twitter: @jmacrodgers More about the host: Jessica Genauer  Jessica on twitter: @jessicagenauer 

Prof. Paul Goode, McMillan Chair in Russian Studies and Associate Professor at Carleton University discusses top-down nationalism under Putin's regime, impacts of everyday nationalism in Russia, whether nationalism is a key driver of the Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and trajectory of the war.  "We should continue keeping a close eye on Belarus, on Moldova, on the Caucasus... there is a fundamental shift in the post-Cold War order that's happening now as a direct result of this war..." Paul Goode - more about the Russian Media Observation and Research (RuMOR) project  Paul Goode on Patriotism without Patriots? Perm΄-36 and Patriotic Legitimation in Russia Paul Goode on The Nation in Post-Soviet Russia  Paul Goode on Russia and "Love for the Motherland"  Paul Goode on twitter: @jpaulgoode More about the host: Jessica Genauer  Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Maksym Yali, Professor of International Relations at the National Aviation University in Kyiv, discusses life in Kyiv following infrastructure attacks across Ukraine that have caused electricity and water shortages as well as Ukrainian resolve, and comments on what we can expect on the battlefront over the winter - and when we might see a further Ukrainian counteroffensive.  Maksym's youtube channel: youtube.com/maksymyali Support Maksym's work: buymeacoffee.com/maksymyali Maksym Yali on twitter: @MaksymYali More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Alexander Lanoszka, Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Waterloo, discusses Military Alliances in the Twenty-First Century including the purpose of alliances, NATO's response to the war in Ukraine, and how the Ukraine war is likely to shape military alliances in coming decades.   Alexander Lanoszka on Military Alliances in the Twenty First Century  More about Alexander's work: alexlanoszka.com Find Alexander on twitter: @alonszka More about the host: Jessica Genauer - I'm also on Twitter @jessicagenauer and Linkedin @Jessica Genauer 

Una Bergmane, Research Fellow at the Aleksanteri Institute at the University of Helsinki, discusses Baltic states' independence from the Soviet Union; democratization versus empire; viewing Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine through the echoes of Soviet history; the possiblity of a military clash between Russia and the Baltic countries; and the implications of performative insanity in Russian domestic rhetoric.  “The question of Gorbachev's relations with the Baltic republics [during the Perestroika years] is not just a story about the relations between the centre and periphery it is also a story about a deep tension at the heart of the Perestroika project, the tension between democratisation and the preservation of empire.”  During the Soviet period "Russian-speakers who arrived in Estonia and Latvia from other Soviet republics were not encouraged by the Soviet state to learn the local languages or to integrate themselves in Latvian or Estonian societies. They were encouraged to claim the privileges afforded to Russian speakers in the Soviet Union... This created the sense in the Baltic countries that... this imperial bond with Moscow has to be cut... as an existential imperative... There was this urge to reaffirm other identities other than the Soviet identity." When it comes to Ukraine "everybody in the Baltic countries understands that it could have been us... if something had happened a little bit differently in the 1990s... we would face the same choice as the Ukrainians do now... whether to live in the Russian zone of influence... which is a life in the zone of influence of Putin's regime... or face a war of agression."  Una Bergmane: More about The Politics of Uncertainty: The US, the Baltic States and the Collapse of the Soviet Union Una Bergmane on Fading Russian Influence in the Baltic States Una Bergmane on International Reactions to the Soviet Use of Force in the Baltic Republics in 1991 Una Bergmane on twitter: @unabergmane Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Collin Koh, Research Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technology University, on maritime security concerns in South East Asia; tensions in the South China Sea; China's build-up of maritime forces; Singapore's security concerns; India's maritime power - as well as lessons learnt from the use of maritime force in the war in Ukraine, and whether Russia's invasion of Ukraine increases or decreases the likelihood that China might attempt to integrate Taiwan by force.  **If you're primarily interested in lessons learnt from maritime conflcit in the war in Ukraine & whether Russia's invasion increases likelihood of military clash between China and Taiwan - skip to minute 14:17** "China remains a black box when it comes to its strategic intentions [as a maritime power] on the one hand it talks about diplomacy and economic cooperation but on the other hand we are still seeing China resort to maritime coercion” "There are some key lessons that can be drawn from the Ukraine war for the South Asian maritime region - first of all - a weaker power can actually hold up against a stronger power… A weaker power can leverage asymmetric strengths to counter a stronger power" "China is already drawing lessons from this war… as part of China's military modernisation Russia has clearly been one of the models that they tried to emulate... and it came very likely as a huge shock to China that… in terms of its doctrine, its training and its equipment… the Russian military has grossly underperformed beyond expectations… China has already been conducting reviews of what they saw as lessons from Russia… these changes will take time" Collin Koh on Maritime Security in Southeast Asia  Collin Koh on AUKUS and Risks of Submarine Proliferation  Collin Koh on twitter: @CollinSLKoh Jessica Genauer on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer   

