Russian Roulette

Center for Strategic and International Studies

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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164 episodes
Updated July 27
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Episodes164

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Oct 8, 2021 · 40 min
Of Russia’s Climate Gamble and the Northern Sea Route – Russian Roulette Episode 116
In this episode, Heather provides a brief overview of a new CSIS report, “Russia’s Climate Gamble" and then sits down with Felix Tschudi to discuss Russia’s ambitious plans for transforming the Northern Sea Route (NSR) into a major global shipping corridor.
Sep 29, 2021 · 48 min
Of The Tale of Two Russian Occupations: Georgia and Ukraine – Russian Roulette Episode 115
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather and guests discuss the effectiveness and shortcomings of Russia’s hard and soft power influence tools in Georgia and Ukraine.
Jul 12, 2021 · 41 min
Of Sino-Russian Military Cooperation: Alliance or Alignment? - Russian Roulette Episode 114
In this episode, Heather sits down with Paul Schwartz and Richard Weitz to discuss Sino-Russian military cooperation, its purpose, and its costs to Russia.
Jul 9, 2021 · 43 min
Of Russia’s Arctic Council Chairmanship and Sino-Russian Collaboration in the Arctic - Russian Roulette Episode 113
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Andrei Zagorski and Elizabeth Buchanan to Russia’s plans for its Chairmanship of the Arctic Council, Russia and China’s Arctic strategies, and the strategic conundrum presented by Sino-Russian cooperation in the Arctic.
Apr 12, 2021 · 40 min
Of Politics in Moldova and Diversity in Russia and Eurasia Studies Field - Russian Roulette Episode 112
In this two-part episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Ambassador Dereck J. Hogan, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, and Nicole B. Aandahl, the director of CSIS’s Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Program.
Apr 2, 2021 · 36 min
Of the Quad and Russia’s Role in the Indo-Pacific - Russian Roulette Episode 111
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Michael J. Green to discuss the key takeaways from a U.S.-Japan-Russia Track 2 conference, the strategic implications of a robust Quad, and the challenges presented by closer Sino-Russian coordination to the U.S. and other Quad members.
Mar 26, 2021 · 44 min
Of Russia’s Energy Markets, Transitions, and Future - Russian Roulette Episode 110
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down Georgy Safonov and Nikos Tsafos to discuss what global carbon-neutrality pledges and policies mean for Russia’s energy transition, how the Russian energy industry may adapt to the changing European and Asian markets, and what energy alternatives Russia might focus on in the future.
Jan 28, 2021 · 33 min
Of The Dawn of a New Era in Arms Control?: Extending the New Start Treaty - Russian Roulette Episode 109
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down Rebecca Hersman, Director of the Project on Nuclear Issues (or PONI), and Senior Adviser, International Security Program at CSIS, and Dmitry Stefanovich, Research Fellow at the Center for International Security, Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS) in Moscow. They discuss the reasons why the Biden and Putin administrations are extending the last remaining U.S.-Russian arms control agreement, the Ne
Dec 30, 2020 · 37 min
Of The End of a Very Long Year for U.S.-Russian Relations - Russian Roulette Episode 108
In this last Russian Roulette episode of the year, Heather sits down with Ambassador John J. Sullivan, the U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation and former Deputy Secretary of State. They discuss the highlights, low points, of his tenure as Ambassador, why there wasn’t a New START extension this year among others.
Oct 8, 2020 · 40 min
Of The Cost of Engineering Victory: Russia's September Elections and Impact of Team Navalny - Russian Roulette Episode 107
This episode focuses on the outcome of the September 13 elections in Russia and what they portend for next year’s high stakes Duma election. Guests also assess the success of Alexey Navalny’s “Smart Voting” strategy and what his poisoning meant to opposition forces in Russia.
Sep 25, 2020 · 37 min
Of Russia’s Politics of Memory – Russian Roulette Episode 106
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with Hannah Alberts, analyst with U.S. European Command based in the United Kingdom, and Jade McGlynn, researcher and lecturer at the University of Oxford. They were participants in CSIS’s Understanding the Russian Military Today, a five-day, professional development program that explored the elements of Russian military power, including its composition and prospects, social and historical foundations, doctrine, and current operations. As a final exercise, participants were tasked with developing short, independent research papers that explored one of four major themes: Russian society, strategy, and history; elements of Russian military power; recent uses of Russian military power; and resources behind Russian military power. Hannah and Jade discussed their papers, both of which focus on how Russia instrumentalizes history and culture at home as well as abroad to serve a political or military purpose. You can find Hannah’s paper here: https://www.csis.org/blogs/post-soviet-post/next-generation-fighters Jade’s: https://www.csis.org/blogs/post-soviet-post/constructing-memory-alliances You can also follow Jade on Twitter: @jademcglynn122 You can find papers written by other participants here: https://www.csis.org/programs/russia-and-eurasia-program/understanding-russian-military-today Stay safe and healthy.
Aug 26, 2020 · 26 min
Of A ‘Pause’ in the Belarusian “Democratic Revolution” - Russian Roulette Episode 105
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather sits down with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Linas Linkevičius, and David J. Kramer, Senior Fellow in the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy at the Florida International University to discuss the current situation in Belarus.
Aug 11, 2020 · 31 min
Of Russian Influence in Germany - Russian Roulette Episode 104
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Heather Conley sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Mankoff and Tabea Wilke to discuss elements of Jeff’s report “With Friends Like These: Assessing Russian Influence in Germany.”
