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PODCAST

In Moscow"s Shadows

Russia, behind the headlines as well as in the shadows. This podcast is the audio counterpart to Mark Galeotti"s blog of the same name, a place where "one of the most informed and provocative voices on modern Russia", can talk about Russia historical and (more often) contemporary, discuss new books and research, and sometimes talk to other Russia-watchers. If you"d like to keep the podcast coming and generally support my work, or want to ask questions or suggest topics for me to cover, do please

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All Episodes

44:58

In Moscow's Shadows 210: Is Russia Being Sentenced To...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/07/27

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...

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52:12

In Moscow's Shadows 209: Eagle, Dragon, Bear - how...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/07/20

In the first half, I offer a (rather pessimistic) assessment of not just Trump's 50-day ultimatum but also recent EU and UK sanctions, before pivoting to explore how the US president has inadvertently made it clear that it is not him but China's Xi Jinping who has more influence with Putin. What is the nature of the Sino-Russian relationship, and where is it going? The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises i...

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56:41

In Moscow's Shadows 208: 5 Million Downloads and...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/07/13

In Moscow's Shadows has crossed the 5 million downloads barrier! This happens to coincide with this being an episode in which I tackle Patrons' questions on everything from why Russians fight and Chinese legal and criminal influence in the Russian Far East through to who would play whom in the film 'Death of Putin', and my own impartiality. Enjoy! The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, ...

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45:04

In Moscow's Shadows 207: What Is Going On Between...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/07/06

In one corner, Azerbaijan's Ilhan Aliev, in the other, Russia's Vladimir Putin, two autocrats locked in an increasingly acrimonious political conflict sparked by, of all things, the arrest of some gangsters in Ekaterinburg. But it's bigger than that, and I locate the conflict in the context of Russia's receding role as regional hegemon, the politics of personalised authoritarianisms, and the agency and agendas of low-level political actors. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Condu...

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56:59

In Moscow's Shadows 206: Corruption, Putinism's...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/06/29

After some thoughts about the recent NATO summit in The Hague, I focus on the perennial challenge of corruption. Even Russian officials are admitting it is again on the rise, and becoming more predatory, While there is a regular litany of middle-ranking officials charged and sentenced, there is no political will to tackle grand corruption at the top of the system -- and declining capacity to combat its resurgence at the bottom. What does all this mean for the system? The podcast's corporate p...

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59:08

In Moscow's Shadows 205: The Peace Crisis that faces...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/06/22

There is a range of serious practical problems that an end to the war in Ukraine -- whenever that may be -- will pose for the Kremlin. However, if the Soviet war in Afghanistan is any comparison, arguably every bit as important will be the narratives, how people frame the war and use it to attack or defend Putin's regime. I feel this is a political challenge they are not well suited to master. My report Trouble at home: Russia's looming demobilization challenge can be downloaded from the Glob...

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56:34

In Moscow's Shadows 204: The Opportunity and the...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/06/15

In the first half, I explore what the eruption of open conflict between Israel and Iran means for Russia. Will Putin be tempted to throw Iran under the bus? He certainly has much more scope and reason to do so than in 2022-24. In the second half, I climb onto my soapbox to consider -- criticise -- some recent rhetoric about the Russian threat and bemoan the lack of dialogue, especially military-to-military contacts, with praise for the wargame Littoral Commander: the Baltics (Dietz Foundation...

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57:05

In Moscow's Shadows 203: Can Putin Afford To End The...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/06/08

A pervasive argument is that for reasons personal, political or economic, Putin simply cannot afford to end his war: that he needs the excuse for tyranny, or that his economy would stagnate. I dig into these and other claims, and - spoiler alert - conclude that Putin could certainly afford to end the war... but that there are enough challenges to peace that he may not dare to. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis...

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57:18

In Moscow's Shadows 202: What Is This Resilience...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/05/29

An IMS on a Thursday? Although I'm still not quite yet over the cold that stopped me recording on Sunday, as I can't record next Sunday, needs must... In the first part, I look at recent development around Ukraine. Then, in the second, I look at the recent 'electoral wargame' held by Conducttr and spin off that more broadly to consider the challenges of 'resiliency' in a political sense (rather than infrastructure, etc) Robert Hall's book is here. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor i...