Mack Tubridy, Russia researcher, reflects on the response to Russia's invasion within Russia, impact of mobilization & tensions in Georgia following influx of Russian emigres.  "The priority of the ruling elite in Russia is to maintain regime stability... Russia launching an invasion [against Ukraine] invites threats to regime stability" "A lot of people [in. Russia] who should in theory understand how Russia's political system works failed to understand... how serious Putin was about his intentions and how the elite class in Russia would be willing to go along with such a disastrous war"  Mack Tubridy on twitter: @yudbrit Me on twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer 

Botakoz Kassymbekova, Lecturer in Modern History at Universitat Basel, discusses the Soviet Union as a colonial empire: forced resettlement, settler colonialism, humans as territory, the leagacies of colonialism today, and implications for the war in Ukraine. "The difference between settler colonial empires and extractive overseas empires lies in the relationship to land and labour… for settler colonial empires securing territory is the key purpose… in settler colonial empires in order to secure land for settlement you try to free the territory from the indigenous populations… using two modes… the first one is genocides… the second one is assimilation of local populations … when you assimilate people … they don't claim the land back… so this very violent process of assimilation took place throughout the Soviet Union” "What we can see in Ukraine is settler colonialism again in action...The coloniser will never accept you [the colonised] as equal and you will never be allowed to go your own way… you will always have to identify with the coloniser”  Botakoz Kassymbekova on Humans as Territory: Forced Resettlement and the Making of Sovet Tajikistan  Botakoz Kassymbekova on Despite Cultures: Early Soviet Rule in Tajikistan  Botakoz on twitter: @BotakozKassymb1 My twitter: @jessicagenauer More about the host: Jessica Genauer

Paul Lushenko, US Army Lieutenant Colonel, PhD student in International Relations and Deputy Director of the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University, discusses drone warfare, the use of drones in counterterrorism operations, issues of legitimacy, and the use of drones by both Ukraine and Russia in the war in Ukraine.  More about the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell: A research institute led by a group of social scientists interested in emerging technologies and quantitative methodology Paul Lushenko, William Maley & Srinjoy Bose (eds) on Drones and Global Order: Implications of Remote Warfare for International Society  Paul Lushenko on US Presidents' Use of Drone Warfare Paul Lushenko, Shyam Raman & Sarah Kreps on Multilateralism and Public Support for Drone Strikes  Follow Paul on twitter: @LushenkoPaul With recent use of drones by Russia “the intent here for Russia is... to impose punishment on civilians especially as a way to break the will of the Ukrainian leadership… [however] we know from the research… over the long term your results are really ineffective because what you often do is increase and inspire morale even in the face of harsh punishment…”  For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Stephan Fruehling, Professor at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University, discusses nuclear threats and the war in Ukraine: Would Putin use a nuclear weapon? How can Russia be deterred? And how might the threat of nuclear weapons use - shift the calculus for China - as well as for small and middle powers?  "Nuclear weapons actually aren't really that useful to win on the battefield where you have hugely dispersed forces...they're not going to shift the overall balance. What would shift the overall balance is if Russia could use nuclear coercion to stop the West from supplying weapons to Ukraine. Nuclear use would likely harden Western resolve… but Putin hasn't been that good at reading Western response in the conflict overall." Stephan Fruehling and Andrew O'Neill (eds) on Alliances, Nuclear Weapons and Escalation: Managing Deterrence in the 21st Century For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer 

