Kevin returns to run his mouth about recent events in the Russia-Ukraine world, and other stuff. Topics discussed here:

• Twitter ad revenue sharing
• Russia's new Moon mission, Luna-25
• Slow counteroffensive darkens mood in Ukraine
• Sergey Vakulenko on the Black Sea naval war
• Blocking VPNs and Google services
• Navalny's essay from prison on Russia in the 1990s
• Viral videos: Alexander Dudka, the collaborationist mayor of Lazurne in the occupied Kherson region, and an argument at a playground between mothers in Krasnodar

Today’s guest is Dr. Jade McGlynn, a specialist in Russian memory and foreign policy at the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies and the author of two books: “The Kremlin’s Memory Makers” and “Russia’s War.” Discussed in this interview: the Kremlin’s claims that Russia is fighting an existential battle in Ukraine, how memory shapes that conversation, balancing dispassionate scholarly work and ethical advocacy, and more!

Today's guest is Dr. Sam Greene, the director of the Russia Institute at King’s College London and the co-author of the 2019 book “Putin V. the People: The Perilous Politics of a Divided Russia."

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
• Счастье вдруг (из х/ф Иван Васильевич меняет профессию)

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

In this episode, Kevin spoke to Nataliya Vasilyeva, who works as a Moscow correspondent for the Associated Press. Nataliya is one of the most talented reporters working the Russia beat today, and you’ve probably reading her work, maybe without even knowing it. Last December, she managed to obtain a copy of a 47-page contract between a firm linked to Evgeny Prigozhin and Syria’s state-owned General Petroleum Corporation, which granted the Russian company a quarter of the proceeds from oil and gas production at fields its contractors — the Wagner private military company — capture and secure from ISIS militants. https://apnews.com/7f9e63cb14a54dfa9148b6430d89e873So what are you going to learn in this interview? Kevin asked Nataliya about her background and how she came to journalism. He asked her what it’s like reporting from Moscow during America’s obsession with the “RussiaGate” scandal. And she also talked a bit about what it’s like to live as a correspondent in Russia’s capital — the hustle and bustle, the need to make room for a private life, and the amazing travel opportunities.You can follow Nataliya on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/NatVasilyevaAPAnd don't miss the two stories she mentions at the end of this interview:*Russia's role in Ukraine seen shifting to training rebelshttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3024188/Russias-role-*Ukraine-seen-shifting-training-rebels.html*Russian crackdown on Muslims fuels exodus to IShttps://www.timesofisrael.com/russian-crackdown-on-muslims-fuels-exodus-to-is/If you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock

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In this episode, Kevin spoke to Neil Hauer, an independent analyst and journalist based in Tbilisi, Georgia, who focuses on Syria, Russia, and the North Caucasus, to learn more about the chemical weapons attack in Syria that provoked the latest tensions between Washington and Moscow. He discussed evidence and the military situation that led us here, as well as Russia’s threat to shoot down American missiles fired at targets in Syria. Neil also talked about Russian personnel on the ground and the risks of U.S. bombs claiming Russian lives. Follow Neil Hauer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/NeilPHauerIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today Kevin looks at some wild draft legislation just submitted to the State Duma that would give Russia its latest unenforceable Internet regulations. The draft law in question is actually a rewritten version of legislation introduced last summer that was supposed to require social networks to delete any “illegal content.” The new version of this law is basically the same thing, with some added provisions against “fake news” and even cussing.So what are you going to learn in this episode of the podcast? *The main points of the new draft legislation*Why these new regulations would be significant*How the Russian government would enforce these new rules*What we can actually expect, in terms of adoption and enforcement. Luckily, Meduza published a nifty summary of what State Duma deputies want to do with this draft law:https://meduza.io/en/cards/russian-lawmakers-drafted-a-new-version-of-their-latest-lousy-idea-to-regulate-social-media-but-just-how-bad-is-itIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Howdy, folks! On today’s episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin interviews Andrew Roth, The Guardian’s new Moscow bureau chief, and a reporter who’s written previously for The Washington Post and The New York Times.In this interview, you’ll learn how Andrew Roth got into the business of reporting on Russia. I asked him about his upbringing, his education, and especially about his early days as a journalist in Russia. We also talked about the lifestyle and quality of living foreign correspondents enjoy in Moscow today, and about the news agenda as it exists in Russia and in the West. What was it like to report from Moscow in the immediate aftermath of the RussiaGate scandal? What’s it like now, with spies getting poisoned, shopping malls burning down, and Putin grabbing a fourth presidential term? Here are the three stories Andrew mentions at the end of this interview:In Bleak Ukraine City, a Duo’s Odd Experiments Win a Niche Onlinehttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/18/world/europe/in-bleak-ukraine-city-a-duos-odd-experiments-win-a-niche-online.html From Russia, ‘Tourists’ Stir the Protestshttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/world/europe/russias-hand-can-be-seen-in-the-protests.html Ukraine Used Cluster Bombs, Evidence Indicateshttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/21/world/ukraine-used-cluster-bombs-report-charges.html If you enjoyed this episode and like listening to The Russia Guy, please consider pledging a little money on Patreon to help yours truly pay for sound recording, editing, and hosting:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock

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This episode of The Russia Guy focuses on trash and the nightmare it’s created in towns surrounding Moscow, where locals have been staging protests on and off for weeks and months in different places, in response to an apparent ecological disaster that seems to be spiraling out of control.What are you going to learn on this episode of The Russia Guy? Kevin reviews “garbage riots” in six districts surrounding Moscow, looking at the reported sizes of these demonstrations and what tactics activists are using to stand up to their local officials.If you're interested in this story, read Meduza's full report here:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/28/moscow-s-trash-uprisingIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockThanks for listening!

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In today’s episode, Kevin spoke to Ben Noble, a lecturer in Russian politics at University College London in the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, who researches legislatures in non-democracies.In this interview, Kevin asked Ben what he means when he says Russian members of parliament “can serve as pawns in proxy skirmishes between non-legislative actors.” Ben also talked about how he gets all his information about bureaucratic infighting at the Duma, and what actors and agencies tend to win these clashes of politics by other means. Finally, he discussed the likely consequences of the partial media boycott on the State Duma announced after the Slutsky ruling last Wednesday. I refer to two texts by Ben in this podcast. Read his Medium blog post here: https://tinyurl.com/yaby694eAnd read his book chapter with Ekaterina Schulmann here:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XNXG12Z/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o00_?ie=UTF8&psc=1Follow Ben Noble on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ben_H_NobleSupport this podcast on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

In this episode, Kevin spoke again to friend-of-the-show Alexey Kovalev, an investigative journalist in Russia. We discussed the latest developments in the scandal surrounding State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky, who was exonerated this past week by the Ethics Committee, despite accusations by multiple women journalists who say he sexually harassed them at different times over the past several years. The committee’s decision, as well as the insulting questions its members asked two of Slutsky’s victims during their inquiry, have enraged the Russian news media and provoked a boycott by dozens of outlets on reporting at the State Duma.What are you going to learn about in this episode of The Russia Guy? *Who is Leonid Slutsky?*What kind of career has he had in Russian politics? *What happened exactly at the Ethics Committee inquiry on Wednesday, March 21? *How did the media boycott of the State Duma take shape, and how is the state-run media, which isn’t part of the boycott, handling the Slutsky scandal? *How will the boycott influence reporting on Russia’s legislature, and how important is the Russian State Duma, anyway?Follow Kovalev on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alexey__KovalevRead the full Meduza story quoted in this episode here: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/23/all-i-can-do-is-recommend-a-good-therapistSupport this podcast on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

In this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin discusses a new Meduza-OCCRP investigative report about the secretive groups funding Vladimir Putin's re-election campaign.Questions asked and answered in this episode:* What does it mean that Putin’s re-election campaign is funding itself through nonprofit foundations affiliated with United Russia? Is that any different than how he’s always done it?* What are these foundations, and how are they connected to influential political players like billionaire Gennady Timchenko and Moscow Governor Andrey Vorobyev?* How does the central organization responsible for funding the Putin campaign’s warchest respond to allegations that it exists purely to hide the president’s real donors?And don't miss Meduza's full report, which includes an impressive infographic linking everyone and everything in this murky business:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/13/putin-s-secret-bankrollersSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

In this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin spoke to investigative reporter Alexey Kovalev to learn more about Russia’s upcoming presidential race, voter mobilization efforts, voter apathy, and Vladimir Putin’s pre-Election Day media blitz.In this episode, you'll hear an except from Fabrika's pro-Putin pop song “Vova Vova.” You can watch the NSFW music video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95VTlKr6pZs&t=42sYou can follow Alexey on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/Alexey__KovalevIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging some of your hard-earned money through Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

