The Russia Guy: Recent Episodes
Kevin Rothrock
In this podcast, translator and news aggregator Kevin Rothrock talks to movers and shakers in Russia-focused journalism and academia. Interviews deal with views on trending news stories, the overarching themes of “Russia watching,” and the ins and outs of life as a professional in this field. Help him pay for recording software by supporting the show with recurring donations.
Kevin returns to run his mouth about recent events in the Russia-Ukraine world, and other stuff. Topics discussed here:
- Twitter ad revenue sharing
- Russia's new Moon mission, Luna-25
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- Slow counteroffensive darkens mood in Ukraine
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- Sergey Vakulenko on the Black Sea naval war
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- Blocking VPNs and Google services
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- Navalny's essay from prison on Russia in the 1990s
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- Viral videos: Alexander Dudka, the collaborationist mayor of Lazurne in the occupied Kherson region, and an argument at a playground between mothers in Krasnodar
Today’s guest is Dr. Jade McGlynn, a specialist in Russian memory and foreign policy at the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies and the author of two books: “The Kremlin’s Memory Makers” and “Russia’s War.” Discussed in this interview: the Kremlin’s claims that Russia is fighting an existential battle in Ukraine, how memory shapes that conversation, balancing dispassionate scholarly work and ethical advocacy, and more!
Today’s show features an interview with Jonny Tickle, a man with an incredible name and a controversial resume, given that he worked as a writer for Russia Today — RT — right up until Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. He left the country shortly thereafter, but he’s since returned (like quite a few others), and he’s even resumed his YouTube travel vlog where he visits cities across Russia and talks about the local scene and attractions. Jonny agreed to come on The Russia Guy to talk about being back in Russia, what’s in store for him next, and what life is like in a country at war where you can’t even call it a war.
Skip to the bits you want:
- (1:26) Being safe in Russia today.
- (3:46) Why go back to Russia?
- (11:36) The vibe on the streets of Moscow.
- (19:33) Today’s journalism about Russia.
Today’s guest is Dr. Emily Holland, an assistant professor in the Russia Maritime Studies Institute at the U.S. Naval War College, where she teaches and researches subjects like the Cold War, Russia, energy politics, diplomacy, geopolitics, and more. Follow her on Twitter here. In the interview you’re about to hear, Dr. Holland describes her background and the nature of her job at the Naval War College before explaining the challenges and tradeoffs inherent in the West’s efforts to isolate Russia’s oil and gas industries.
Timestamps for this episode:
(5:56) How did you get into studying Russia? (7:53) Mixing a geopolitical and cultural interest in Russia. (10:05) What is the Russia Maritime Studies Institute at the U.S. Naval War College? (14:24) The identity crisis among Russia studies scholars in the U.S. (19:25) Resistance to “strategic empathy.” (21:24) The next generation of American experts on Russia. (22:49) Expanding diversity among America’s Russia scholars. (25:02) What are the tradeoffs of boycotting Russian fuel? (33:21) Cracks in the newly reinvigorated Transatlantic unity.
Music: Joey Pecoraro, “Russian Dance,” and Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Today’s guest is Dr. Marlene Laruelle, the director of Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies and the Illiberalism Studies Program at George Washington University. On this episode of The Russia Guy, Dr. Laruelle discussed her 2021 book, “Is Russia Fascist? Unraveling Propaganda East and West,” and its relevance to today’s crisis in Ukraine. We focused specifically on the book’s insights into Russian geopolitics and post-colonialism.
Read more about the book here!
Timestamps for this episode:
- (3:02) Is the book about Putin or Russia?
- (4:10) What’s the role of Russian illiberalism in the current Ukraine crisis?
- (6:40) Why is Russia pressing its case in Ukraine at precisely this moment?
- (8:46) Would Russia get along better with a more illiberal Europe?
- (11:34) Vladimir Putin vs. Charles de Gaulle
- (14:59) Russia’s post-imperial struggle
- (22:37) Normalcy for Russia vs. normalcy for the West
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Joey Pecoraro, "Russian Dance" Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
- Oi Čorna by Yale Women's Slavic Chorus (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 US)
- Table Dance by The Underscore Orkestra (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)
Support this show on Patreon!
This is to notify listeners of a special installment of The Russia Guy that utilizes “Music + Talk,” Anchor’s Spotify integration, for a music-focused episode featuring music journalist Aleksandr Gorbachev, who selected five recent Russian songs that signify for him the state of affairs and everyday life in Russia now. The episode is available exclusively on Spotify here and on Telegram here.
This episode’s guest is Nikolaus von Twickel, a journalist-turned-analyst who specializes on the war in eastern Ukraine. He is now an editor at the Center for Liberal Modernity in Berlin, and he previously served as a media liaison officer for the OSCE Monitoring Mission in Donetsk. In 2020, he co-authored a book with Thomas de Waal called “Beyond Frozen Conflict: Scenarios for the Separatist Disputes of Eastern Europe,” which looks at the Donbas, Transdniestria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorny Karabakh.
Follow Nikolaus on Twitter!
Timestamps for this episode:
- (2:22) Welcome back and introduction
- (6:13) Nikolaus explains why he thinks Russia has mobilized its troops outside Ukraine
- (8:45) Is it nonsense for Russia to claim that Kyiv is considering an assault on the Donbas?
- (15:49) Is Minsk II the only way forward diplomatically in the Donbas or is it now a dead agreement?
- (19:36) Is Zelensky still viewed in the West as pragmatic?
- (22:17) Can Russia claim to defend the interests of people in the Donbas if the breakaway “republics” are police states?
- (28:48) Outro and closing plug for donations!
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Joey Pecoraro, "Russian Dance"
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show at Patreon!
Elena Chernenko, a special correspondent at the newspaper Kommersant who focuses on cybersecurity, non-proliferation, and arms control, joins the show to talk about arriving at foreign-affairs journalism, navigating Russia's contemporary media environment, and staying sane in an increasingly crazy world.
Follow her on Twitter here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Joey Pecoraro, "Russian Dance"
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today's episode, Kevin speaks to the scholars behind the new book “Navalny: Putin's Nemesis, Russia's Future?” The three authors: Jan Matti Dollbaum, a postdoctoral researcher at Bremen University, Morvan Lallouet, a PhD candidate at the University of Kent, and Ben Noble, a lecturer in Russian Politics at University College London.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Joey Pecoraro, "Russian Dance"
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's show welcomes back Anton Barbashin, a political analyst focusing on Russia and the editorial director at Riddle, for a conversation about the different schools of thought and general drift and direction of foreign-policy expertise inside Russia.
Follow Anton on Twitter here and read Ivan Timofeyev's Valdai Club article here (in Russian), which is cited during the interview.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Joey Pecoraro, "Russian Dance"
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Dr. Sam Greene, the director of the Russia Institute at King’s College London and the co-author of the 2019 book “Putin V. the People: The Perilous Politics of a Divided Russia."
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
- Счастье вдруг (из х/ф Иван Васильевич меняет профессию)
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Matthew Luxmoore, a Moscow-based correspondent for RFE/RL, discusses his March 2021 article about an amateur researcher in Tomsk named Denis Karagodin who’s spent the better part of a decade compiling archival documents about the execution of his great-grandfather in 1938 by officers in the NKVD. Earlier this year, the local authorities reportedly started building a criminal case against Karagodin on defamation charges filed by the relatives of some of his grandfather’s supposed executioners.
Read the article at RFE/RL here and follow Matt on Twitter here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
- Счастье вдруг (из х/ф Иван Васильевич меняет профессию)
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Sergei Khazov-Cassia, a correspondent in Moscow for RFE/RL's Russian Service. In this interview, Kevin asks Sergei about his recent investigative report on industrial-scale oil theft in Russia.
Read an English-language translation of the story, “The Great Russian Oil Heist,” right here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Mary Ilyushina, a Moscow-based journalist and producer at CNN who previously worked at RBC. She’s recently worked on stories like the Navalny trial and the protests in Russia, as well as in Belarus, and she was kind enough to come on this podcast to talk about her career, her upbringing, and just generally her life.
Follow Mary on Twitter here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's episode is a co-hosted news-in-review show with Canadian journalist Neil Hauer about political unrest in Yerevan (where Neil is based), Amnesty International's leaked internal decision to revoke Alexey Navalny's prisoner-of-conscience status, and Team Navalny's efforts to open a campaign office in Dagestan.
Follow Neil on Twitter here and support his journalism at Patreon here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
This episode's guest is Anton Barbashin, the editorial director at Riddle, an online publication that focuses on Russian affairs and features some of the sharpest expert insights in the field, particularly from young specialists and scholars. From 2015 to 2018, Anton was a managing editor of Intersection, a Warsaw-based Russian affairs journal, and he's worked as an analyst at the Center for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding. His writings have also appeared at Foreign Affairs, The American Interest, openDemocracy Russia, Forbes Russia, and more.
Follow Anton Barbashin on Twitter here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Reuters special correspondent Polina Ivanova discusses her November 2020 article “The Woman Who Fell From the Sky,” about Star City (the secretive home of Russia's space program) and about the death of Natalya Lebedeva, a doctor who found herself caught up in the confusion and panic of the pandemic’s early days. Incidentally, Longform.org selected the text as one of the best science long-reads of 2020.
Follow Polina on Twitter here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Samantha Berkhead, a news editor at The Moscow Times, where she’s reported on all manner of things over the past two years, including Internet memes, Tolstoy’s descendants living in the sticks, witchcraft, queer culture, kinky parties (more about this in the interview), feminism, and a lot, lot more.
Follow her on Twitter here and at The Moscow Times here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
- Счастье вдруг (из х/ф Иван Васильевич меняет профессию)
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Dr. Leslie Root, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Demography at UC Berkeley. Dr. Root recently completed "Fertility in Transition in 21st-Century Russia," a dissertation on childbearing and fertility changes over the course of the Putin era in Russia.
Follow Leslie on Twitter here, and visit her website here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
- Счастье вдруг (из х/ф Иван Васильевич меняет профессию)
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Alex Kliment, the creative director at GZERO Media, Eurasia Group's global-politics-oriented independent media spinoff, where he directs “Puppet Regime,” a political satire puppet series. Additionally, Alex is the senior editor of Eurasia Group’s global politics newsletter, “Signal.” Alex also composes film scores, and he’s put that musical talent to work for GZERO, as well.
Follow Alex on Twitter here and watch "Puppet Regime" on YouTube here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
- Счастье вдруг (из х/ф Иван Васильевич меняет профессию)
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Jack Stubbs, the European cybersecurity correspondent at the news agency Reuters and previously a correspondent in Russia and Ukraine. About a week ago, on October 1, 2020, Jack authored an exclusive story at Reuters, titled “Russian Operation Masqueraded as Right-Wing News Site to Target U.S. Voters,” about people connected to the infamous Internet Research Agency — that troll factory founded by Evgeny Prigozhin — running a fake news outlet designed to target right-wing voters with inflammatory political messaging ahead of this year’s U.S. presidential election. According to sources familiar with an FBI probe, this is the right-wing version of a nearly identical project that targeted American leftists called Peace Data.