Ian Garner, historian and translator of Russian wartime propaganda, discusses his forthcoming book Stalingrad Lives! that presents narrative wartime reporting on the Battle of Stalingrad, and considers national identity, wartime narratives, and how this legacy reverberates today in Putin's rhetoric around Russia's current war in Ukraine. "The overarching narrative of the battle [of Stalingrad]... is a quasi-religious narrative about death and sacrifice and resurrection...it doesn't just say that the sacrifice is regrettable... it says that the sacrifice has to happen... When we think about identity and national myth and narrative...and the way in which Putin draws on World War II... that is the core...sacrifice and death has to happen."   “What the [contemporary] Russian state understands with its propaganda… is that people will always be drawn to a story… even if that story isn't real... as so much about the Russian state today isn't real.”  Find out more about Ian's work: igarner.net Check out Stalingrad Lives! Stories of combat and survival Follow Ian on twitter: @irgarner For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer 

Maksym Yali, Professor of International Relations at the National Aviation University on Kyiv, comments on why he believes Russia was likely behind the bombing of the bridge over the Kerch Strait that connects Crimea to Russia, and discusses the atmosphere and resolve in Kyiv following missile attacks on civilan targets and infrastructure.  "Putin does this [the strikes] not to win because it's impossible to win in this way... he does it to intimidate people...but you think you can intimidate us and we are ready to give up? No... This war is existential and all Ukrainian people are not ready to give up... we are ready to win."    Follow Maksym on twitter: @MaksymYali For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer 

Denis Kazakiewicz, data analyst and journalist, discusses Belarus and the war in Ukraine: Aleksandr Lukashenko's relationship with Putin, impacts of the war on the Belarusian population, significance of a recently-formed Belarusian-Russian joint military group, and how the war affects Lukashenko's grip on power. "With the joint military group, Lukashenko gave one more piece of sovereignty, of Belarus, to Russian control. What does joint military group actually mean? It means that there will be some Russian and Belarusian soldiers intermingled - under Russian command."  "Lukashenko now is walking a very fine line - with his life in the balance... because if he will not be pro-Putin enough someone else might surface and tell Putin I am more pro-Putin... if he should stick to Putin too much and actually invade with full forces into Ukraine... that might end the rule of Lukashenko very soon... [because] people of Belarus don't want to die for Russian world."  Follow Denis on twitter: @Den_2042  For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer 

Azamat Junisbai, Professor of Sociology at Pitzer College, reflects on growing up an ethnic Kazakh in a Russian-dominated environment in Kazakhstan, Kazakh identity, the economic fallout of the breakdown of the Soviet Union, the legacy of Russian dominance, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the process of decolonizing one's own mind.   "As an ethnic Kazakh growing up speaking Russian, I not only lost my language but I began to associate Kazakh with backwardness... how colonized you are in your own mind if you think that about your own culture... and I don't think my story is that unique..." "I think it's seeing Ukraine struggle against Russian agression... that has awakened this sense of Kazakh identity..." "There is something about the way for decades Russian people were taught to think about themselves... that the Europeans and the Americans are the colonial powers and Russia is always the bringer of culture and education and to call it a colonizer is crazy... but I think until and unless this is examined by Russians themselves... no-one around Russia is safe..."  Azamat Junisbai on The Limits of Authoritarian Learning: Deconstructing Kazakhstan's 2022 Coup Attempt  Azamat Junisbai on Making Sense of Kazakhstan's Political Transition Follow Azamat on twitter: @azamatistan For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer   