On March 7, following the controversial overtime defeat of the ice hockey team Severstal Cherepovets by SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL conference quarterfinals, sports writer Slava Malamud penned a 21-tweet thread arguing that not just the game or the series, but the whole KHL season has essentially been rigged by Vladimir Putin’s cronies to ensure that his hometown team wins this year's Gagarin Cup championship.In this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin spoke to Malamud to learn more about this year's “fixed” KHL season.Follow Slava Malamud on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SlavaMalamudAnd send me money here. All of it:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock

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Matthew Luxmoore, a Moscow-based correspondent for RFE/RL, discusses his March 2021 article about an amateur researcher in Tomsk named Denis Karagodin who’s spent the better part of a decade compiling archival documents about the execution of his great-grandfather in 1938 by officers in the NKVD. Earlier this year, the local authorities reportedly started building a criminal case against Karagodin on defamation charges filed by the relatives of some of his grandfather’s supposed executioners.

Read the article at RFE/RL here and follow Matt on Twitter here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
• Счастье вдруг (из х/ф Иван Васильевич меняет профессию)

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Sexual harassment allegations are gaining steam against Leonid Slutsky, the unbeautifully named head of the State Duma’s committee on foreign affairs. In this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin asks and answers the following three questions:*Who exactly has accused Leonid Slutsky of what exactly?*How have Slutsky’s colleagues in the legislature responded to the allegations?*What legal recourse do journalists in Russia have against sexual harassment?As always, don't forget to check out Meduza's coverage of this story, which you can find in several articles, including but not limited to:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/07/leonid-slutsky-must-resign-from-the-state-dumahttps://meduza.io/en/short/2018/03/07/the-speaker-of-the-state-duma-told-women-reporters-to-find-new-jobs-if-they-feel-threatened-by-sexual-harassment-at-russia-s-parliamenthttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/02/several-russian-journalists-say-a-federal-lawmaker-sexually-harassed-them-what-s-their-legal-recoursehttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/02/28/i-m-prepared-to-take-a-couple-of-journalist-girls-myself

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The Russian Federation Council’s Commission on Protecting State Sovereignty and Preventing Foreign Interference published its first major report on March 5. Much of the 83-page document is a digressive look at America’s history of meddling in various countries’ domestic affairs over the past half century. In their introduction, the commission members write that this study is an “objective analysis based on reliable data.” Meduza took a closer look at the report and found that a significant part of its data was taken from an article written by a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University in September 2016, with some additional excerpts copied from a book by the Stalinist pseudo-historian Igor Pykhalov, plus a bit lifted from Wikipedia.This episode of The Russia Guy asks and answers the following questions:*What did the Federation Council commission steal from?*How do we know the commission basically copy-pasted?*Why did the commission take from these sources?And don't forget to read Meduza's report on this report:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/06/russia-s-senate-released-a-report-accusing-the-u-s-of-meddling-in-foreign-countries-its-sources-are-a-stalinist-pseudo-historian-wikipedia-and-an-american-postgraduate

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On March 1, Vladimir Putin gave his annual state-of-the-nation address, devoting a significant part of his speech to a presentation of Russia’s latest weapons, including nuclear missiles. “Nobody listened to us before. Well listen up now,” the president said. Meduza asked several Russian political and security experts to explain why Putin demonstrated all these weapons and what the speech means for his next presidential term.In this episode, Kevin summarizes and comments on the expert interpretations reported by Meduza. Some questions asked and answered here: Who was Putin’s intended audience? Why does Putin feel the need to threaten the United States? And what does Putin hope to gain by talking up Russia’s next-generation nukes?And don't forget to read the Meduza story here:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/02/he-s-trying-to-say-take-us-seriously-we-re-not-joking-anymoreSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Two sources have confirmed to the independent TV station Dozhd that a former “troll factory” manager is now living happily in a suburb outside Seattle, Washington. This episode of The Russia Guy asks:* What’s the evidence of this woman’s connections to the troll factory?* How did she end up in the United States?* Why isn’t she in handcuffs or witness protection?* What does it matter if a former Russian troll factory manager has moved to Seattle?And don't forget to read Meduza's report on this latest “troll factory” development:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/02/26/russian-journalists-say-a-former-troll-factory-manager-is-now-living-happily-outside-seattle

