In Moscow's Shadows 18: Life in the Communist Party? And Three Random Stories
Is there life in the Communist Party, and any chance of it again becoming an opposition party, maybe even in some kind of entente with Alexei Navalny? My thoughts. And in the second part, I highlight...
6 Dec 202027min
In Moscow's Shadows Cellcast: 24 November 2020: Konstantin Malofeev and his Tsargrad party - a potential threat to the Kremlin from the right?
Another short 'cellcast', going out directly to my Patrons, and to everyone else a week later. In this cellcast, recorded on 24 November, I look at the Orthodox, nationalist businessman Konstantin Mal...
1 Dec 202020min
In Moscow's Shadows 17: Russian Gangsters; and Kadyrov and Captain America
An introduction to the Russian underworld and, especially, three problematic concepts - the 'honest thief,' the 'thieves' world' and the 'mafia state' - to kick off a series of segments about aspects ...
22 Nov 202030min
In Moscow's Shadows 16: The Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR): and Is Putin Ill? (Spoiler: Probably Not)
After a few very brief observations on the US elections and the implications of a Biden presidency, a look at the SVR, its operations, role, culture and political ambitions of its director, Sergei Nar...
8 Nov 202039min
In Moscow's Shadows Cellcast: 1 November 2020: Five Things Bugging Me in Western Russia Coverage
Another short 'cellcast', going out directly to my Patrons, and to everyone else a week later. A rant, plain and simple. Sparked by the article 'The Narcissism of The New York Times’ Foreign Coverage'...
8 Nov 202016min
In Moscow's Shadows 15: In conversation with Anna Arutunyan, on sanctions, calling Putin's bluff, and various bunches of guys
In the first In Moscow's Shadows to have a guest, I talk to Anna Arutunyan, analyst and writer on Russia (her The Putin's Mystique is well worth a read if you don't already know it) on her recent arti...
24 Okt 202041min
In Moscow's Shadows 14: The Kremlin, Will and Empire; and, A Fistful of Books #1
Russia has long considered the so-called 'Near Abroad' of post-Soviet states to be its sphere of influence. But does it really have the will to assert hegemony? I'd suggest that it does not, in a whis...
10 Okt 202038min
In Moscow's Shadows Cellcast: 29 September 2020: A Week in the life of Sergei Naryshkin
Sergei Naryshkin, the director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and chair of the Russian Historical Society, has been a busy man this past week, involving himself in everything from Belarus t...
5 Okt 20209min
