In Moscow's Shadows 173: Personalistic Power under Putin
I use reviews of three books to consider the risks and limitations of personalistic explanations of power under Putin, and whether a medieval concept of clan and family actually makes more sense... T...
3 Nov 202449min
In Moscow's Shadows 172: BRICS without Straw
(It seems to be obligatory to use a weak BRICS/bricks pun, so I felt I had to follow...) The BRICS summit in Kazan (a smart place to hold it) gives all the appearances of being a propaganda win for P...
26 Okt 202439min
In Moscow's Shadows bonus minipodcast: North Koreans in Russia?
Released to Patrons yesterday, a bonus mini-pod on the claims that North Korean combat troops are heading to fight in Ukraine and what the media discussion also says about the current discourse. The ...
21 Okt 202416min
In Moscow's Shadows 171: The invisible and invidious Sergei Korolev, perhaps the next head of the FSB
An all-spook episode, as I try to piece together the rise of FSB First Deputy Director Sergei Korolev, who seems the most likely figure to succeed current agency chief Bortnikov. Corruption, clienteli...
20 Okt 202447min
In Moscow's Shadows 170: The Opposition Soap Opera
At times it does look as if the emigre liberal opposition to Putin is in such a mess that it looks like a soap opera. So what are some of the recent plot twists and why are they so divided -- and, ult...
13 Okt 202448min
In Moscow's Shadows 169: The GUSP, the most secret of Russia's secret services
The appointment to the Security Council of Alexander Linets, head of the Main Directorate of Special Programs of the President of the Russian Federation (GUSP), is a suitable moment to look into this,...
6 Okt 202447min
In Moscow's Shadows 168: Putin Wants Us To Have Nuclear Nightmares
Putin's at it again, raising nuclear fears to unsettle the West. Or is the new revision to Russian nuclear doctrine more than just a bit of sabre-rattling? I suggest it is, with bearing on potential U...
29 Sep 202443min
In Moscow's Shadows 167: Shoigu Redux
While the Security Council itself is having its time wasted with trivia, new Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has been busy. How has he survived (is it the shaman connection? It is not), and w...
21 Sep 202447min