Lisa Gaufman, Assistant Professor of Russian Discourse and Politics at the University of Groningen, discusses Putin's incoherent ideology and the impact of the mobilization on Putin's perceived legitimacy in Russia and future trajectory.  'There is no coherent ideology... Putin is trying to dress up his land grab into some kind of ideological padding that would resonate with some people who might still support him' 'Observing a lot of the blunders and the atrocities that the Russian army has inflicted on the Ukrainian population has tarnished Russia, even among countries that previously might have supported Putin'  'By declaring mobilization Putin pretty much destroyed the perception of stability that his legitimacy is built upon...'  Lisa Graufman Between a Liberal and a Hard Place - Russia and Global Ideological Competition  Lisa Graufman Security Threats and Public Perception - Digital Russia and the Ukraine Crisis  Follow Lisa Gaufman on twitter: @lisas_research For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Temur Umarov, Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, discusses Kazakhstan, its relations with Russia, and the war in Ukraine - why has Tokayev refused to support Russia's full-scale invasion? How has Russia's mobilization impacted Kazakhstan? How has the war impacted other Central Asian states?  'What Kazakhstan is doing right now [not supporting the war] is pretty risky. We have already seen that Russia is not happy with that... but Kazakhstan understands that it doesn't really have other options... because staying so closely connected to Russia means that together with Russia you would go to this isolation... it's a one-way ticket... so for Kazakhstan it's even more risky to continue being Russia's close ally'  'Tokayev is very popular in the society right now... after his tough and clear stance on the war in Ukraine... Inside Kazakhstan this [war] leads to even more will to drift away from Russia'  Temur Umarov: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace  Follow Temur on twitter: @TUmarov For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer  

Janis Kluge, Senior Researcher at the SWP German Institute for International and Security Affairs, evaluates the impact of sanctions on Russia's economy, EU countries' decoupling from Russian energy imports, and the significance of recent 'leaks' in the Nord Stream pipelines.  "The effect of sanctions is [often] slower than expected... but that does not mean that it is more benign." Follow Janis on twitter: @jakluge For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Ivan Klyszcz, research fellow at the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute and Doctoral Candidate at the University of Tartu, disucsses Putin's mobilization and the North Caucasus - Dagestan, Chechnya, protests and the possible impacts of mobilization.  'the mobilization puts tremendous pressure on the entire Putin system that has been ruling Russia for two decades now, because this system is premised on demobilizing people, making them apolitical and disengaged from the way the country is ruled...'  'my fear is that mobilization in the North Caucasus will create a new cycle of violence in the region'  Ivan Klysczc on Chechnya's Paradiplomacy 2000-2020: The Emergence and Evolution of External Relations of a Reincorporated Territory  Ivan Klysczc on Lack of protest in the North Caucasus in 2021  Follow Ivan on twitter: @IvanUlisesKK For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Marnie Howlett, Lecturer in Politics at the University of Oxford, discusses findings from her team's latest public opinion survey research in Ukraine - conductin surveys during a full-scale war, sentiment in Ukraine on territory, sovereignty, Ukrainians categorical opposition to conceding territory or accepting Russian-backed control and implications of this for the war going forward.  The survey data showed that "Ukrainians are categorically opposed... [to cede territory or accept a Russian-backed government].. they will fight... they are not willing to back down... at any cost they will defend their land". Janina Dill, Carl Muller-Crepon and Marnie Howlett in The Conversation: "Ukrainians are not willing to give up territory or sovereignty – new survey." Ilko Kulcheriv Democracy Initiatives Foundation report comparing the survey data from February 2022 to May 2022: How the War Changed the Way Ukrainians Think About Friends, Enemies, and the Country's Strategic Goals  Follow Marnie on twitter: @marnie_howlett For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer 