Follow Jack Stubbs on Twitter here and read his work at Reuters here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Alexandr Kuzminyh, CC BY license, "TOP 12 CARTOONS ON THE GUITAR (SOVIET CARTOONS)"
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
- Thinking Music by Kevin MacLeod / Link / License
- The Bandit by Kevin MacLeod / Link / License
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Ben Aris, the editor-in-chief of bne IntelliNews, a media outlet he pioneered that reports on business news and data from emerging markets. Ben spent many years as a foreign correspondent in Eastern Europe, and he’s been covering Russia since 1993, with stints in the Baltics and Central Asia. He co-founded bne and is a former Moscow bureau chief for The Daily Telegraph and was a contributing editor at The Banker and Euromoney for a decade.
Follow Ben Aris on Twitter here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Alexandr Kuzminyh, CC BY license, "TOP 12 CARTOONS ON THE GUITAR (SOVIET CARTOONS)"
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Bryan MacDonald, the head of the online Russia desk at the English-language edition of Russia Today, or RT, joins “The Russia Guy” to discuss his career in journalism and his views on Alexey Navalny, Western reporting, and Russian politics.
Follow him on Twitter here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Ну погоди, episode 14
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s guest is Anna Arutunyan, a Russian-American analyst and writer and the author of “The Putin Mystique: Inside Russia’s Power Cult” (2014) and “The Media in Russia” (2009) and the co-author of “Freedom, Repression, and Private Property in Russia” (2013). Her work has been published all over the place, and one of her most recent articles was released on August 5 in the magazine Foreign Affairs, titled “There Is No Russian Plot Against America.”
Follow Anna on Twitter here!
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Ну погоди, episode 14
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
- Thinking Music by Kevin MacLeod / Link / License
- The Bandit by Kevin MacLeod / Link / License
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Tara Reade, the former staff assistant in Joe Biden’s Senate office, who earlier this year accused Biden of sexually assaulting her back in 1993 when she was in her late 20s. Ms. Reade has faced significant criticism not just for her allegations against Joe Biden, but also for her past statements about Russia and Vladimir Putin, which some commentators seem to believe constitute “possible Russia connections” in line with the collusion theory that Donald Trump conspired with Moscow to defeat Hillary Clinton. Ms. Reade has been asked about her views on Russia before, but not in much detail. That changes here.
For more reading about Tara Reade's allegations against Joe Biden, see the following sources:
- Megyn Kelly: The MK Interview: Tara Reade
- Current Affairs: "Tara Reade Tells Her Story" (Katie Halper's interview)
- Democracy Now! “It Shattered My Life”: Former Joe Biden Staffer Tara Reade Says He Sexually Assaulted Her in 1993
- Business Insider: A former neighbor of Joe Biden's accuser Tara Reade has come forward to corroborate her sexual-assault account, saying Reade discussed the allegations in detail in the mid-1990s
- New York Times: "Tara Reade's Tumultuous Journey to the 2020 Campaign"
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Rob Lee, a doctoral student in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, a former Alfa Fellow, and an ex-Marine. Rob joins "The Russia Guy" to talk about the 33 Russian nationals arrested in Belarus on July 29, 2020. Officials in Minsk say the men are mercenaries from the “Wagner” private military company (PMC) who planned to incite riots ahead of the presidential election. Russian diplomats have identified the suspects as private security guards who were merely passing through Belarus.
Follow Rob's excellent monitoring work on Twitter here.
Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":
- Ну погоди, episode 14
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's show welcomes back Wilson Center Disinformation Fellow Nina Jankowicz, who first appeared on this podcast way back in December 2017. She's back now to discuss her new book, How to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict, which "takes the reader on a journey through five Western governments' responses to Russian information warfare tactics" (Estonia, Georgia, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine) and "shows what is at stake: the future of civil discourse and democracy, and the value of truth itself."
Order the book here from the publisher or at Amazon, and follow Nina on Twitter here.
Music and audio:
- Ну погоди, episode 14
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s show looks at the case against Khabarovsk Governor Sergey Furgal, whom federal agents arrested on Thursday, July 9, and promptly flew him to Moscow where he was arraigned on charges that he organized violence (including several contract killings) against business rivals in 2004 and 2005.
Today's guest is András Tóth-Czifra, a political analyst based in New York and the author of the No Yardstick blog, where he’s written for almost 10 years about Russian politics, often focusing on the country’s more remote regions.
Music and audio:
- Ну погоди, episode 14
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
- Thinking Music by Kevin MacLeod / Link / License
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
A freelance journalist in Moscow with bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, Foreign Policy, The Nation, Politico, and more, guest Alec Luhn discusses reporting Russia’s Arctic and journalism about environmentalism more broadly. How do you sell Western readers on these themes? What does it take to get to remote areas where the climate crisis is most destructive? Listen and find out.
Follow Alec Luhn on Twitter here.
Music and audio:
- Ну погоди, episode 14
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Yuval Weber, the Kennan Institute Associate Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies. He was also the inaugural Daniel Morgan Graduate School-Kennan Institute fellow and previously taught at Harvard University as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Government.
Dr. Weber is working on a book now that asks why pro-market economic reform efforts in Russia follow similar trajectories even among very different types of government like monarchy, communism, and “sovereign democracy.”
Check out his DMGS bio here and follow him on Twitter here.
Music and audio:
- Ну погоди, episode 14
- Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”
- The Bandit by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4483-the-bandit
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ - Thinking Music by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4522-thinking-music
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today’s show, “The Russia Guy” welcomes Michael Schwirtz, a journalist from The New York Times staff who just won a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. The award was granted for “a set of enthralling stories, reported at great risk, exposing the predations of Vladimir Putin’s regime.”
The newspaper's winning work includes six articles and two documentary videos published in 2019. Now an investigative reporter with The New York Times, Michael has been with the newspaper for 14 years, having started in the Moscow bureau and then working at the Metro Desk, first covering the New York City Policy Department, then as part of Metro's investigative team, reporting about brutality and corruption in the New York State prison system and at Rikers Island in New York City.
The four winning works that Michael authored or co-authored are the following:
- “Russia Ordered a Killing That Made No Sense. Then the Assassin Started Talking.”
- ”Top Secret Russian Unit Seeks to Destabilize Europe, Security Officials Say” “How Russia Meddles Abroad for Profit: Cash, Trolls and a Cult Leader” “How a Poisoning in Bulgaria Exposed Russian Assassins in Europe”
You can read them all here:https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/staff-new-york-times
Follow Michael Schwirtz on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/mschwirtz
Support this very podcast here:
www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock
Music and audio:
Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7s
Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQ
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s guest is Miriam Elder, a political reporter at BuzzFeed, where until recently she worked for many years as the world editor. Before that, she was the Russia correspondent for The Guardian, and her work has been featured in many other publications, including The Financial Times, The Atlantic, The Moscow Times, and more. Miriam is also the first Western journalist who reported extensively on Pussy Riot. She was kind enough to come on this podcast and answer some questions about life in Moscow, life as an editor, and the ups and downs of writing about Russia.Follow Miriam Elder on Twitter:https://twitter.com/MiriamElderFollow Miriam's reported at BuzzFeed:https://www.buzzfeednews.com/author/miriamelderSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQModern Jazz Samba by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4063-modern-jazz-sambaLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s guest is Brian O’Toole, a senior fellow in the Global Business and Economics Program at the Atlantic Council. Brian previously worked at the U.S. Treasury Department from 2009 to 2017, becoming a senior adviser to the director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). As a senior adviser, Brian helped manage the implementation of all OFAC-administered economic and financial sanctions programs, and provided strategic direction of the internal management of the agency. He additionally played a central role in designing the U.S. sanctions regime in response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and negotiating the multilateral sanctions imposed by the European Union and G7 in coordination with the United States.Brian came on “The Russia Guy” to discuss the recent shipment of Russian medical supplies to New York City and the geopolitical scandal that erupted as a result.Brian O’Toole at the Atlantic Council:https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/brian-o-toole/“A Mystery Wrapped In An Enigma Inside A Russian Coronavirus Aid Shipment To The U.S.,” By Mike Eckel:https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-coronavirus-aid-shipment-u-s-mystery-sanctions-propaganda/30529019.htmlSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQWalking Along by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4603-walking-alongLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The Bandit by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4483-the-banditLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s guest is Jill Dougherty, a Russia expert who worked as a journalist at CNN for 30 years before shifting to work in academia. At CNN, she served as a White House correspondent, a foreign affairs correspondent covering the U.S. State Department, as a U.S. affairs editor, a managing editor for CNN Asia/Pacific, and for almost a decade as Moscow Bureau chief. Jill was kind enough to come on this podcast to discuss her many years in this field, how she’s seen it change and evolve over time, and what she makes of Russia’s past, present, and future. She also explained her new podcast for the Wilson Center, “KennanX.” Jill Dougherty on Twitter:https://twitter.com/jillrussiaThe KennanX podcast:https://www.wilsoncenter.org/collection/kennanx-podcastSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQThinking Music by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4522-thinking-musicLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The Bandit by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4483-the-banditLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s guest is the man behind one of the longest-running, best Russia blogs ever written. If you’ve even a fleeting interest in Russia’s military, you’ve probably read the Russian Defense Policy blog at least once, and on today’s episode of The Russia Guy, you can finally hear from the author, who asked to remain anonymous, which is how he’s always maintained his blog, of course. How do you sustain a blog for more than a decade? Where do you go for information to maintain expertise on an issue like Russian defense policy? Is open-source intelligence the future? This and more in the interview.The blog:https://russiandefpolicy.blog/ Follow Russian Defense Policy on Twitter:https://twitter.com/russiandefpolicSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is New York Times Moscow correspondent Anton Troianovski, the author of the March 6, 2020, article, “As Bernie Sanders Pushed for Closer Ties, Soviet Union Spotted Opportunity,” which addresses previously unreported archival documents uncovered in Yaroslavl, where Sanders traveled in 1988 in a combination of civic diplomacy and his own honeymoon. The story has been provocative among many Sanders’s supporters, so here's Troianovski explaining why he wrote it.The article itself:https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/world/europe/bernie-sanders-soviet-russia.html“Excerpts from the Sanders Files in a Russian Archive”https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/world/europe/sanders-russia-excerpts-archive.htmlSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On The Russia Guy’s 100th episode, today's guest is Julia Ioffe, now a correspondent at GQ Magazine, a former Moscow-based reporter, a prominent public figure in both academic settings and cable news, and the author of an upcoming book about Russia. In the interview you’re