Hosted by Max Bergmann and Dr. Maria Snegovaya of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at CSIS, Russian Roulette explores the politics, history, and complex societies of Russia and Eurasia. Tune in for fascinating interviews and discussions on some of the biggest questions facing the broader post-Soviet space. Produced by David Lotfi, Lexi Linafelter, and Nicholas Fenton
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Mike Kofman and Rob Lee on the West’s Aid to Ukraine, and the Debate Over Red Lines and Escalation
Monday, September 9, 2024 • Duration 56:18
This week, Max and Maria were joined by military analysts Michael Kofman and Rob Lee to discuss the latest phase of the war in Ukraine. Max and Maria asked them for their thoughts on the ongoing Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, and whether or not this seizure of Russian territory by Kyiv exposes Russian threats of escalation as hollow. If they are hollow, does that mean Western "red lines" on certain kinds of aid to Ukraine should be reassessed?
"Ukraine's Gamble: The Risks and Rewards of the Offensive Into Russia's Kursk Region" by Michael Kofman and Rob Lee (September 2, 2024 in Foreign Affairs)
Ukraine's Kursk Offensive with Sam Bendett and Mick Ryan
Friday, August 23, 2024 • Duration 37:25
Max and Maria sat down with Sam Bendett and Mick Ryan to discuss the Ukrainian military's recent seizure of territory in Kursk Oblast, inside Russia. They discussed how this attack took place, the risks and potential gains at stake for the Ukrainian side, and what this could all mean for the war going forward.
Check out Mick's latest book, "The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire." All royalties from the book will be donated to support the Ukrainian war effort.
Back in Stock? The Latest Report on the Russian Defense Industry from CSIS
Friday, May 3, 2024 • Duration 40:37
Today, Max and Maria were joined by Tina Dolbaia and Nick Fenton, two members of the team at CSIS, to discuss the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program's latest report, "Back in Stock? The State of Russia's Defense Industry after Two Years of the War."
Of Cold War Poland and Today’s Hot Topics - Russian Roulette Episode 62
Tuesday, July 31, 2018 • Duration 38:39
In this episode, Jeff sits down with Seth G. Jones, director of the Transnational Threats Project and a senior adviser to the International Security Program at CSIS, to discuss Seth’s forthcoming book, A Covert Action: Reagan, the CIA, and the Cold War Struggle in Poland, and the legacy of Cold War political warfare.
You can view Seth’s bio and recent publications, here: https://www.csis.org/people/seth-g-jones. We encourage you to pre-order his book, here: http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=4294995524.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
Of Summitry and Asummitry–Russian Roulette Episode 61
Tuesday, July 17, 2018 • Duration 47:03
Jeff and Jeff take center stage in our sixty-first episode of Russian Roulette. Jeff Mankoff sits down with Jeff Rathke, senior fellow and deputy director of the Europe Program at CSIS to discuss major takeaways from the most recent NATO summit, as well as the upcoming (at the time of recording) Trump-Putin bilateral meeting. Then, Jeff Mankoff tackles new mailbag questions, with some help from Research Associate and Producer, Cyrus Newlin.
You can view Jeff Rathke’s bio and publications, here: https://www.csis.org/people/jeffrey-rathke. For more summitry, be sure to catch his appearance on our sister podcast, The Readout, here: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/readout.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
Of Proliferants and Nonproliferants – Russian Roulette Episode 60
Tuesday, June 19, 2018 • Duration 41:53
In this episode of Russian Roulette, we sit down with Andrey Baklitskiy. Andrey is a consultant with the PIR Center in Moscow who writes and speaks on arms control and nonproliferation issues. We discuss Russian approaches to nonproliferation, Iran and North Korea, the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and the future of arms control.
You can read Andrey’s bio and some of his recent articles here: http://www.pircenter.org/en/experts/25-2147658. Olya and Andrey’s recently coauthored article, “The Nuclear Posture Review and Russian ‘De-Escalation:’ A Dangerous Solution to a Nonexistent Problem,” is available for you to read, here: https://warontherocks.com/2018/02/nuclear-posture-review-russian-de-escalation-dangerous-solution-nonexistent-problem/.
We encourage you to read the final report and discussion papers from our U.S.-Russia Crisis Stability dialogue here: https://www.csis.org/programs/russia-and-eurasia-program/us-russia-crisis-stability-results-track-ii-dialogue. You can watch Olya, Andrey, and Sharon Squassoni of George Washington University discuss the results of that dialogue here: https://www.csis.org/events/us-russia-crisis-stability-results-strategic-dialogue.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
Of Russia’s Political Economy, and Grad Students in Basements – Russian Roulette Episode 59
Tuesday, June 5, 2018 • Duration 43:06
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Aaron Schwartzbaum, the founder and former editor-in-chief of BMB Russia (formerly the Bear Market Brief), a daily news brief and blog covering Russia’s economy, politics, business climate, and political risk environment.