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Today's episode looks at a series of flashy viral ads that have appeared on YouTube recently, advertising Russia's upcoming presidential election, asking: *What are these viral election ads? What are they about? How do they use humor to try to get people to vote?*How does the advertising industry get involved in this kind of work?*What’s the Kremlin’s role in all this?And don't forget to read Meduza's article on this story:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/02/23/viral-videos-promoting-the-presidential-election-are-popping-up-online-in-russia-and-nobody-is-sure-who-s-making-them-the-breadcrumbs-lead-back-to-the-kremlin

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After almost two months, The Russia Guy is back! Here's the outline for today's episode:Who is Vitaly Serukanov and how did he end up betraying Alexey Navalny?How did the political strategist Andrey Bogdanov end up working with Serukanov?How does Serukanov justify double-crossing Navalny like this?And don't forget to read Meduza's report on this story, which is my source for most of this information:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/02/22/how-one-of-navalny-s-former-staffers-teamed-up-with-a-notorious-strategist-to-steal-his-political-party

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In this episode, Kevin discusses “Going Vertical,” a new Russian blockbuster film about the USSR's 1972 Olympic basketball defeat of the United States, which was both an upset and upsetting to the Americans, who refused to accept silver medals, arguing that the game ended unfairly. This episode features audio clips from the film and from the actual game. Meduza also spoke to several of the 1972 team's members, including two of their widows, who have not exactly welcomed the new movie.https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/01/12/miracle-on-maple

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In this third installment of The Russia Guy's interview series with professionals in the expert community specializing on Russia, Kevin spoke to Kimberly Zenz, a senior international threat intelligence researcher at the Deutsche Cyber-Sicherheitsorganisation (German Cyber Security Organization) who's spent more than a decade working on Russian cybercrime. If you're a student of Russian area studies and want to know more about the career opportunities Kimberly describes in this interview, she encourages you to reach out on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kimberlytzenzSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Behold the second guest in The Russia Guy's new interview series: Nina Jankowicz, an expert in disinformation and democracy promotion in Eastern Europe. Kevin found out how she got into Think Tank Land and asked her just what it means to work toward democratic aims, both abroad and at home.You can follow her on the Twitters here:https://twitter.com/wiczipediaShe also runs a whole newsletter for your education and edification enjoyment. You can sign up at her website here:https://tinyletter.com/wiczipediaAnd you can read her Fulbright paper about Russian disinformation here (it's a slick 29 pages):https://wiczipedia.com/russian-disinformation/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today's the first in The Russia Guy's new interview series. Kevin sat down (remotely. don't read too much into that word) with Aric Toler, one of Bellingcat's top analysts and the lead Eastern Europe digital researcher at DFR Lab, to find out how he got into the Russia expertise biz, and what life is like in the open-source intelligence world.Follow him on Twitter, y'all.https://twitter.com/AricTolerSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today's guest is Sergei Khazov-Cassia, a correspondent in Moscow for RFE/RL's Russian Service. In this interview, Kevin asks Sergei about his recent investigative report on industrial-scale oil theft in Russia.

Read an English-language translation of the story, “The Great Russian Oil Heist,” right here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Kevin discusses three stories in this episode:A conspiracy theory says the FSB leaked a hacker's confession to incriminate the U.S. government in the DNC hack!https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/12/12/new-information-about-russian-officials-orchestrating-the-dnc-hack-could-be-designed-to-pin-the-cyber-attack-on-the-u-s-governmentRelated to this story, see Ellen Nakashima's WaPo report:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/court-document-points-to-kaspersky-labs-cooperation-with-russian-security-service/2017/12/13/14ba9450-df42-11e7-bbd0-9dfb2e37492a_story.html?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.5290e4ad429aThese religious traditionalists make for awful posterboys, if tolerance is your thing.https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/12/11/a-moscow-university-student-is-attacked-and-forced-to-apologize-on-camera-for-offending-muslims-christians-and-all-women-by-criticizing-sexist-traditionsRussian media monitoring and censorship explained.https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/12/13/a-hybrid-hunt-for-criminal-journalists