about to hear, Julia talks about the steps that led her to journalism, the differences of working with official sources in Moscow and Washington, D.C., what it’s like to have a personal connection to the news, and the highs and lows of life as a writer.Follow Julia on Twitter:https://twitter.com/juliaioffeRead her stories at GQ:https://www.gq.com/contributor/julia-ioffeSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Oliver Carroll, the Moscow correspondent for the British newspaper “The Independent.” Ollie has lived in and reported from Moscow and Kyiv for more than a decade, he’s back in the Russian capital now, and he was kind enough to come on this podcast to discuss the latest political shakeup in the Russian government and the constitutional amendments, as well as his long career reporting from Russia, Ukraine, and the war-torn Donbas.Follow Ollie on Twitter:https://twitter.com/olliecarrollRead his work at The Independent:https://www.independent.co.uk/author/oliver-carrollSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s guest is Elizaveta Fokht, a journalist the BBC’s Russian-language service, who's also reported for Russian news outlets like Dozhd and RBK. Earlier this month, she and her colleague, Andrey Zakharov, wrote a spectacular story about a new media holding company called “Patriot,” which unites several websites with connections to Evgeny Prigozhin, the Russian catering magnate (who also dabbles in media, mercenaries, and God knows what else).Read their report (in Russian) here:https://www.bbc.com/russian/features-50632900Read an English-language summary at Meduza here:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2019/12/04/why-so-negativeFollow Elizaveta on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/lizafohtSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Lincoln Pigman, a Master’s graduate student at Oxford University and a research fellow at the Foreign Policy Center. He’s written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and many other outlets, usually about Russian cyberspace. About a year ago, he wrote an article in the Journal of Cyber Policy, titled “Russia’s Vision of Cyberspace: A Danger to Regime Security, Public Safety, and Societal Norms and Cohesion.”Follow Lincoln on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/lincolnpigmanSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Ariel Cohen, a scholar focusing on political risk, international security and energy policy, and the rule of law, working as a specialist on Russia, Eurasia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. He’s currently a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, the director of the Energy, Growth, and Security Program at the International Tax and Investment Center (which promotes tax reform and public-private initiatives to improve the investment climate in transition and developing economies), and he’s a columnist at Forbes.Ariel talked at length about growing up in the Soviet Union, and how his childhood experiences inform his thinking to this day, not just about Russia, but about human nature and geopolitics. And he discussed conditions in the U.S. foreign service these days, where he says the demise of regional studies has done serious damage. Also, he talked about how he came to political risk analysis.Follow Dr. Cohen on Twitter:https://twitter.com/Dr_Ariel_CohenSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Olesya Vartanyan, Crisis Group’s analyst for the “EU Eastern Neighbourhood.” Based in Tbilisi, she researches and produces reports on regional security issues in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, with a particular focus on breakaway regions in the South Caucasus. She told Kevin what it’s like to go from a career in journalism to the world of professional analysis, and let him ask her ignorant questions about the region.Follow her on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/Olesya_vArtFind her Crisis Group expert page here:https://www.crisisgroup.org/who-we-are/people/olesya-vartanyanSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Gasan Gusejnov, a linguistics professor at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics. Many people in Russia are learning about him right now because of a Facebook post he shared on October 29, where he complained that Russians show too little interest in other languages. He said specifically that newsstands in Moscow — a city with hundreds of thousands of ethnicities besides Russian — offer only publications in “the miserable and foul Russian language.” He also argued that Russians try to justify their aversion to other languages as the privilege of a “great power,” but this insularity, he says, is actually the result of Russia’s “barbarity.” The Facebook post led to a national scandal, including threats and even a whole segment on pro-Kremlin pundit Dmitry Kiselyov’s network TV show. Gasan discussed the issue and why he thinks so many have reacted so harshly.https://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/72525472Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Tikhon Dzyadko, a journalist who’s worked for Russia’s top independent radio and television broadcasters, Ekho of Moscow and TV Rain, or Dozhd, and he’s now deputy director of news programs at TV station broadcast online in Russia, RTVI. Tikhon talked to Kevin about how he got into journalism, the challenges facing independent reporters in Russia (specifically when it comes to sources), and what he thinks about Russia reporting in the United States.Follow him on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/tikhondzyadko Check out his reporting at RTVI here:https://rtvi.com/team/tikhon-dzyadko/Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today's episode, Kevin reflects briefly on his first trip to Moscow in seven years, and reviews a new investigative report by Meduza about special government communications services issued by Russia's Federal Protective Service — and why nobody actually uses them.Read the article here:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2019/10/09/nobody-s-homeSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's show welcomes back Dr. Alina Polyakova, a fellow at the Brookings Institute, an adjunct professor of European studies at Johns Hopkins University, and a specialist in far-right populism and nationalism, and Russian foreign policy. Last month, Alina and her colleague, Chris Meserole, wrote a policy brief for Brookings, titled “Exporting Digital Authoritarianism: The Russian and Chinese Models,” where they say Russia, China, and other states are using high-tech means to expand their influence around the world, and they argue that the United States and other democracies need to take action to limit the effects of these efforts. Read the paper here:https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/FP_20190827_digital_authoritarianism_polyakova_meserole.pdfFollow Dr. Polyakova on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/apolyakovaSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's episode looks back at the Beslan school siege, which took place 15 years ago this month, and claimed the lives of 334 innocent people, including 186 children. Journalist Mike Eckel, now with Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, then a correspondent with The Associated Press, reported from on the ground in Beslan during the school siege. He kindly came on this show to talk about the experience, and look back at perhaps the worst terrorist attack in Russian history.Follow Mike on Twitter:https://twitter.com/mike_eckelRead his work at RFE/RL:www.rferl.org/author/96267.htmlRead some of his reports from September 2004 for AP:https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2004/09-03/132_militants_may_be_holding_1_000_hos.htmlhttps://www.spokesman.com/stories/2004/sep/02/militants-hold-hundreds-at-russian-school-hostage/https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/militants-at-school-release-at-least-31-hostages/Other journalists remember Beslan:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2019/09/04/the-siege-through-journalists-eyesSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQHenrik Lundkvist, “Kalinka on a Balalaika,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH5znHQ9QRYSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Alexandra Urman, a PhD Candidate at the Institute of Communication and Media Studies, University of Bern, is one of the co-founders of the “Here We Stand” initiative, a student project created to bring attention to three university students — Egor Zhukov, Daniil Konon, and Valery Kostenyok — who were charged with rioting in Moscow for their participation in peaceful demonstrations this summer. The charges against Konon and Kostenyok were ultimately dropped, but Zhukov still faces years behind bars.Follow “Here We Stand” on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/herewestand.space/ Visit the initiative's website:http://herewestand.space/blogSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Christopher Miller, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty’s Kyiv correspondent, has worked at Mashable and The Kyiv Post, and he’s been published at Politico Europe, The Guardian, The Times, The Atlantic, and many other outlets. Chris is one of the stand-out foreign journalists reporting from Ukraine, and he came onto the podcast to discuss his career and talk extensively about journalism in Ukraine and Russia.Follow him on Twitter:https://twitter.com/ChristopherJMRead his work at RFE/RL:https://www.rferl.org/author/98603.htmlRead his 2015 story, titled “The War Came to Me,” where he recalls his Peace Corps service in Eastern Ukraine in the context of the war that later broke out in the Donbas:https://mashable.com/2015/01/06/the-war-came-to-me-ukraine/Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Leonid Ragozin now writes often for Al Jazeera, and has worked in the past for the BBC, Newsweek, The Guardian, and many other outlets, reporting on Russia and Ukraine mostly. He is also co-author of the Lonely Planet Guides to Moscow, Ukraine, and several other Eastern European destinations. Earlier this month, he wrote an article titled “Putin Risks Losing Moscow.”Follow Leonid on Twitter:https://twitter.com/leonidragozinRead his recent article at Al Jazeera:https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/putin-risks-losing-moscow-190812092611425.htmlSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today’s show, we welcome back Matt Bodner, a journalist in Moscow who reports primarily on national defense and the space industry. His latest article for Defense News combines these two themes, as it’s about the mysterious explosion reported on Russia’s northern frontier on August 8. In the article, Matt reviews the leading theories about what blew up, and he floated some bold suggestions that Russia’s so-called “Skyfall” nuclear-powered missile could be an entirely fake project designed to deter the United States.Read the article here:https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/08/13/an-explosion-a-spike-in-radiation-evacuation-preparations-what-exactly-happened-in-russia/Follow Matt on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/mattb0401Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Nick Trickett, the editor-in-chief of the Foreign Policy Research Institute's “BMB Russia” newsletter, a frequent contributor to “The Diplomat,” and a current Master of Science candidate for a degree in International Political Economy at the London School of Economics. Nick studies energy politics and markets, with a special interest in oil and gas. He came on today's show to discuss European and especially U.S. opposition to Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline.Follow Nick on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/ntrickett16Subscribe to the BMB Russia newsletter here:https://bearmarketbrief.com/Read “The Hill” article (mentioned in this show) here:https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/454353-enact-us-sanctions-against-russias-nord-stream-2-pipeline#.XTh2N4Qgf54.twitterSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Yana Gorokhovskaia, a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University’s Harriman Institute from 2016-2019. She researches authoritarian politics and civil society in post-Soviet states. Earlier this week, Gorokhovskaia authored an article at Eurasianet, titled “Moscow’s Local Election: Ghosts, Disqualification, and Real Political Competition,” about the recent electoral shenanigans in Russia's capital.Gorokhovskaia has written about local politics in Russia for years, and she was kind enough to come on the show to explain how she got onto this subject, and what the latest developments in the Moscow City Duma election mean more broadly for Russia’s anti-Kremlin opposition.Follow Yana on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/gorokhovskaiaRead her article at Eurasianet here:https://eurasianet.org/perspectives-moscows-local-election-ghosts-disqualification-and-real-political-competitionSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s guest is Patrick Reevell, the Moscow bureau reporter for ABC News who co-authored the June 26 report about American Gaylen Grandstaff’s “two-year odyssey” in a Moscow remand prison. Patrick was kind enough to come on the podcast and explain how this report came together. He and Kevin talked about how he discovered the story, what this banned “gamma-butyrolactone” substance really is, and how ABC journalists decided to cover Grandstaff’s trial.