In Moscow's Shadows Cellcast: 11 August 2020: Russia and Belarus
Belarus is in turmoil. Why did Lukashenka award himself such an implausible 80% of the vote> How does Moscow see the current crisis, and what might it do about it? This is one of the short 'cellcasts'...
13 Aug 202010min
In Moscow's Shadows 10: Russian Influence, Soft Power and Dark Power
The release of a long-awaited report on Russian influence in the UK provides a chance to look at why Moscow tries - and often fails - to exert influence, and why the Kremlin seems to default to aggres...
8 Aug 202028min
In Moscow's Shadows 9: Thrones of Bayonets (and hacking coronavirus research)
There is more to Putin's regime than his capacity to threaten and unleash violence - but this is a crucial element, and as his legitimacy wanes, this may come to the fore. Thrones of bayonets are unco...
20 Jul 202032min
In Moscow's Shadows 8: Serebrennikov, Miniakhmetov and Set' and the 'Three Russias'
The big story is the constitutional vote, but I honestly have nothing new to say about that, so instead I take three controversial court cases - Kirill Serebrennikov the director, Colonel Miniakhmetov...
5 Jul 202027min
In Moscow's Shadows 7: Technocrats and Cultural Warriors, and Why I'd Vote No In the Constitutional Plebiscite
Having talked about Security Council secretary Patrushev in the last podcast, he and most of the other heads of the security agency chiefs suddenly seem uncharacteristically newsworthy - and they are ...
22 Jun 202024min
In Moscow's Shadows 6: The Most Dangerous Man in Russia
Who could be the most dangerous man in Russia? A president? An ideologue? A kleptocrat? A gangster? None of those, in my opinion...If anyone is interested in the Argumenty i Fakty article I mention, i...
14 Jun 202023min
In Moscow's Shadows Cellcast: 7 June 2020: A Plot in Prague, The Murders That Weren't
What to make of the Czech Republic's bizarre 'ricin case' whereby a Russian diplomat was accused of being part of an assassination plot that turned out to be fake - but still got expelled? I honestly ...
14 Jun 20209min
In Moscow's Shadows 5: Disinformation (and deep-cover spies and Libya)
Does Russia use disinformation as a weapon against the West? Yes. But is this a constant and carefully coordinated campaign? Not so much: this episode, I outline how I think this really works, and how...
2 Jun 202027min