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Kevin commits Internet treason by criticizing his own country, moaning about Washington's inability to live up to its own word about FARA registration not interfering with media outlets' work. Then he moves on to moaning about the Russian Orthodox Church's weird obsession with an old and ugly conspiracy theory about Jews murdering the Romanovs in a “ritual killing.”How the U.S. says it treats ‘foreign agent’ journalists versus what it actually doeshttps://meduza.io/en/short/2017/11/30/how-the-u-s-says-it-treats-foreign-agent-journalists-versus-what-it-actually-doesFederal investigators have reopened the Tsar Nicholas II murder case, and the Russian Orthodox Church wants them to consider a notoriously anti-Semitic conspiracy theoryhttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/11/30/federal-investigators-have-reopened-the-tsar-nicholas-ii-murder-case-and-the-russian-orthodox-church-wants-them-to-consider-a-notoriously-anti-semitic-conspiracy-theorySupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Kevin's back and he's talking about four stories today:Russia's Security Council tells the government to develop a separate Internet for the BRICShttps://meduza.io/en/news/2017/11/28/russia-s-security-council-tells-the-government-to-develop-a-separate-internet-for-the-bricsThe Russian Investigative Committee's ‘Jewish problem’https://meduza.io/en/news/2017/11/29/the-russian-investigative-committee-s-jewish-problemNavalny's supporters accuse Ksenia Sobchak's campaign of inflating its support online, but her team says it has network TV to thankhttps://meduza.io/en/news/2017/11/28/navalny-s-supporters-accuse-ksenia-sobchak-s-campaign-of-inflating-its-support-online-but-her-team-says-it-has-network-tv-to-thank‘I won the role when the FSB needed to cast its next victim’ Meduza interviews the Polish historian deported from Russiahttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/11/28/i-won-the-role-when-the-fsb-needed-to-cast-its-next-victimAnd don't miss Meduza's long-read on the 1962 Novocherkassk story:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/11/23/the-novocherkassk-massacre

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In this episode, Kevin reviews Oleg Kashin's recent op-ed savaging the Western media's coverage of RussiaGate stories, which he says has robbed the country's young political culture of a celestial constellation (deep, right??). Kevin also reviews the hilarity of Russia Today's foreign-agent registration documents in the U.S.Kashin's op-ed, in Englishhttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/11/13/the-day-russians-stopped-believing-the-western-mediaFor more on RT's FARA docshttps://meduza.io/en/news/2017/11/14/rt-s-american-subsidiary-told-the-u-s-justice-department-that-it-doesn-t-know-where-its-money-comes-from-in-russiaSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

After several weeks of silence, Kevin is back with a look at Evgeny Prigozhin, “Putin's favorite chef,” to talk troll factory, procurement deals, and American shortsightedness. He's also going to gab about two very fine pieces of original reporting — one very long, and the other not as much.For background about Mr. Prigozhin:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2016/06/13/evgeny-prigozhin-s-right-to-be-forgottenFor a summary of Navalny's May 2017 research on Prigozhin's "cartel":https://themoscowtimes.com/news/navalny-unmasks-a-cartel-allegedly-earning-billions-in-defense-contracts-58049For Sasha Sulim's epic work on the North Caucasus:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/31/guilty-by-bloodFor Mikhail Danilovich's probing look at unprosecuted hate crimes against gay men in Russia:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/11/02/he-wasn-t-worthy-of-being-a-manSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today (Oct. 15), Kevin discuss an interview published hours ago with a former member of St. Petersburg's infamous Internet Research Agency.Read Meduza's summary of the interview in English here:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/15/an-ex-st-petersburg-troll-speaks-outOr read Dozhd's original text (in Russian, paywalled):https://tvrain.ru/teleshow/bremja_novostej/fabrika-447628/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today (Oct. 13), Kevin talks about Russian Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin's prickly, revealing outburst at an academic conference. He also reviews a new Russian TV show all about American “sleeper agents” in Moscow. It's called “Sleepers” (not “The Russians”).Bastrykin's outbursthttps://meduza.io/en/news/2017/10/13/russia-s-investigative-committee-chief-seems-a-little-desperate-in-chechnyaMeduza's review of “Sleepers”https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/13/there-s-a-new-spy-drama-on-russian-tv-about-american-sleeper-agents