Aug 11, 2020 · 28 min
Of Improvisation and Adaptability in the Russian Military, Part II - Russian Roulette Episode 103
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Andreas Turunen and Joe Cheravitch to discuss the Russian military's electronic and psychological operations.
May 1, 2020 · 30 min
Of Improvisation and Adaptability in the Russian Military, Part I - Russian Roulette Episode 102
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Stephen Blank, Michael Petersen, and Samuel Bendett to discuss the Russian military's developing operational concepts and capabilities, and what they mean for the United States and its Allies. Steve, Mike, and Sam contributed chapters to the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program's recent report "Improvisation and Adaptability in the Russian Military." Their biographies can be found here: Stephen’s: https://www.fpri.org/contributor/stephen-blank/, Michael’s: https://usnwc.edu/Faculty-and-Departments/Directory/Michael-Petersen, and Sam’s: https://www.cna.org/experts/Bendett_S The report can be found here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/improvisation-and-adaptability-russian-military You can follow Sam and Michael on Twitter: @SamBendett, @Mi_Petersen38 We thank the Russia Strategic Initiative, U.S. European Command, for their interest and support for the project. Stay safe and prosper.
Apr 7, 2020 · 35 min
Of COVID19 Measures--or lack thereof--in Russia - Russian Roulette Episode 101
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff is joined by Judy Twigg, Professor of Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University and a Senior Associate with the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program. They discuss the COVID19 outbreak in Russia and how well the government and the public health system are coping with this challenge. Judy also mentions the situation in Ukraine, so keep listening for that, too. You can find Judy Twigg’s bio and selected work here: https://politicalscience.vcu.edu/people/faculty/twigg.html, and follow her on Twitter: @jtwigg9 Her previous appearance on Russian Roulette discussing a co-authored report “Putin and Global Health: Friend or Foe?" can be found on our website: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/russian-roulette/putin-and-global-health-friend-or-foe-russian-roulette-episode-91. Judy’s recent publications on COVID19 and Russia can be accessed: https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/russias-not-ready-coronavirus and https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/what-lies-behind-russias-coronavirus-containment-effort. Stay safe and prosper.
Mar 31, 2020 · 38 min
Of Coronavirus in Central Asia - Russian Roulette Episode 100
In this 100 episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff is joined by Torokul Doorov, the Director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Kazakh Service, and Aigerim Toleukhanova, digital editor with RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service. They discuss the coronavirus outbreak in Central Asia and what its implications are for regional politics, economics, society, and more. You can find Torokul and Aigerim’s bios here: https://pressroom.rferl.org/experts Both are also avid Twitter users, so consider following them @Torokul and @aygeryma We thank all our listeners for their support—we couldn’t have reached episode #100 without you. Stay safe and prosper.
Mar 19, 2020 · 36 min
Of Prospects for U.S.-Russia Arms Control - Russian Roulette Episode 99
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff is joined by Andrey Baklitskiy, a recent CSIS Visiting Fellow and a consultant at the PIR Center in Moscow. They discuss Andrey’s forthcoming CSIS report on the future of U.S.-Russia arms control, whether strategic arms control is needed in today’s context, and Russian experts’ and officials’ views of arms control. Andrey also discusses his wager on whether New START is extended or not. You can find Andrey's report on the CSIS website: https://www.csis.org/analysis/prospects-us-russian-arms-control The video of our recent public event with Andrey can be found here: https://www.csis.org/events/prospects-us-russia-arms-control Andrey’s bio can be found here: https://www.csis.org/programs/russia-and-eurasia-program/staff-and-affiliates/fellows Andrey is also an avid Twitter user, so consider following him @baklitskiy. He also hosts his own podcast (in Russian), called Принуждение к миру, which you can access on Apple Podcasts at: https://apple.co/2xQDh47 We want more mail! 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. Stay safe and prosper.
Feb 27, 2020 · 32 min
Of Russia’s Political Transition and its Constitution - Russian Roulette Episode 98
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with William Pomeranz, Deputy Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute and author of Law and the Russian State: Russia's Legal Evolution from Peter the Great to Vladimir Putin (Bloomsbury, 2018). They discuss the proposed Russian constitutional reform, its key provisions, and what their impact is likely to be. Will’s previous appearance on Russian Roulette, when he discussed his book, can be found here: https://www.csis.org/podcasts/russian-roulette/law-and-russian-state-%E2%80%93-russian-roulette-episode-78 Will’s book is available for purchase here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/law-and-the-russian-state-9781474224246/, or for order from your local bookstore. You can find his bio as well as his other works here: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/william-e-pomeranz We want more mail! 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.
Jan 24, 2020 · 31 min
Of Russian’s Moral Dilemmas and Compromises - Russian Roulette Episode 96
In this episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff sits down with Joshua Yaffa, correspondent for The New Yorker in Moscow. They focus on his recently published book Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia. They discuss how entrepreneurs, artists, or historians balance the demands of the state and their ambitions and whether “double think” that was present in the Soviet Union is present in Russia today. You can find Joshua’s bio and purchase the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/555637/between-two-fires-by-joshua-yaffa/ If you would like to follow Joshua on Twitter: @yaffaesque We want more mail! 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.