Oleksandr Seredyuk, graduate student at Ca'Foscari University of Venice and researcher with the Global Leaders in Unity and Evolvement think tank, discusses growing up in Ukraine, Russian colonialism, the war in Ukraine, and Russian disunity as Ukraine gains on the battelfield. Global Leaders in Unity and Evolvement: glueinstitute.org Follow the GLUE institute on twitter: @gloleaders Follow Oleksandr on twitter: @OSeredyuk For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Maxim Alyukov, Postdoctoral Fellow at the King's College London Russia Institute, and Andrei Semenov, Senior Researcher at the Center for Comparative Historical and Political Studies, discuss their recent report on Russian propaganda setbacks and the war in Ukraine, including a large-scale analysis of the differences between how Russian state media and Russian social media discuss the war in Ukraine.    Report by Maxim Alyukov, Maria Kunilovskaya and Andrei Semenov: Propaganda Setbacks and Appropriation of Anti-War Language: "Special Military Operation" in Russian Mass Media and Social Networks (February - July 2022) Maxim Alyukov on Propaganda, Authoritarianism and Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Maxim Alyukov on Making Sense of the News in an Authoritarian Regime: Russian Television Viewers Reception of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict  Follow Maxim on twitter: @maxalyukov Follow Andrei on twitter: @semenaff For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Oleksander Kraiev, Director of the North America Program at the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council, comments on the counteroffensive with a view from Ukraine: restoring Ukraine's 1991 territorial borders, why taking back Crimea is increasingly realistic, Russia's logistical challenges, how Russian media channels are discussing the counteroffensive, and how Ukraine's more modern combat style compares to Russia's soviet-style approach.  "If previously we were hoping for the plan minimum - to restore the borders as of 24 February - now we are striving for the liberation of the whole Ukrainian territories - and restoration of the borders as of 1991" "The Russian offensive in February / March was more of a Soviet-style offensive... whereas the Ukrainian counterattack is more of a NATO-style offensive... Russia was not prepared for this style of combat" Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council  Follow Oleksandr on twitter: @OKraiev For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer  

Oxana Shevel, Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts University, discusses Ukrainian national identity, diversity, pluralism, changes since 2014 and since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and optimism for Ukraine's future.  Russia's annexation of Crimea and incursions into Urkaine in 2014 caused "the part of the country that was the most pro-Russian to get cut off from voting in Ukraine's elections" and at the same time "this open Russian aggression turned more people away from Russia in their attitudes"  from "trying to keep Ukraine in Russia's sphere of influence - Putin has achieved exactly the opposite" Oxana Shevel on Migration, Refugee Policy and State Building in Postcommunist Europe Oxana Shevel on The Politics of Dual Citizenship in Post-Soviet States Oxana Shevel on Facts, the Fog of War and Identity  Follow Oxana on twitter: @oxanashevel For episode updates - follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Nona Shahnazarian, Senior Research Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences in Yerevan, Armenia, comments on the impact of the war on Yerevan, including an influx of Russian citizens to Yerevan post-24-Feb, and discusses the trauma of loss, how the effects of conflict reverberate beyond the conflict itself.  "trauma is not only a one-time event but also a process... it's deeply traumatic to be frustrated by the futility of trying to formulate acceptable reasons for the events that exploded [one's] life"  Nona Shahnazarian with Jelami Sukhashvili and Zhala Banu on the Georgian-Ossettian and Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts Nona Shahnazarian on Social Transformations in Post-Soviet Nagorno-Karabakh (Not directly related to the episode) but - as mentioned - constant updates on the counteroffensive - @mriyareport and Denys Davydov For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer

Maksym Yali, Professor of International Relations and Head of the Center for New World Order at the National Aviation University in Kyiv, discusses the state of a Ukrainian counteroffense - we might see the main strike in an unexpected place - cracks in Russian morale - the more strikes and 'accidental' explosions in Crimea and Bolgorod the more Russians realise that 'this is not only on TV but concerns them personally' - and comments on low expectations from the IAEA inspectors' visit to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.  Follow Maksym on twitter: @maksymyali For episode updates follow on twitter: @jessicagenauer