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Today (Oct. 11), Kevin looks at a developing scandal involving top officials from Roskomnadzor, Russia's federal censor, and the still-escalating “foreign agent” conflict in the U.S. and Russian news media.Russia's Justice Ministry threatens ‘special restrictions’ on the work of U.S. journalistshttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/11/russia-s-justice-ministry-threatens-special-restrictions-on-the-work-of-u-s-journalistsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today (Oct. 6), Kevin talks about a ridiculous interview by the new U.S. ambassador to Russia, Jon Huntsman; rumors circulate that Moscow might ban American media outlets outright; Navalny plans nationwide protests on Oct. 7; and Meduza's new deep-dive report on “YouthArmy,” a “military-patriotic movement” created with support from the Defense Ministry.The Huntsman interview: https://twitter.com/foxandfriends/status/916252874622906371Police vs. Navalny activists:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/06/how-russia-s-cops-and-oppositionists-are-preparing-for-saturday-s-nationwide-protestsMeet the ‘YouthArmy,’ Russia's new hope for military-patriotic education:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/06/making-real-men-out-of-schoolchildrenSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

On today's episode (Oct. 4), Kevin talks about this Putin quote: “I still haven’t decided if I’ll run at all, let alone against whom I’ll run.” He also summarizes a new interview with Russian media star Elizaveta Osetinskaya, and looks at five fake stories reported by Russia's “best evening news program” and “best analytical review program.”The Osetinskaya interview: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/04/russia-is-trending-in-america-but-expertise-is-in-short-supplyThe TEFIs roundup: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/04/this-is-what-earns-emmys-in-russiaSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today's guest is Mary Ilyushina, a Moscow-based journalist and producer at CNN who previously worked at RBC. She’s recently worked on stories like the Navalny trial and the protests in Russia, as well as in Belarus, and she was kind enough to come on this podcast to talk about her career, her upbringing, and just generally her life.

Follow Mary on Twitter here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today (Oct. 2), Kevin discusses three stories: Alexey Navalny's return to jail (and world headlines); a long report on how the Russian govt is saving money by denying compensation payments to dead soldiers' families; and how social workers in Yekaterinburg seized a woman's two adopted kids after her elective double mastectomy.How Alexey Navalny and his campaign manager landed in jail again for another 20 dayshttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/03/how-alexey-navalny-and-his-campaign-manager-landed-in-jail-again-for-another-20-daysDead but not killed: How the Russian government is saving money by denying compensation payments to dead soldiers' familieshttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/09/29/dead-but-not-killedRussian social workers seize woman's two adopted children after she undergoes elective double mastectomyhttps://meduza.io/en/shapito/2017/09/29/russian-social-workers-seize-woman-s-two-adopted-children-after-she-undergoes-elective-double-mastectomySupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

On today's episode of The Russia Guy(Sept. 28, 2017), Kevin talks about a new op-ed by former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul and a weird new “parental control” service offered by a Russian tech company specializing in big data.McFaul's op-ed: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/09/28/enough-is-enough-how-to-stop-russias-cyber-interference/?utm_term=.ead20f0639acMeduza's story on “Parental Control”: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/09/28/better-us-than-the-fsbSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

In today's episode (recorded Sept. 26), Kevin discusses the “Straight Out of the Kremlin’s Toolkit: Strategies of State Actors” panel at the Atlantic Council's “StratComDC” conference, and a ridiculous defense by the city of Izhevsk against Alexey Navalny's presidential campaign.

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

On today's episode, Kevin talks about a really gross crime story out of Krasnodar (involving cannibals and maybe the worst selfies ever), a film review of “Matilda” (Russia's most controversial movie in years), and the Russian government's weird, love-hate fascination with Telegram channels.

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today's episode is a co-hosted news-in-review show with Canadian journalist Neil Hauer about political unrest in Yerevan (where Neil is based), Amnesty International's leaked internal decision to revoke Alexey Navalny's prisoner-of-conscience status, and Team Navalny's efforts to open a campaign office in Dagestan.

Follow Neil on Twitter here and support his journalism at Patreon here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

This episode's guest is Anton Barbashin, the editorial director at Riddle, an online publication that focuses on Russian affairs and features some of the sharpest expert insights in the field, particularly from young specialists and scholars. From 2015 to 2018, Anton was a managing editor of Intersection, a Warsaw-based Russian affairs journal, and he's worked as an analyst at the Center for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding. His writings have also appeared at Foreign Affairs, The American Interest, openDemocracy Russia, Forbes Russia, and more.