(Pictured in podcast episode featured image: Gaylen Grandstaff.)Read the ABC News article here:https://abcnews.go.com/International/inside-american-gaylen-grandstaffs-year-odyssey-russian-prison/story?id=63769708Follow Patrick on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/ReevellpSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic and audio:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQHenrik Lundkvist, “Kalinka on a Balalaika,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH5znHQ9QRYGaylen Grandstaff - ESL Teacher at British Academic Centre, December 18, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7xyMdOxaAISupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Maxim Trudolyubov, the editor-in-chief of the Kennan Institute’s “The Russia File,” a blog that offers insights on current events in Russia, U.S.-Russian relations, and other critical issues of the day. He’s been a contributing opinion writer for The International New York Times since 2013, he writes regularly in Russian for the website Republic, and his latest book is called “The Tragedy of Property: Private Life, Ownership and the Russian State.” Max has also worked at the newspaper Vedomosti for more than a decade.Read “The Russia File” here:http://www.kennan-russiafile.org/author/maxtrudolyubov/Follow Max on Twitter:https://twitter.com/russiafilesBuy his latest book, “The Tragedy of Property: Private Life, Ownership and the Russian State”:https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Property-Private-Ownership-Russian/dp/150952701XSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQHenrik Lundkvist, “Kalinka on a Balalaika,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH5znHQ9QRYSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is RFE/RL journalist Carl Schreck, talking about the June 17 investigative report he cowrote with Sergei Khazov-Cassia, titled “His Name Was Andrei,” about the apparent murder of Andrei Kobyshev, a middle-age masseur who disappeared in Grozny in March 2017. The new article details how Kobyshev moved to Chechnya and likely got swept up in the republic’s so-called “gay purges.” There’s a lot here about case records, witness testimony, and cell-phone records, and Carl explains it all in this interview.Read the article here:https://www.rferl.org/a/chechnya-missing-gay-purge-andrei-kobyshev-mobile-phone-kadyrov/29993363.html Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s guest is Kate Brown, a professor of science, technology, and society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is the author of a new book called “Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future,” as well as the books “Dispatches from Dystopia” (2015), “Plutopia” (2013), and “A Biography of No Place” (2004). She spoke to Kevin about her research into the April 1986 Chernobyl disaster, her work on the nuclear industry more broadly, and of course her thoughts about the recently aired HBO miniseries, “Chernobyl.”(10:02)Local archives(12:05)Choosing an author's voice(14:19)The West's role in expertise on global nuclear disasters(19:01)The Lifespan Study of the Japanese Bomb Survivors(23:46)Counting the fallout(27:39)Why do others put the death count so much lower?(39:28)HBO's “Chernobyl” miniseriesVisit Professor Brown's faculty page:https://sts-program.mit.edu/people/sts-faculty/kate-brown/Get her latest book:https://www.amazon.com/Manual-Survival-Chernobyl-Guide-Future/dp/0393652513Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQHenrik Lundkvist, “Kalinka on a Balalaika,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH5znHQ9QRYSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today’s show, Kevin reads the full text of his translation of Meduza investigative journalist Ivan Golunov’s August 2018 report on corruption in Russia’s funeral industry. This is the journalism (plus a forthcoming part two) that got him arrested over the weekend and turned the country upside-down. Read the text at Meduza:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2019/06/12/coffins-graveyards-and-billions-of-dollars Chapter breakdowns:(5:33)ST. PETERSBURGA private security monopoly(8:21)VOLGOGRADThe “Pamyat” (Memory) Society(15:50)MOSCOWRituals and criminals(22:23)IN AND AROUND MOSCOW292 pairs of eyeballs for sale(26:42)MOSCOWAccess to death(30:36)RUSSIAA piece of land in Seychelles(34:08)MOSCOWGuardians of the graves(37:47)MOSCOW, TOLYATTI, AND OMSKSuicide at the cemetery(41:48)YEKATERINBURG“Dondiki” versus the President’s Office(44:19)RUSSIAThe activist from “Occupy-Pedophilia”(52:16)Finishing remarksSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQ“Hedgehog in the Fog,” music by Mikhail Meyerovich, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jZ2G--y1hwSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
No interview today. Instead, Kevin reviews the following five op-eds/essays (timestamps below):(2:19)Oleg Kashin in Republic: Why hasn’t GRU veteran Nikita Belyankin’s murder sparked ethnic riots in Russia?https://republic.ru/posts/93868 (7:25)Vladimir Frolov in Republic: The U.S.-Israel-Russia summit is a chance for Moscow to find out what it's worth to Trump in Iranhttps://republic.ru/posts/93851 (12:45)Dmitry Steshin in Komsomolskaya Pravda: A Maidan activist’s new public policy job at Facebook is a vatnik nightmarehttps://www.kp.ru/daily/26986.4/4045597/ (17:23)Gleb Pavlovsky in the Carnegie Moscow Center: Russia meddles in other countries because it’s king of the global wormholeshttps://carnegie.ru/commentary/79222 (25:37)Oleg Kashin in Republic: Vladislav Surkov’s personal mythology makes him the Kremlin’s indispensable manhttps://republic.ru/posts/93796 Read Kevin's summaries of these articles, as well as other trending op-eds and essays, by signing up for Meduza’s daily newsletter:https://us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ff4a009ba1f59d865f0301f85&id=5188608ad4Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today we’re talking about human-rights promotion in Moldova with guest Gina Lentine, a senior program officer at Freedom House, who works primarily on advancing freedom of expression in Moldova and Ukraine. In many ways, her career mirrors the work Kevin has discussed with Paul Massaro and Rachel Bauman at the U.S. Helsinki Commission, and Nina Jankowicz at the Kennan Institute (episodes 63 and 18, respectively).Follow Gina on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/ginayoginaAnd read her work at Freedom House here:https://freedomhouse.org/expert/gina-s-lentineSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQHenrik Lundkvist, “Kalinka on a Balalaika,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH5znHQ9QRYSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Casey Michel, an investigative reporter at ThinkProgress, a member of the Advisory Council for the Hudson Institute's Kleptocracy Initiative, and a senior investigative fellow with the Human Rights Foundation. Casey has written about and followed Maria Butina’s case closely since she was arrested last July, and he kindly joined The Russia Guy to talk about her sentence and answer some of my questions about her case, specifically about the role of money, a declaration by former FBI counterintelligence expert Robert Anderson, Alexander Torshin, James Bamford, and more.Follow Casey on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/cjcmichelAnd read his work at ThinkProgress here:https://thinkprogress.org/author/casey-michel/Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQHenrik Lundkvist, “Kalinka on a Balalaika,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH5znHQ9QRYSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Kevin's guest today is well known in Russia to Echo of Moscow listeners and readers, and English speakers might know her as a contributing writer at The American Interest, where some of her latest articles address Russia’s captured Ukrainian sailors, the arrest of American investor Michael Calvey in Moscow, and a whole lot more. Please welcome to The Russia Guy Karina Orlova.In this interview, Orlova talks about how Russia’s corrupt legal system drove her to journalism. She describes her life as a Russian journalist living in Washington, D.C., and argues at length how the Republic Party is a threat to American democracy. She also explains how she manages to write about insider Russian politics from thousands of miles away.Read her work at The American Interest:https://www.the-american-interest.com/v/karina-orlova/“A Show Trial, and The Death of Putin”https://www.the-american-interest.com/2019/02/04/a-show-trial-and-the-death-of-putin/“The Futile Search for a Russian Ideology”https://www.the-american-interest.com/2019/02/14/the-futile-search-for-a-russian-ideology/Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Kevin's guest this week is Maria Baronova, a former opposition activist who now works for the state media network “Russia Today.” On this episode, Masha talks about her new job at “RT,” leaving the Russian opposition, and visiting the United States in the summer of 2018.Follow Baronova on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/ponny1Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQHenrik Lundkvist, “Kalinka on a Balalaika,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH5znHQ9QRYSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s show features an interview with Olga Zeveleva, a sociologist who recently earned her doctorate at the University of Cambridge. Olga works on mobility, migration, media, and political transformation. Her dissertation is titled “The State and the Journalist: Regional Crimean Media Professionals Adapting to Change, 2013-2017,” and she’s now doing fieldwork in Tatarstan as an Oxford Russia Fellow, adding Kazan as another case study to her research. On this episode of The Russia Guy, Olga talks about life as a sociologist, journalism in Crimea and Kazan, and what nine-year-old girls should consider before taking up social science.Follow Olga on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/ozevelevaFollow Olga’s latest research here:https://research.sociology.cam.ac.uk/profile/olga-zevelevaLearn more about the Oxford Russia Fund here:http://oxfordrussia.ru/about/whoweare/Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQHenrik Lundkvist, “Kalinka on a Balalaika,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH5znHQ9QRYSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s show looks at a controversial new op-ed that appeared in The New York Times on Friday, March 29, 2019, titled “Russians Always Knew There Was No Collusion.” The subheader reads, “The Kremlin’s allies and its opponents alike have been baffled by America’s Russia obsession. Can we ever look at the U.S. the same way again?” Kevin speaks to the author of the text, Alexey Kovalev, the new investigations editor at Meduza and the author of many articles and op-eds in major news outlets, both in Russia and the West.Read the article here:https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/opinion/mueller-report-russia.htmlFollow Alexey on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/Alexey__KovalevSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQHenrik Lundkvist, “Kalinka on a Balalaika,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH5znHQ9QRYSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today’s show, Kevin spoke to Mike Eckel, one of the co-authors of an investigative report published earlier today by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. The report is based on a 149-page file released exclusively to RFE/RL that offers what is described as “the most precise scientific description to date” about how Mikhail Lesin, the former Russian press minister, turned up dead in a Washington, D.C., hotel room in November 2015.Read the story here:https://www.rferl.org/a/lesin-autopsy-record/29824566.htmlFollow Mike's work at RFE/RL here:https://www.rferl.org/author/96267.htmlFollow him on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/Mike_EckelSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest on The Russia Guy is human rights activist Polina Nemirovskaya, a project coordinator at the Open Russia movement. Polina discusses how her organization operates, what hurdles it faces from police and lawmakers, and what it takes to devote your life to those fighting political repression.Follow Polina on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/polinanemLearn more about Open Russia here:https://orpravo.org/Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Seva Gunitsky, an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto. He researches how international forces like war and globalization shape democracy and domestic reforms. In this episode of The Russia Guy, we talked about growing up in the U.S. as a Russia immigrant, navigating American biases in Russia analysis, understanding the mafia as an economic response, and much more.Get a copy of Gunitsky's book, “ Aftershocks: Great Powers and Domestic Reforms in the Twentieth Century,” here:https://www.amazon.com/Aftershocks-Domestic-Twentieth-Princeton-International/dp/069117234XAnd follow the man on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/sevautSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
This episode's guest is Aaron Schwartzbaum, the founder of BMB Russia, an indispensable daily newsletter about Russian political economy. We discussed two recent scandals in Russian political economy: (1) Rosstat's claim that Russia's GDP growth in 2018 was the biggest in the past six years, and (2) the arrest of American investment manager Michael Calvey, who was jailed on Saturday, February 16, for allegedly stealing about 37 million dollars.Follow Aaron on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/aaron_schwaSubscribe the BMB Russia here:https://bearmarketbrief.com/Follow Nick Trickett, BMB Russia's chief editor, on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/ntrickett16Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
This episode features an interview with Roman Dobrokhotov, the editor in chief of The Insider, a Russian investigative news outlet that's collaborated on key projects with Bellingcat, breaking major news stories related to the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the Novichok poisonings in Salisbury, England, and more. He talks about the evolution of Russian journalism in the Internet age and the opportunities of reporting in a paradoxically transparent authoritarian environment.Check out The Insider (with select stories translated into English) here: https://theins.ruSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:Ну погоди, episode 14, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncHd3sxpEbo&t=7sОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