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50:21

In Moscow's Shadows 201: Peacetalkers and Warfighters

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/05/18

Negotiations (of a sort) in Istanbul: a real engagement or just a piece of theatre? The answer, of course, is a bit of both. And what can one read into the elevation of Colonel General Mordvichev as the new commander of Russian Ground Forces? The link to the Conducttr wargame 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 situation...

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44:06

In Moscow's Shadows 200: Victory Day (whose?)

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/05/11

The 200th episode! Hard to believe. After briefly assessing Putin's late-night offer of talks with Kyiv, I dig into the Victory Day parade and what it means, especially from an international angle, and how it was part of a love letter to Xi Jinping. The events I mentioned next week in Prague are at CEVRO University, the Institute of International Relations and the Prague Book Festival, with the launch of Zrozeni z Války, the Czech translation of my book Forged in War. The forthcoming events p...

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49:33

In Moscow's Shadows 199: the General in GenPop

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/05/04

General Ivan Popov, once hailed as one of the heroes and rising stars of the Russian army, has just been sentenced to 5 years in a general regime penal colony on what seem questionable charges. What brought down this 'fighting general' -- and what does it tell us about late Putinism and the potential nationalist critique of the regime? The sign-up page for the Conducttr info-political wargame I mentioned is here. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides softwar...

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53:18

In Moscow's Shadows 198: War (in Russia's underworld)...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/04/27

In the first half, I consider the latest twists in the saga of the US-pushed 'ceasefire' plan. Has Trump has an epiphany in the Vatican, or will Kyiv still face a choice of evils? In the second, I draw a line between the gunning down of a mobster in Tbilisi with the twilight of Putinism, through leaking roofs and the likelihood of mob wars. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter...

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50:12

In Moscow's Shadows 197: Russia's future fascist turn?

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/04/20

An intemperate recent interview from Foreign Minister Lavrov, at which he warned that 'fifth columnists' within the elite wanted to hand Russia to the West on a platter, is typical of a new tome of populist nationalism that got me wondering. Putin's Russia is often called 'fascist' but this is a label of dubious accuracy. Are there hints that Russia could turn fascist? I still think this will not happen, but it is something worth exploring. The Bell, by the way, is here. The podcast's c...

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48:10

In Moscow's Shadows 196: Space, the Failing Frontier

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/04/13

In the first half, I look at developments regarding Ukraine (I'm getting more sceptical about Putin's interest in a deal) and profile former FSB general Sergei Beseda, 'the Baron.' In the second half, for Cosmonautics Day, I look at the ailing Russian space programme. The FPRI report by Pavel Luzin 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 affair...

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51:42

In Moscow's Shadows 195: Q&A, Part 2

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/04/09

A bonus second batch of questions, relating to war, peace and my attitudes to social media! The CASE survey of emigre attitudes is here. The RUSI commentary on the OSCE 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 situations. You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain ques...

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60:15

In Moscow's Shadows 194: Q&A, Part 1

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/04/06

Comrades! Forgive the tedious title, but this episode is the first of two answering questions set by my esteemed Patrons, covering Russian domestic and foreign policy, with another to follow covering the war and more. Climate change and oligarchic rivalry, Belarusian cunning and Central Asian balancing, all this and a lot more... The Washington Post article ‘Art of dissent: How Russians protest the war on Ukraine’ is here. The National Guard report I mention, Putin's Praetorians: The Ev...

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58:59

In Moscow's Shadows 193: Mishustin's Annual Report:...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/03/30

One, I suspect, more for the wonks. I dig into Prime Minister Mishustin's lengthy and not-so-exciting annual report to parliament, and the responses from the 'opposition' for what is said, and what's not. 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 suppo...

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58:09

In Moscow's Shadows 192: What if Ukraine could join...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/03/23

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has suggested Ukraine should be allowed into the EU on 1 January 2030 (by which time the war will be over or frozen...). What if it could be in months not years? It won't happen, for all kinds of reasons, but let's entertain it as a 'what if?' thought experiment. In the second half, I look at three recent deeply-engaged eyewitness books on Ukraine: · Battleground Ukraine by Adrian Karatnicky (Yale Up, 2024) · &...

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51:57

In Moscow's Shadows 191: How is Russian Foreign...

In Moscow"s Shadows ·

2025/03/16

What shapes Russian foreign policy? I start by looking at the core issue of the moment, Moscow's thinking over the proposed ceasefire, then consider more broadly what kind of a bizarre and varied mix of institutions and individuals actually shape policy. The Sunday Times 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 situat...

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