In Moscow's Shadows 147: The Reshuffle, Or Change To Preserve Things As They Are
There has been an unexpectedly interesting and extensive reshuffle of the Russian government, but what does it mean? I suggest it is about creating an enduring militarised, mobilised state, preserving...
19 Maj 202456min
In Moscow's Shadows 146: Britain and Russia, Eternal Frenemies
Reading Barbara Emerson's excellent The First Cold War: Anglo-Russian Relations in the 19th Century got me thinking more about the nature of British-Russian relations, which really date back to the 16...
12 Maj 202445min
In Moscow's Shadows 145: How Corruption Works Under Putin
The case of Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov, long known as 'king of the kickback,' but only now arrested and charged, provides a good opportunity to consider how corruption is so central to Putin...
5 Maj 202453min
In Moscow's Shadows 144: Of Talks and Thugs
In the first part, I talk about some of the issues raised by a recent article in Foreign Affairs by Sam Charap and Sergei Radchenko for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia whenever they actually h...
21 Apr 20241h 7min
In Moscow's Shadows 143: Of MICE and Man
Why are some individuals, parties, even countries still so willing to believe (or at least affect to believe) Putin's nonsense? As a way of trying to explain it, I turn to the intelligence recruitment...
14 Apr 202458min
In Moscow's Shadows 142: Heresies and Revolutions
Is Putin's Russia becoming a revolutionary state? A recent article on RT by Dmitry Trenin, once one of the doyens of Russian foreign policy analysis, suggests so, but perhaps doesn't go far enough. I ...
7 Apr 202453min
In Moscow's Shadows 141: Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll (kinda)
After a sham election and a ghastly terrorist attack (and a pretty ghastly official response), time to talk about something else: sex, drugs and rock & roll. Well, demography, access to pharmaceutica...
31 Mars 202455min
In Moscow's Shadows 140: Terrorism and Totalitarianism
What a week it has been. I give my initial thoughts on the awful terrorist attack on the outskirts of Moscow, and then pivot to some further lessons of the sham presidential elections. It's all joy, a...
24 Mars 202452min