If you ever read about Russia’s space program, you’ll likely recognize today’s guest: Matt Bodner joins the podcast to talk about his work as a journalist in Moscow. Matt’s reporting has appeared in The Moscow Times, Defense News, Space News Magazine, The Telegraph, and many other outlets. He was at the Vostochny Cosmodrome for a Soyuz rocket launch.So what are you going to hear about in this interview? Matt talked about how he got into reporting on Russia’s space program and its military, and why on Earth he got interested in Russia in the first place. He also discussed life as a foreign correspondent in Moscow, the ways journalists break into the field, and what how Russians and Americans annoy him in their own special ways.Follow Matt on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/mattb0401Read his spaceport piece here: https://spacenews.com/the-long-road-to-vostochny-inside-russias-newest-launch-facility/Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQ“Your Health,” Soyuzmultfilm, 1965, Ivan Aksenchuk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFKxyA81TtMSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today, we’re welcoming back Alexey Kovalev, the managing editor of Coda Story’s Russian-language edition and the brains behind the propaganda-busting website Noodle Remover. Alexey recently got back from a whirlwind tour of the United States, as a 2018 World Press Institute fellow. Kevin desperately wanted to know what he thought of his homeland, and Alexey was kind enough to come on the podcast and share his thoughts about America today.So what did they talk about in this interview? Alexey recalled his experiences in eight major U.S. cities: Minneapolis and St. Paul, Washington, D.C., New York City, Miami, Austin, Chicago, San Francisco, and Denver. He talked about meeting with American journalists throughout the trip, learning about U.S. urban grime, poverty, violence, and more. And of course Kevin asked him how Americans treated him, in the age of Donald Trump, when they found out he was a visiting Russian journalist.Following Alexey on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/Alexey__Kovalev/ And check out his many media projects:https://worldpressinstitute.org/author/alexey-kovalev/ https://noodleremover.news/ http://codaru.com/war-on-reason/ Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQ“Your Health,” Soyuzmultfilm, 1965, Ivan Aksenchuk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFKxyA81TtMSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today the show welcomes back Neil Hauer, a security analyst focused on Russia, the North Caucasus, and Syria. Neil was recently in Ingushetia, and he witnessed some of the protests against a controversial agreement to hand over nearly a tenth of the republic to Chechnya.So what did we talk about in this interview? Neil gave some background on Ingushetia’s territorial losses over the past century, explaining why the agreement with Chechnya today has touched such a nerve. He also explained how wild-man Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov fits into all this, and talked about what this means for the entire North Caucasus. And of course he shared some observations from on the ground, having visited the epicenter of what was probably Russia’s most surprising, if under-reported, protest movements in the past six years.Follow Neil on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/NeilPHauer Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQ“Your Health,” Soyuzmultfilm, 1965, Ivan Aksenchuk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFKxyA81TtMSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today’s show, Kevin welcomes Paul Massaro and Rachel Bauman, two policy advisers at the U.S. Helsinki Commission. Paul works on economic and environmental issues, focusing on anti-corruption initiatives, sanctions, and more, all across the 57 states in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Rachel works specifically on Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the three Baltic states.So what did they talk about in this interview? They started out with what exactly the U.S. Helsinki Commission is, and also discussed what it’s like to work for a U.S. government agency that regularly confronts Russian officials about their human rights abuses and transnational corruption. Both Rachel and Paul also talked about how they got into this business, and what it’s like making a living in this world.Follow these two on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/rkbauman https://twitter.com/apmassaro3Read more about them at the U.S. Helsinki Commission's website here:https://www.csce.gov/about-csce/staff/rachel-bauman-policy-advisor https://www.csce.gov/about-csce/staff/paul-massaro-iii-policy-advisorSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQ“Your Health,” Soyuzmultfilm, 1965, Ivan Aksenchuk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFKxyA81TtMSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Alina Polyakova, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, an adjunct professor of European studies at Johns Hopkins University, and a specialist in far-right populism and nationalism, and Russian foreign policy.Alina and Kevin discussed who’s to blame for Donald Trump’s election, how you take a sociology doctorate and become a Washington think tank expert, and what life is like in the hustle and bustle of the American capital. She explained why she didn’t really like Keith Gessen’s “The Quiet Americans” piece in The New York Times Magazine this May, and talked about Washington’s lack of strategic thinking, when it comes to Russia.Follow Alina on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/apolyakovaAnd follow her work at the Brookings Institution here:https://www.brookings.edu/experts/alina-polyakova/Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQ“Your Health,” Soyuzmultfilm, 1965, Ivan Aksenchuk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFKxyA81TtMSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s guest is David Klion, a writer in Brooklyn whose work has appeared in The Nation, The New York Times, The Guardian, BuzzFeed, The Baffler, and many other publications. In mid-September, the website Coda published a story by David, titled “Russia, Hollywood’s Mirror,” where he examines Russia tropes in American movies over the past six centuries. Here’s the opening of the article: “If Russians didn’t exist, Hollywood would have to invent them. In a sense, Hollywood has.”So what did David and Kevin talk about in this interview? They go through a whole laundry list of American movies about Russia, focusing on favorites like Rocky IV, Red Heat, GoldenEye, and others. David talks about what kind of Hollywood movies he’d like to see more of, and discussed at length how popular entertainment both feeds off and informs perceptions when it comes to how Russians and Americans think about each other.Follow David on Twitter:https://twitter.com/DavidKlionRead his Coda story on Hollywood and Russia:https://codastory.com/disinformation-crisis/rewriting-history/russia-hollywood-mirrorSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQ“Your Health,” Soyuzmultfilm, 1965, Ivan Aksenchuk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFKxyA81TtMSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's guest is Amie Ferris-Rotman, the Moscow correspondent for The Washington Post, and a veteran reporter on Russia, who’s previously worked for Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Vogue, The Atlantic, Politico, and Foreign Policy. She’s also covered Afghanistan, and she was awarded the John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford University, where she developed and founded the “Sahar Speaks” project, which mentors and trains aspiring women journalists in Afghanistan.On September 20, the website Coda published a story by Amie about how Vladimir Putin maintains a reputation as a conservative moral leader, while simultaneously supporting women’s abortion rights. Kevin asked Amie if she thinks the main takeaway from her research is a positive or negative outlook for reproductive rights in Russia, and what other contortions Putin supporters need to make to reconcile his various policy positions. They also discussed the difference between American and British reporting, and the prospects for civic activism in Russia’s more far-flung corners.Follow Amie on Twitter:https://twitter.com/Amie_FRFollow her work at The Washington Post:https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/amie-ferris-rotmanRead her recent story about reproductive rights in Russia:https://codastory.com/disinformation-crisis/traditional-values/putin-prochoice-championLearn about her project, “Sahar Speaks”:http://www.saharspeaks.org/our-story/Support this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQ“Your Health,” Soyuzmultfilm, 1965, Ivan Aksenchuk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFKxyA81TtMSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's show features an interview with Sean Guillory, the scholar behind the popular Sean’s Russia Blog and the SRB Podcast, a weekly podcast on Eurasian politics, history, and culture. Sean is also the digital-scholarship curator in the Russian and East European Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh, and he’s an occasional columnist at Jacobin Magazine, where he writes about Russian left-wing politics. In this interview, Kevin asks Sean what he makes of American Russophobia today and whether he thinks it’s fair when people compare it to the McCarthyism of yesteryear. He talks about how he got his start as a blogger, and what he thinks of academia today, when it comes to the study of Russia. Also, he discusses U.S. media coverage of Russia and the anti-Kremlin opposition, and explains what he thinks journalists generally get right about the culture, and where a lot of reporting comes up short.Follow Sean on Twitter:https://twitter.com/seansrussiablogRead his blog and listen to his podcast here:https://seansrussiablog.org/Support his podcast here:https://www.patreon.com/seansrussiablogRead Sean's Jacobin articles here:https://www.jacobinmag.com/author/sean-guillorySupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQ“Your Health,” Soyuzmultfilm, 1965, Ivan Aksenchuk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFKxyA81TtMSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Kevin continues his interview series with professionals in the field of Russia expertise. Today's guest is Dr. Mark Galeotti, a senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations Prague and the coordinator of its Center for European Security. Check out Dr. Galeotti's latest book: “The Vory: Russia's Super Mafia,” released this May by Yale University Presshttps://www.amazon.com/Vory-Russias-Super-Mafia/dp/0300186827In this interview, Kevin asks Mark several big questions, like what are the most important developing events and stories in Russia today? Will Putin stick around past 2024? Should we keep thinking about the Kremlin in terms of towers and clans? And Mark also talked a bit about himself, how he got into “the Russia game,” what was so special about his introduction to Russia, and how he manages to juggle so many different roles, while maintaining a sane private life.Follow Mark on Twitter:https://twitter.com/MarkGaleottiSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today’s show, Kevin continues his series of interviews with journalists working on Russia. This episode features Carl Schreck, a senior correspondent for RFE/RL and a veteran reporter who’s worked in Moscow, from the States, and from Prague, where he’s based now. Carl and Kevin talked about what makes good news stories, how you break into this field, what it’s like to cut your teeth on Russia’s crime beat, and much more.Follow Carl here on Twitter:https://twitter.com/carlschreckSubscribe to his feed at RFE/RL here:https://www.rferl.org/author/93650.htmlSupport this very podcast here:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today’s show, Kevin welcomes back Aric Toler to learn more about the August 31 assassination of Alexander Zakharchenko, the separatist leader of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, or DNR. What path led Zakharchenko to this grisly end, and who planted the bomb that killed him? An open-source intelligence expert at Bellingcat and the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, Aric Toler follows eastern Ukraine’s separatists as closely as anybody.Follow Aric at Twitter:https://twitter.com/AricTolerContribute your hard-earned cash to this podcast:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic:“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcОлег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-3wC7gkMDQSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin talks to freelance writer and Russia watcher Dustin Giebel, who was recently the target of a defamatory blog post by a #resistance freedom fighter named Jay McKenzie. The screed was posted on Medium and promoted by information-warfare darlings like lobbyist Molly McKew and former CIA agent John Sipher — two public figures Giebel has criticized in the past.Geibel talked about life as a Russia watcher at a time when strangers are happy to pick apart your biography and harass your family, all in the name of “winning the fight.”Read the screed:http://archive.is/1iklQRead Giebel's response:https://medium.com/@DustinGiebel/join-us-or-your-russian-controlled-assets-9df9b26897dFollow Giebel on Twitter:https://twitter.com/dustingiebelContribute your hard-earned cash to this podcast:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockMusic featured in this episode:“Serial Killer“ by John Bartmann, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/serial-killer“Building Tension” by eddy, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/eddy/srs_1647/03_Building_Tension_1270“Polyushka Polye” by The Red Army Choir, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2YlbiyiuMcSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Kevin reads the full text of a new investigative report by Meduza’s Daniil Turovsky about how Russia’s war in Georgia sparked Moscow’s modern-day recruitment of criminal hackers. The story is timely not just because we’re currently marking the 10-year anniversary of the Russo-Georgian war, but also because we’re still living in a world dominated by news about Russian election interference, cyber-threats, and more. This is an important story, but most of the reporting has happened in the United States, where the victims are located and the fallout has occurred. Turovsky’s new report is worth reading because it offers some insight into the other side of things: the world of the hackers who were likely mobilized for Moscow’s efforts in 2016. Read the text for yourself here, and share it with your pals:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/08/07/it-s-our-time-to-serve-the-motherlandIf you enjoy this podcast, please consider making a pledge at Patreon, where you can send Kevin money for all his grand efforts. Many thanks to the listeners already ponying up.www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockOpening music: Assmack by Podington Bearhttp://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Haplessly_Happy/AssmackClosing tune: Бременские музыканты (1969), Олег АнофриевSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today’s show, Kevin talks to to Anastasia Karimova, a former activist and journalist in Russia. Today, she’s a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the United States. Anastasia’s personal history is fascinating in its own right, but it's especially interesting now, in the aftermath of the arrest of Maria Butina.Kevin asked Anastasia about finding her way into and out of Russian opposition politics. What were the old days like? What’s the world of protesting become today? She also talked about working for “Kommersant” and losing faith in Russia’s news media. And finally she talked about studying in the U.S. as a Russian person, putting Maria Butina’s alleged activities in some context.If you enjoy this podcast, please consider making a pledge at Patreon, where you can send Kevin money for all his grand efforts. Many thanks to the listeners already ponying up.www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today Kevin will look at the criminal charges against Maria Butina, announced on July 16 by the Justice Department. What are the charges? What kind of dirt does the FBI have on this woman? What's Butina’s history in Russia? Why is she a foreign agent and not a “spy”?Read Meduza's deep dive on Butina: “Meet Maria Butina, the FBI’s Russian gun nut undeclared foreign agent”https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/07/18/meet-maria-butina-the-fbi-s-russian-gun-nut-undeclared-foreign-agentFollow Darina Gribova (who kindly voices Maria Butina in this episode's transcript readings) on Twitter at https://twitter.com/darina_griIf you enjoy this podcast, please consider making a pledge at Patreon, where you can send Kevin money for all his grand efforts. Many thanks to the listeners already ponying up.www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On the evening of July 4, 2018, Russian Internet users realized that the search engine Yandex had been indexing a surprising array of information stored on Google Docs, including files containing passwords, credit card numbers, and corporate documents. Yandex’s press service says the company’s actions were perfectly legitimate, but within hours of Wednesday’s discovery the search engine stopped producing any hyperlinks to Google Docs. In this episode of the podcast, Kevin considers the following three questions: How could this leak have happened? Is anybody at fault here? What kind of information was leaked?Read the whole story at Meduza: “Dirty public secrets: Yandex leaks internal Google Docs apparently shared by Russian banks, state officials, and Internet trolls”https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/07/05/dirty-public-secretsIf you enjoy this podcast, please consider making a pledge at Patreon, where you can send Kevin money for all his grand efforts. Many thanks to the listeners already ponying up.https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s show addresses the recent events surrounding the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, better known as “Shaninka,” which just lost its state accreditation, following an inspection by Russia’s Federal Education and Science Supervision Agency (Rosobrnadzor). Inspectors claim that the school is in violation of several state education standards. The agency’s report says Shaninka’s undergraduate and graduate programs fail in many areas to maintain “professional competence corresponding to the designated professional activities.” In this episode, Kevin speaks to three people familiar with the school and Russia’s social sciences: Grigory Yudin, the codirector of Shaninka’s MA program in political philosophy; Armen Aramyan, a student in Shaninka’s political philosophy department; and Olga Zeveleva, graduate of the Higher School of Economics, PhD researcher in sociology at the University of Cambridge.Read Meduza's coverage of this story:‘This whole farce would make a decent hands-on course of its own’: Shaninka’s social sciences dean discusses the school’s loss of Russian accreditationhttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/06/22/this-whole-farce-would-make-a-decent-hands-on-course-of-its-ownRegulators have revoked their accreditation of the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, one of Russia's last major private collegeshttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/06/22/regulators-have-revoked-their-accreditation-of-the-moscow-school-of-social-and-economic-sciences-one-of-russia-s-last-major-private-collegesIf you enjoy this podcast, please consider making a pledge at Patreon, where you can send Kevin money for all his grand efforts. Many thanks to the listeners already ponying up.https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today’s show, Kevin reviews the pension reform proposal slipped into Russia’s news agenda last week, just as the country’s attention turned to a certain soccer tournament. After summarizing the proposed reforms, Kevin gets some feedback about the plan from a very special guest, his eight-year-old daughter.So what are you going to learn about on today’s show? The Russian government wants to raise the country’s retirement age (from 55 to 63 for women, and from 60 to 65 for men), but how do they intend to do that? How are the authorities communicating this policy initiative to the public? Where’s Putin in all this, and what have the masses had to say about this momentous reform proposal? And what does an eight-year-old American girl think about all this?Catch up on Meduza's coverage of Russian pension reform here:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/06/18/officials-vow-to-raise-the-retirement-age-the-kremlin-fears-protests-and-labor-unions-are-fuming-this-is-russia-s-pension-reformhttps://meduza.io/en/cards/russia-is-raising-its-retirement-age-how-and-whyIf you enjoy this podcast, please consider making a pledge at Patreon, where you can send Kevin money for all his grand efforts. Many thanks to the listeners already ponying up.https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Howdy, folks! It’s Wednesday, June 13, and we’re hours away from the kickoff of the next FIFA World Cup, which is being hosted in Russia this year. The next month will turn much of the world’s attention to Russia, which means this is a good opportunity to shine a light on the country’s social issues. The last time a sporting event did this was the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and back then many in the United States suddenly cared very deeply about LGBT rights in Russia. This year, it’s more of a buffet for haters, with Crimea, Syria, eastern Ukraine, and so much more from which to choose. So what are you going to learn about on today’s episode of the podcast? First, Kevin talks about a recent scandal to hit Facebook where a prominent bank executive shared her controversial hiring tips. Then he reviews the practice of “Slavs-only” hiring and housing policies. He looks at cases of ageism, homophobia, and sexism, and wraps up with a summary of the legal challenges to proving discrimination in Russia. This podcast episode is based on a report by Anna Valtseva published by Meduza. Read it in English here:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/06/12/slavs-onlyIf you enjoy this podcast, please consider making a pledge at Patreon, where you can send Kevin money for all his grand efforts. Many thanks to the listeners already ponying up.https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
This episode of The Russia Guy takes place a week after the staged murder of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko, who was dead to the world for almost 24 hours, from May 29 to May 30, until he was gloriously resurrected by Ukraine’s National Security Agency, which revealed that his killing had been a hoax apparently designed to obtain a hit list with the names of 47 prominent Ukrainian and Russian journalists. The hired hitman was in on the sting operation, and the man arrested for hiring him — Boris German — says he was actually working for Ukrainian counterintelligence. This episode isn’t about the investigative drama behind Babchenko’s murder hoax, however, but the consequences of lying to the public and the media about the death of a prominent journalist. To learn more about the significance of this deception, Kevin spoke to Natalia Roudakova, a cultural anthropologist working in the field of political communication and comparative media studies. Natalia is the author of a new book called “Losing Pravda: Ethics and the Press in Post-Truth Russia.”So what are you going to learn about on today’s episode of The Russia Guy? Kevin asked Natalia to put the Babchenko murder hoax in the context of Ukraine and Russia’s Soviet legacy. She explained what truth in journalism actually is — how it’s constructed and understood in different societies. And she discussed why many journalists in Russia and especially Ukraine feel betrayed and manipulated by the Ukrainian authorities’ decision to lie about Babchenko’s murder. Check out Roudakova’s book, “Losing Pravda: Ethics and the Press in Post-Truth Russia,” at Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Pravda-Ethics-Post-Truth-Russia/dp/1316629775If you enjoy this podcast, please consider showing your support with a pledge at Patreon, where you can contribute as much or as little as you like. I’d like to thank those in the audience who are already pitching in.https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Kevin's guest in this episode is Nikita Kulachenkov, one of the Anti-Corruption Foundation’s full-time investigators. What are you going to learn about on today’s episode of the podcast? Kevin asked Nikita about Russia’s possible criminalization of appealing to foreign governments for sanctions against Russian citizens, and he asked him what impact this legislation could have on the Anti-Corruption Foundation’s activities. They also discussed the ongoing police crackdown on the organizers of the May 5 anti-Putin protests, and Nikita described the tactics city officials use to suppress political rallies and he explained the Navalny campaign’s mentality when staging these demonstrations in the first place.Read more about how Russia plans to criminalize either observing or facilitating foreign sanctions at Meduza:https://meduza.io/en/cards/the-russian-authorities-want-to-jail-people-for-observing-or-even-promoting-western-sanctionsYou can follow Nikita Kulachenkov on Twitter @nekulachenkov:https://twitter.com/nekulachenkov?lang=enIf you enjoy this podcast, please consider showing your support with a pledge at Patreon, where you can contribute as much or as little as you like. I’d like to thank those in the audience who are already pitching in.https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s episode of The Russia Guy welcomes back Aric Toler from Bellingcat, which together with The Insider has just released a new report that contains some pretty amazing revelations about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine almost four years ago. All 298 people on board that plane were killed, and Bellingcat has led the way in open-source intelligence gathering when it comes to tracing this back to Russia, and Aric has been one of the group’s key researchers.So what are you going to learn about on today’s episode of The Russia Guy? Aric explained the mystery behind Oleg Ivannikov, the Russian military officer whose voice we now know appears in radio transmissions intercepted by the Ukrainian authorities immediately after the MH17 disaster. Aric also talked about how Bellingcat and The Insider tracked him down and built its evidence, which it turns out was a marvelous blend of Bellingcat’s trademark OSINT, or open-source intelligence, and shoe-leather journalism by reporters from The Insider.Read Bellingcat’s new report on Oleg Ivannikov:https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2018/05/25/mh17-russian-gru-commander-orion-identified-oleg-ivannikov/And here’s Meduza’s summary:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/05/25/oh-hello-mr-oleg-orion-ivannikov If you’re at all interested in what’s possible with OSINT in eastern Ukraine, you definitely want to be following Aric on Twitter at @AricToler:https://twitter.com/arictoler If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider making a contribution at Patreon. No pledge is too small or too large. Many thanks to all the listeners already pledging. Your assistance helps me pay for the audio recording and hosting expenses of this podcast.https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Kevin’s guest today is Keith Gessen, a novelist, journalist, literary translator, and assistant professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Gessen has written about Russia for The New Yorker, The London Review of Books, The Atlantic, and The New York Times Magazine, where he recently published a fascinating story, titled “The Quiet Americans Behind the U.S.