They discuss the Russian economy (myths, facts, and mysteries, as well as Russia’s economic outlook), Aaron’s experience starting and running BMB Russia, and how generational differences shape U.S. policy towards Russia.
We encourage you to read and sign up for BMB Russia, here: https://bearmarketbrief.com/
You can view Aaron’s bio, here: https://www.fpri.org/contributor/aaron-schwartzbaum/.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
Of Russian Military Reforms from Georgia to Syria – Russian Roulette Episode 58
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 • Duration 28:23
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Olya sits down with Anton Lavrov, a visiting fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Program at CSIS and an independent defense analyst affiliated with the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST). Anton is a leading specialist on Russia’s 2008 war in Georgia, and a widely-cited expert on Russian military capabilities and Russian operations abroad. Olya and Anton discuss Russian military reforms, what new capabilities Russia demonstrated in Syria, and where the Russian military may (or may not) be heading.
You can view Anton’s bio, here, https://www.csis.org/programs/russia-and-eurasia-program/fellows, and watch his recent presentation at CSIS, here: https://www.csis.org/events/russian-armed-forces-syria-assessing-russian-reforms
We’ll link to Anton’s forthcoming report for the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program as soon as it is published.
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
Of Armaments and Armenia: Russian Roulette Episode 57
Tuesday, May 8, 2018 • Duration 39:38
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Olya sits down with Leonid Nersisyan, Military Analyst at the REGNUM Information Agency and Editor in Chief of the Moscow-based New Defense Order Strategy magazine. They discuss the state of military analysis in Russia, including Leonid’s experience running a military affairs magazine; the Russian military-industrial complex and how defense contracts work in Russia; some of Russia’s new strategic systems; and the INF treaty and the future of U.S.-Russia arms control. Then, Olya and Jeff sit down for an overdue current affairs segment, where they tackle the latest political developments in Armenia, which has had a very exciting few weeks of protests, culminating in a new Prime Minister.
To read some of Leonid’s English-language analysis, check out his National Interest pieces, here: http://nationalinterest.org/profile/leonid-nersisyan.
Watch Leonid’s public presentation at CSIS, here: https://www.csis.org/events/putins-new-strategic-systems-plans-realities-and-prospects
You can read New Defense Order Strategy, here: http://en.dfnc.ru/
And check out our recent CSIS event on Armenia, here: https://www.csis.org/events/armenias-new-challenges-how-should-west-respond
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that). We look forward to hearing from you.
Of Reading Russia—And Our Mail - Russian Roulette Episode 56
Tuesday, April 24, 2018 • Duration 48:12
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Olya and Jeff answer the mail! (yes, it has been too long without a mailbag). Then, Olya sits down with Michael Kimmage, a professor of history at Catholic University who from 2014-2016 held the Russia/Ukraine portfolio on the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State. They discuss Russian literature: the essential works (including those less known in the West); how literature expands and complicates America’s understanding of Russia (and vice versa); film, animation, and Russian normalcy; the role of books and prose in Russian politics and society; and why policymakers in Washington should read Russian literature now more than ever.
For more information on Michael and for a list of his publications, click here: https://history.catholic.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/kimmage-michael/index.html
For your reference and reading enjoyment, here are some of the books, poets, films, and animations discussed in the episode:
Books and Poets
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, by Aleksander Solzhenitsyn: https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/one-day-in-the-life-of-ivan-denisovich/pics/
The “Silver Age” of Russian poetry, including early works by Anna Akhmatova, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/anna-akhmatova, and Boris Pasternak, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/boris-pasternak
The Brothers Karamazov, https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Karamazov-Fyodor-Dostoevsky/dp/0374528373 , and Crime and Punishment, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2554/2554-h/2554-h.htm, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Life and Fate, by Vasily Grossman: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Fate-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590172019
The early works of Lyudmila Petrushevskaya: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/310394/there-once-lived-a-girl-who-seduced-her-sisters-husband-and-he-hanged-himself-by-ludmilla-petrushevskaya/9780143121527/ ; https://granta.com/our-circle/
A Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow, by Aleksander Radishchev: https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Saint-Petersburg-Moscow/dp/0674485505
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy: https://www.amazon.com/War-Peace-Translated-Volokhonsky-Classics-ebook/dp/B005JSZJVS
Film
The Irony of Fate: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073179/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl
Animation
Nu, Pogodi! (Just You Wait!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K1j8CoOoks
As always, keep sending us mailbag questions! If you would like to have your question answered on the podcast, send it to us! Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. And, if you have one, include your Twitter handle, so we can notify you publicly when we answer your question (or, if you don’t want us to, tell us that...
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