The Russia File

The Russia File podcast explores Russia: its history, politics, culture and society, and its relations with the surrounding countries, the United States and beyond. It is a companion podcast of the Kennan Institute’s Russia File blog. Hosted by Maxim Trudolyubov and Izabella Tabarovsky.

Russia and the West: Highs and Lows 12/16/2021

Russia and the West: Highs and Lows Over the past 10 years, Russia’s relations with the West have reached new lows. No other relationship has been more indicative of that trajectory than the one with Great Britain. The story of Russian-British ties, partnership, and animosity is essential to explore. David Owen, a veteran British politician active in Britain’s Russian politics both in Soviet and post-Soviet Russian times, joins the Russia File to discuss this following the publication of his new book, book Riddle, Mystery, and Enigma. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/21508415

The Autocrats’ Playbook: Putin’s Russia and Erdogan’s Turkey 07/22/2021

The Autocrats’ Playbook: Putin’s Russia and Erdogan’s Turkey Despite constant geopolitical infighting, Russia and Turkey display striking similarities in the stance they take toward the West. Moscow and Ankara's crackdown on media, political opponents, the non-governmental sector and even independent universities inevitably call for comparisons between the two. Maxim Trudolyubov discusses novel authoritarian trends with Ayşe Zarakol and Sergei Guriev. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/19897994

The Contemporary Relevance of Andrei Sakharov's Message 06/07/2021

The Contemporary Relevance of Andrei Sakharov's Message A Soviet nuclear physicist and Nobel laureate, Andrei Sakharov fought for disarmament, world peace, and human rights. To what extent is his legacy relevant for today’s Russia and the world? Maxim Trudolyubov discusses Sakharov's legacy with Cecile Vaissie, a professor of Russian and Soviet studies at the University of Rennes 2, and Arkady Ostrovsky, Russia and Eastern Europe editor for The Economist. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/19387658

Rethinking the Space Race 04/23/2021

Rethinking the Space Race The Soviet pilot Yuri Gagarin made his pioneering spaceflight 60 years ago. In the USSR, it marked a time of optimistic, forward-looking modernization, of which the Soviet space program was the hallmark. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/18839576

Weak Strongman: Discussing the Limits of Putin's Power with Timothy Frye 04/09/2021

Weak Strongman: Discussing the Limits of Putin's Power with Timothy Frye Russia is often seen as a country that was led astray by a former KGB officer, Vladimir Putin. Informed by his training and character, it is often implied, he turned himself into an all-powerful ruler and turned Russia into the autocracy it is today. But what if he simply was helpless to do any better? /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/18668825

Sputnik V: International Success, Domestic Problems 03/15/2021

Sputnik V: International Success, Domestic Problems Sputnik V, Russia's COVID-19 vaccine, is not just a scientific achievement but a golden moment for vaccine diplomacy. Despite the initial distrust—some of which persists to this day—dozens of countries have granted Sputnik V emergency use authorization. Why is Russia falling behind in its domestic vaccination campaign, and will Russia be able to maintain its international vaccine leadership? /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/18334169

Beyond Electoral Politics: Social Change, Not Political Awakening 01/24/2021

Beyond Electoral Politics: Social Change, Not Political Awakening Most Russians have long stopped expecting that any real change may come from electoral politics. And yet, a slew of recent, successful popular movements from Moscow to Khabarovsk are proving that, even without real elections, Russians can stand up for their interests. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/17663267

A Poisonous History: The Kremlin's Fear of an Imported Revolution 12/16/2020

A Poisonous History: The Kremlin's Fear of an Imported Revolution For years journalists Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov have reported on Russia’s security services. This time, they decided to look at the agencies’ history and wrote The Compatriots: The Brutal and Chaotic History of Russia's Exiles, Émigrés, and Agents Abroad. With the poisoning of the Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny and its aftermath, the book is suddenly more topical than one is comfortable to admit. Borogan and Soldatov discuss the KGB of old and Russia’s existing security organizatio /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/17226386