-Russia Imbroglio,” where he examines the historical and philosophical landscape of today’s Russia expertise in the United States. So what are you going to learn about on today’s episode of the podcast? This interview is devoted to Keith’s “Quiet Americans” story in The New York Times Magazine. Here’s a list of the questions, preceded by the times in the episode that they appear: (2:50) Why write this story now? How did it come together? (8:45) Did anything about this story surprise you? (13:14) What do you say to critics who accuse you of speaking only to “like-minded” Russia hands? (15:34) Do Russia domestic politics matter here? Did you leave them out of your story intentionally? Do you think they’re not important to understanding what shapes and divides America’s “Russia hands? (22:05) How did NATO expansion become a litmus test for American Russia experts? (29:53) What’s the influence of the U.S. news media on America’s Russia hands? (35:23) How should the U.S. media improve its Russia coverage? (36:48) Is this mainstream aware that it’s living in an echo chamber? (38:55) Why is realism so unpopular in American thinking about Russia? (43:28) You’ve written about the Russia experts, but what about the Russia grifters?Read “The Quiet Americans Behind the U.S.-Russia Imbroglio”https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/magazine/the-quiet-americans-behind-the-us-russia-imbroglio.htmlFollow Keith Gessen on Twitter at @KeithGessenhttps://twitter.com/keithgessenPre-order his new book, “A Terrible Country: A Novel” (available July 10, 2018)https://www.amazon.com/Terrible-Country-Novel-Keith-Gessen/dp/0735221316If you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin’s guest is David Filipov, a journalist who’s reported from Moscow, Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and New England. David spent years with The Boston Globe, where he contributed to the newsroom that won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for covering the Boston Marathon bombing. He also won the 2014 Edward R. Murrow Award for Continuing Coverage as part of a team of Globe videographers, he was awarded the 2003 James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism for his contribution to a series on deaths from preventable diseases, and he won the Overseas Press Club Hal Boyle Award for his reporting in 1999 from Chechnya. David has also reported for The Moscow Times and The Washington Post, for which he was Moscow bureau chief until very recently. So what are you going to learn about in this episode? David described what it was like to visit Moscow in the 1980s and work there as a journalist in the 1990s, as Communism fell. He recalled the enormous hopefulness of the immediate post-Soviet period, and the hard fall that followed. He talked about becoming a war correspondent and the lives journalists lead when taking on this kind of work. And he described the nature of reporting on Russia in Moscow today, where Americans have renewed but narrowed interests, and Russians have soured on the prospects of engaging the wider Western world.Follow David at Twitter at @DavidFilipov.https://twitter.com/davidfilipovIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Kevin’s guest today is Natalia Antonova, who as many listeners already know is a prolific writer, and a journalist who’s worked in Moscow, Kiev, and soon Washington, D.C., where she’s accepted a position at the Voice of America. Natalia was deputy editor at The Moscow News before it was liquidated in the collapse of RIA Novosti, and she’s been published all over the place, including The Washington Post, Politico, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, Newsweek, and many other fine outlets. Natalia is also a playwright and a poet, and she’s working on a fiction book right now.So what are you going to learn about on today’s episode of the podcast? Natalia and Kevin discussed her recent move back to the United States, and her new job at Voice of America. They also talked a lot about her experience in the Moscow art world, and she helped Kevin get some perspective on the “Seventh Studio” criminal investigation that has targeted acclaimed stage director Kirill Serebrennikov. She described what it was like editorially under pressure from the state when The Moscow News went under and while working at Russia Beyond the Headlines. And she and Kevin talked about her upbringing in Kiev and North Carolina, and how life brought her the Middle East, then back to the former Soviet Union, and finally again to the United States. You can follow Natalia on Twitter at @NataliaAntonovahttps://twitter.com/NataliaAntonova Natalia is also the co-founder of the Anti-Nihilist Institute nonprofit, which you can find @NoToNihilism on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/NoToNihilismIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In this episode, Kevin's guest is Emily Parker, a writer who's worked for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Previously, she was a member of the policy planning staff at the U.S. State Department, where she advised on Internet freedom, digital diplomacy, and open government. Today, Emily writes about tech and foreign affairs, and she works at a blockchain startup.So what are you going to learn about on today’s episode? Emily Parker you through some of the differences between “blockchain,” “cryptocurrency,” and “initial coin offerings” (or ICOs). She and Kevin talked about what governments like and fear about these technologies, and they discussed how companies and particularly social networks are trying to implement them. Kevin also asked Emily to put Telegram’s $1.7-billion ICO into context, and they shared their ideas about what a Telegram cryptocurrency could mean politically in Russia.In 2014, Emily Parker authored a book called “Now I Know Who My Comrades Are: Voices From the Internet Underground,” where you can read stories about Internet activists in China, Cuba, and Russia. Find it here on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Now-Know-Who-Comrades-Are/dp/0374176957And read all Emily's work by following her on Twitter:https://twitter.com/emilydparkerIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
The past three episodes of The Russia Guy have been devoted to the technical details surrounding Russian Internet censorship, but today’s show focuses on one of the organizers of Monday’s Internet freedom rally in Moscow. Kevin spoke to Mikhail Svetov, a member of the Russian Libertarian Party’s federal committee.So what are you going to learn on today’s episode? Mikhail told me how Monday’s Internet freedom rally came together, and explained the organizing role his political party played. We talked a bit about the Russian Libertarian Party and its relationship with Telegram founder Pavel Durov and opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Mikhail also summarized his speech at Monday’s demonstration, explaining what he’s all about politically. And finally he shared his expectations for Internet freedom in Russia, which he says has only grim prospects, if the protest movement now beginning in Moscow doesn’t get smart or get lucky. You can find Mikhail Svetov on Twitter at Msvetov. Mikhail tweets and video blogs mostly in Russian, but as you’ll hear he speaks marvelous English.https://twitter.com/msvetovIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In this episode, Kevin discusses three stories: (1) the structure of Russia’s pension system and the ongoing problems with keeping it funded, (2) two reports by different media monitoring groups that study traffic on Telegram, and finally (3) why it is that the Russian authorities have failed to keep so many Russian Internet users from accessing Telegram.For more on these issues, see the following articles:“The Russian pension system's 2018 deficit will be twice as big as predicted”https://meduza.io/en/news/2018/04/25/the-russian-pension-system-s-2018-deficit-will-be-twice-as-big-as-predicted“Media monitoring website says traffic to Telegram channels dropped 76.5 percent after Russia blocked the app”https://meduza.io/en/news/2018/04/25/media-monitoring-website-says-traffic-to-telegram-channels-dropped-76-5-percent-after-russia-blocked-the-app“Russia is trying to block Telegram, but it's failing. Why?”https://meduza.io/en/cards/russia-is-trying-to-block-telegram-but-it-s-failing-whyIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today’s podcast guest is Yasha Levine, an investigative journalist and the author of the new book “Surveillance Valley: The Secret Military History of the Internet,” which offers a new look at the little-discussed genesis of the very thing that brings my voice to your ears: the Internet. What did Yasha and Kevin discuss? You guessed it: Russia’s block of Telegram. Some highlights:The concepts of “national information security” and “digital sovereignty” How we ought to know whom to trust when it comes to keeping our online correspondence privateThe role American tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Apple are playing in the battle over TelegramA bit of context to bear in mind when comparing and contrasting the online ecosystems in Russia and the United StatesYou can pick up a copy of Yasha’s book, “Surveillance Valley: The Secret Military History of the Internet,” here at Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Surveillance-Valley-Military-History-Internet/dp/1610398025If you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Russia has finally blocked Telegram! In this episode, Kevin spoke to Tjournal.ru's chief editor, Nikita Likhachev, to learn more about this story.Some things Nikita discussed:Technically speaking, how will Roskomnadzor block Telegram?Will Russia order Google and Apple to remove Telegram from their app stores?*What will most Telegram users in Russia do? Will they bother with VPN technologies?If you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In this episode, Kevin spoke to Nataliya Vasilyeva, who works as a Moscow correspondent for the Associated Press. Nataliya is one of the most talented reporters working the Russia beat today, and you’ve probably reading her work, maybe without even knowing it. Last December, she managed to obtain a copy of a 47-page contract between a firm linked to Evgeny Prigozhin and Syria’s state-owned General Petroleum Corporation, which granted the Russian company a quarter of the proceeds from oil and gas production at fields its contractors — the Wagner private military company — capture and secure from ISIS militants. https://apnews.com/7f9e63cb14a54dfa9148b6430d89e873So what are you going to learn in this interview? Kevin asked Nataliya about her background and how she came to journalism. He asked her what it’s like reporting from Moscow during America’s obsession with the “RussiaGate” scandal. And she also talked a bit about what it’s like to live as a correspondent in Russia’s capital — the hustle and bustle, the need to make room for a private life, and the amazing travel opportunities.You can follow Nataliya on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/NatVasilyevaAPAnd don't miss the two stories she mentions at the end of this interview:Russia's role in Ukraine seen shifting to training rebelshttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3024188/Russias-role-Ukraine-seen-shifting-training-rebels.html*Russian crackdown on Muslims fuels exodus to IShttps://www.timesofisrael.com/russian-crackdown-on-muslims-fuels-exodus-to-is/If you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In this episode, Kevin spoke to Neil Hauer, an independent analyst and journalist based in Tbilisi, Georgia, who focuses on Syria, Russia, and the North Caucasus, to learn more about the chemical weapons attack in Syria that provoked the latest tensions between Washington and Moscow. He discussed evidence and the military situation that led us here, as well as Russia’s threat to shoot down American missiles fired at targets in Syria. Neil also talked about Russian personnel on the ground and the risks of U.S. bombs claiming Russian lives. Follow Neil Hauer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/NeilPHauerIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today Kevin looks at some wild draft legislation just submitted to the State Duma that would give Russia its latest unenforceable Internet regulations. The draft law in question is actually a rewritten version of legislation introduced last summer that was supposed to require social networks to delete any “illegal content.” The new version of this law is basically the same thing, with some added provisions against “fake news” and even cussing.So what are you going to learn in this episode of the podcast? The main points of the new draft legislationWhy these new regulations would be significantHow the Russian government would enforce these new rulesWhat we can actually expect, in terms of adoption and enforcement. Luckily, Meduza published a nifty summary of what State Duma deputies want to do with this draft law:https://meduza.io/en/cards/russian-lawmakers-drafted-a-new-version-of-their-latest-lousy-idea-to-regulate-social-media-but-just-how-bad-is-itIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Howdy, folks! On today’s episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin interviews Andrew Roth, The Guardian’s new Moscow bureau chief, and a reporter who’s written previously for The Washington Post and The New York Times.In this interview, you’ll learn how Andrew Roth got into the business of reporting on Russia. I asked him about his upbringing, his education, and especially about his early days as a journalist in Russia. We also talked about the lifestyle and quality of living foreign correspondents enjoy in Moscow today, and about the news agenda as it exists in Russia and in the West. What was it like to report from Moscow in the immediate aftermath of the RussiaGate scandal? What’s it like now, with spies getting poisoned, shopping malls burning down, and Putin grabbing a fourth presidential term? Here are the three stories Andrew mentions at the end of this interview:In Bleak Ukraine City, a Duo’s Odd Experiments Win a Niche Onlinehttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/18/world/europe/in-bleak-ukraine-city-a-duos-odd-experiments-win-a-niche-online.html From Russia, ‘Tourists’ Stir the Protestshttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/world/europe/russias-hand-can-be-seen-in-the-protests.html Ukraine Used Cluster Bombs, Evidence Indicateshttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/21/world/ukraine-used-cluster-bombs-report-charges.html If you enjoyed this episode and like listening to The Russia Guy, please consider pledging a little money on Patreon to help yours truly pay for sound recording, editing, and hosting:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