Follow Anton Barbashin on Twitter here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Reuters special correspondent Polina Ivanova discusses her November 2020 article “The Woman Who Fell From the Sky,” about Star City (the secretive home of Russia's space program) and about the death of Natalya Lebedeva,  a doctor who found herself caught up in the confusion and panic of the pandemic’s early days. Incidentally, Longform.org selected the text as one of the best science long-reads of 2020.

Follow Polina on Twitter here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today's guest is Samantha Berkhead, a news editor at The Moscow Times, where she’s reported on all manner of things over the past two years, including Internet memes, Tolstoy’s descendants living in the sticks, witchcraft, queer culture, kinky parties (more about this in the interview), feminism, and a lot, lot more.

Follow her on Twitter here and at The Moscow Times here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
• Счастье вдруг (из х/ф Иван Васильевич меняет профессию)

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today's guest is Dr. Leslie Root, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Demography at UC Berkeley. Dr. Root recently completed "Fertility in Transition in 21st-Century Russia," a dissertation on childbearing and fertility changes over the course of the Putin era in Russia.

Follow Leslie on Twitter here, and visit her website here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
• Счастье вдруг (из х/ф Иван Васильевич меняет профессию)

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today's guest is Alex Kliment, the creative director at GZERO Media, Eurasia Group's global-politics-oriented independent media spinoff, where he directs “Puppet Regime,” a political satire puppet series. Additionally, Alex is the senior editor of Eurasia Group’s global politics newsletter, “Signal.” Alex also composes film scores, and he’s put that musical talent to work for GZERO, as well.

Follow Alex on Twitter here and watch "Puppet Regime" on YouTube here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
• Счастье вдруг (из х/ф Иван Васильевич меняет профессию)

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today’s show features an interview with Jonny Tickle, a man with an incredible name and a controversial resume, given that he worked as a writer for Russia Today — RT — right up until Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. He left the country shortly thereafter, but he’s since returned (like quite a few others), and he’s even resumed his YouTube travel vlog where he visits cities across Russia and talks about the local scene and attractions. Jonny agreed to come on The Russia Guy to talk about being back in Russia, what’s in store for him next, and what life is like in a country at war where you can’t even call it a war.

Skip to the bits you want:

• (1:26) Being safe in Russia today.
• (3:46) Why go back to Russia?
• (11:36) The vibe on the streets of Moscow.
• (19:33) Today’s journalism about Russia.

Today's guest is Jack Stubbs, the European cybersecurity correspondent at the news agency Reuters and previously a correspondent in Russia and Ukraine. About a week ago, on October 1, 2020, Jack authored an exclusive story at Reuters, titled “Russian Operation Masqueraded as Right-Wing News Site to Target U.S. Voters,” about people connected to the infamous Internet Research Agency — that troll factory founded by Evgeny Prigozhin — running a fake news outlet designed to target right-wing voters with inflammatory political messaging ahead of this year’s U.S. presidential election. According to sources familiar with an FBI probe, this is the right-wing version of a nearly identical project that targeted American leftists called Peace Data.

Follow Jack Stubbs on Twitter here and read his work at Reuters here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Alexandr Kuzminyh, CC BY license, "TOP 12 CARTOONS ON THE GUITAR (SOVIET CARTOONS)"
• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
• Thinking Music by Kevin MacLeod / Link / License
• The Bandit by Kevin MacLeod / Link / License

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today's guest is Ben Aris, the editor-in-chief of bne IntelliNews, a media outlet he pioneered that reports on business news and data from emerging markets. Ben spent many years as a foreign correspondent in Eastern Europe, and he’s been covering Russia since 1993, with stints in the Baltics and Central Asia. He co-founded bne and is a former Moscow bureau chief for The Daily Telegraph and was a contributing editor at The Banker and Euromoney for a decade.

Follow Ben Aris on Twitter here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Alexandr Kuzminyh, CC BY license, "TOP 12 CARTOONS ON THE GUITAR (SOVIET CARTOONS)"
• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Bryan MacDonald, the head of the online Russia desk at the English-language edition of Russia Today, or RT, joins “The Russia Guy” to discuss his career in journalism and his views on Alexey Navalny, Western reporting, and Russian politics.

Follow him on Twitter here.

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Ну погоди, episode 14
• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)