Russian-Speaking Israelis and How They Changed Israel 12/07/2020

Russian-Speaking Israelis and How They Changed Israel Thirty years ago, a million Russian-speaking immigrants arrived in Israel. Overnight, they became one of the largest Russian-speaking communities in the world outside the former Soviet Union. Who are the Russian-speaking Israelis? What did their arrival signify for the country? We discuss these questions with Ksenia Svetlova, Matti Friedman, and Yossi Klein Halevi. Matti Friedman’s piece in Mosaic: https://bit.ly/3qBd40k Yossi Klein Halevi’s piece in Mosaic: https://bit.ly/3owVkkK /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/17094413

Electoral Politics and the Role of the Media 11/12/2020

Electoral Politics and the Role of the Media The media environments in Russia and the US are almost mirror opposites. In the US, mainstream media can cut away from the sitting president on live television or poke fun at him in their opinion pages. In Russia, independent media are happy just to stay alive. The internet and social media, often seen as sources of polarization in the US, are a lifeline for the embattled journalists in Russia as well as Belarus. Yet, we have a lot to learn from each other—and to disagree upon. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/16788656

Why Study Russia? 10/16/2020

Why Study Russia? America’s universities and think tanks produce first-rate studies of Russia’s history, culture, and politics. And yet, the way Russia features on the U.S. political stage and in the American media is not particularly nuanced. Jill Dougherty, a long-time CNN journalist and an expert on Russia and Kevin Rothrock, Senior Editor at the English-language edition of Meduza, join Maxim Trudolyubov to discuss the state of Russia studies and Russia stereotypes in American political language. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/16428308

Vladimir Putin’s Version of World War II 09/25/2020

Vladimir Putin’s Version of World War II Earlier this year, Vladimir Putin published an article in a Washington, DC think tank publication seeking to explain to American audiences the “real” lessons of World War II. Why is so much of Vladimir Putin’s attention devoted to WWII? In what ways does it serve his political interests at home and abroad? What messages was he trying to communicate, and to whom? Historians Ivan Kurilla and Dariusz Stola help Izabella Tabarovsky unpack these questions—and to fact-check the piece in the process. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/16160129

Russia’s Military and the World’s Post-Arms Control Future 07/31/2020

Russia’s Military and the World’s Post-Arms Control Future While everyone is preoccupied with the COVID-19, public protests, and electoral politics, the world’s three largest nuclear powers are busy modernizing their arsenals. They are doing this in a world that will soon be left without any strategic arms control treaties. Is nuclear still the world’s most powerful deterrent? What do Russian and all other major military forces want? The Russia File discusses this and other questions with Michael Kofman, Director of the Russia Studies Program at CNA. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/15430286

Limited Violence, Unlimited Manipulation: How Informational Dictatorships Work 07/13/2020

Limited Violence, Unlimited Manipulation: How Informational Dictatorships Work With presidential term limits for Vladimir Putin nullified, has Russia become more authoritarian? What is the difference between "overt" and "informational" dictatorships? Do democracies – or the West as a political and cultural concept - still have the appeal they once had for the countries that emerged from the former Soviet Union? Does the left-right divide still make sense in today’s world? Maxim Trudolyubov discusses this and more with Daniel Treisman (Professor of Political Science, UCLA). /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/15190391

Searching for Hidden Narratives of World War II in Russia 06/19/2020

Searching for Hidden Narratives of World War II in Russia For the Kremlin, the memory of World War II is fodder for a national myth of military glory and sacrifice. But for ordinary Russians, the story is more complex. Izabella Tabarovsky, Maxim Trudolyubov and Masha Lipman delve into the myths and explore stories that never became part of the national narrative. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/14894807

Belarus's Parallel Realities: An Entrenched Presidency Meets an Awakened Society 05/28/2020

Belarus's Parallel Realities: An Entrenched Presidency Meets an Awakened Society Well-known Belarusian journalist Franak Viačorka and the Russia File's Maxim Trudolyubov discuss Belarusian society's newfound agency and wonder why President Lukashenko is no longer comfortable being seen as pro-Russian. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/14607317

Russia in a Pandemic and Moscow's Two Competing Instincts: Increase Control or Shift the Blame 05/12/2020

Russia in a Pandemic and Moscow's Two Competing Instincts: Increase Control or Shift the Blame In a conversation with Samuel Greene, director of King's Russia Institute, the Russia File discusses the Kremlin's COVID-19 politics and Russian society’s newfound empowerment. /episode/index/show/therussiafile/id/14392412

The Russia File

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