This episode of The Russia Guy focuses on trash and the nightmare it’s created in towns surrounding Moscow, where locals have been staging protests on and off for weeks and months in different places, in response to an apparent ecological disaster that seems to be spiraling out of control.What are you going to learn on this episode of The Russia Guy? Kevin reviews “garbage riots” in six districts surrounding Moscow, looking at the reported sizes of these demonstrations and what tactics activists are using to stand up to their local officials.If you're interested in this story, read Meduza's full report here:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/28/moscow-s-trash-uprisingIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockThanks for listening!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In today’s episode, Kevin spoke to Ben Noble, a lecturer in Russian politics at University College London in the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, who researches legislatures in non-democracies.In this interview, Kevin asked Ben what he means when he says Russian members of parliament “can serve as pawns in proxy skirmishes between non-legislative actors.” Ben also talked about how he gets all his information about bureaucratic infighting at the Duma, and what actors and agencies tend to win these clashes of politics by other means. Finally, he discussed the likely consequences of the partial media boycott on the State Duma announced after the Slutsky ruling last Wednesday. I refer to two texts by Ben in this podcast. Read his Medium blog post here: https://tinyurl.com/yaby694eAnd read his book chapter with Ekaterina Schulmann here:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XNXG12Z/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o00_?ie=UTF8&psc=1Follow Ben Noble on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ben_H_NobleSupport this podcast on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In this episode, Kevin spoke again to friend-of-the-show Alexey Kovalev, an investigative journalist in Russia. We discussed the latest developments in the scandal surrounding State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky, who was exonerated this past week by the Ethics Committee, despite accusations by multiple women journalists who say he sexually harassed them at different times over the past several years. The committee’s decision, as well as the insulting questions its members asked two of Slutsky’s victims during their inquiry, have enraged the Russian news media and provoked a boycott by dozens of outlets on reporting at the State Duma.What are you going to learn about in this episode of The Russia Guy? Who is Leonid Slutsky?What kind of career has he had in Russian politics? What happened exactly at the Ethics Committee inquiry on Wednesday, March 21? How did the media boycott of the State Duma take shape, and how is the state-run media, which isn’t part of the boycott, handling the Slutsky scandal? *How will the boycott influence reporting on Russia’s legislature, and how important is the Russian State Duma, anyway?Follow Kovalev on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alexey__KovalevRead the full Meduza story quoted in this episode here: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/23/all-i-can-do-is-recommend-a-good-therapistSupport this podcast on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin discusses a new Meduza-OCCRP investigative report about the secretive groups funding Vladimir Putin's re-election campaign.Questions asked and answered in this episode: What does it mean that Putin’s re-election campaign is funding itself through nonprofit foundations affiliated with United Russia? Is that any different than how he’s always done it? What are these foundations, and how are they connected to influential political players like billionaire Gennady Timchenko and Moscow Governor Andrey Vorobyev?* How does the central organization responsible for funding the Putin campaign’s warchest respond to allegations that it exists purely to hide the president’s real donors?And don't miss Meduza's full report, which includes an impressive infographic linking everyone and everything in this murky business:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/13/putin-s-secret-bankrollersSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin spoke to investigative reporter Alexey Kovalev to learn more about Russia’s upcoming presidential race, voter mobilization efforts, voter apathy, and Vladimir Putin’s pre-Election Day media blitz.In this episode, you'll hear an except from Fabrika's pro-Putin pop song “Vova Vova.” You can watch the NSFW music video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95VTlKr6pZs&t=42sYou can follow Alexey on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/Alexey__KovalevIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging some of your hard-earned money through Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On March 7, following the controversial overtime defeat of the ice hockey team Severstal Cherepovets by SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL conference quarterfinals, sports writer Slava Malamud penned a 21-tweet thread arguing that not just the game or the series, but the whole KHL season has essentially been rigged by Vladimir Putin’s cronies to ensure that his hometown team wins this year's Gagarin Cup championship.In this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin spoke to Malamud to learn more about this year's “fixed” KHL season.Follow Slava Malamud on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SlavaMalamudAnd send me money here. All of it:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Sexual harassment allegations are gaining steam against Leonid Slutsky, the unbeautifully named head of the State Duma’s committee on foreign affairs. In this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin asks and answers the following three questions:Who exactly has accused Leonid Slutsky of what exactly?How have Slutsky’s colleagues in the legislature responded to the allegations?*What legal recourse do journalists in Russia have against sexual harassment?As always, don't forget to check out Meduza's coverage of this story, which you can find in several articles, including but not limited to:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/07/leonid-slutsky-must-resign-from-the-state-dumahttps://meduza.io/en/short/2018/03/07/the-speaker-of-the-state-duma-told-women-reporters-to-find-new-jobs-if-they-feel-threatened-by-sexual-harassment-at-russia-s-parliamenthttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/02/several-russian-journalists-say-a-federal-lawmaker-sexually-harassed-them-what-s-their-legal-recoursehttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/02/28/i-m-prepared-to-take-a-couple-of-journalist-girls-myselfSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
The Russian Federation Council’s Commission on Protecting State Sovereignty and Preventing Foreign Interference published its first major report on March 5. Much of the 83-page document is a digressive look at America’s history of meddling in various countries’ domestic affairs over the past half century. In their introduction, the commission members write that this study is an “objective analysis based on reliable data.” Meduza took a closer look at the report and found that a significant part of its data was taken from an article written by a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University in September 2016, with some additional excerpts copied from a book by the Stalinist pseudo-historian Igor Pykhalov, plus a bit lifted from Wikipedia.This episode of The Russia Guy asks and answers the following questions:What did the Federation Council commission steal from?How do we know the commission basically copy-pasted?*Why did the commission take from these sources?And don't forget to read Meduza's report on this report:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/06/russia-s-senate-released-a-report-accusing-the-u-s-of-meddling-in-foreign-countries-its-sources-are-a-stalinist-pseudo-historian-wikipedia-and-an-american-postgraduateSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On March 1, Vladimir Putin gave his annual state-of-the-nation address, devoting a significant part of his speech to a presentation of Russia’s latest weapons, including nuclear missiles. “Nobody listened to us before. Well listen up now,” the president said. Meduza asked several Russian political and security experts to explain why Putin demonstrated all these weapons and what the speech means for his next presidential term.In this episode, Kevin summarizes and comments on the expert interpretations reported by Meduza. Some questions asked and answered here: Who was Putin’s intended audience? Why does Putin feel the need to threaten the United States? And what does Putin hope to gain by talking up Russia’s next-generation nukes?And don't forget to read the Meduza story here:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/02/he-s-trying-to-say-take-us-seriously-we-re-not-joking-anymoreSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Two sources have confirmed to the independent TV station Dozhd that a former “troll factory” manager is now living happily in a suburb outside Seattle, Washington. This episode of The Russia Guy asks: What’s the evidence of this woman’s connections to the troll factory? How did she end up in the United States? Why isn’t she in handcuffs or witness protection? What does it matter if a former Russian troll factory manager has moved to Seattle?And don't forget to read Meduza's report on this latest “troll factory” development:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/02/26/russian-journalists-say-a-former-troll-factory-manager-is-now-living-happily-outside-seattleSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's episode looks at a series of flashy viral ads that have appeared on YouTube recently, advertising Russia's upcoming presidential election, asking: What are these viral election ads? What are they about? How do they use humor to try to get people to vote?How does the advertising industry get involved in this kind of work?*What’s the Kremlin’s role in all this?And don't forget to read Meduza's article on this story:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/02/23/viral-videos-promoting-the-presidential-election-are-popping-up-online-in-russia-and-nobody-is-sure-who-s-making-them-the-breadcrumbs-lead-back-to-the-kremlinSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
After almost two months, The Russia Guy is back! Here's the outline for today's episode:Who is Vitaly Serukanov and how did he end up betraying Alexey Navalny?How did the political strategist Andrey Bogdanov end up working with Serukanov?How does Serukanov justify double-crossing Navalny like this?And don't forget to read Meduza's report on this story, which is my source for most of this information:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/02/22/how-one-of-navalny-s-former-staffers-teamed-up-with-a-notorious-strategist-to-steal-his-political-partySupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In this episode, Kevin discusses “Going Vertical,” a new Russian blockbuster film about the USSR's 1972 Olympic basketball defeat of the United States, which was both an upset and upsetting to the Americans, who refused to accept silver medals, arguing that the game ended unfairly. This episode features audio clips from the film and from the actual game. Meduza also spoke to several of the 1972 team's members, including two of their widows, who have not exactly welcomed the new movie.https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/01/12/miracle-on-mapleSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In this third installment of The Russia Guy's interview series with professionals in the expert community specializing on Russia, Kevin spoke to Kimberly Zenz, a senior international threat intelligence researcher at the Deutsche Cyber-Sicherheitsorganisation (German Cyber Security Organization) who's spent more than a decade working on Russian cybercrime. If you're a student of Russian area studies and want to know more about the career opportunities Kimberly describes in this interview, she encourages you to reach out on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kimberlytzenzSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Behold the second guest in The Russia Guy's new interview series: Nina Jankowicz, an expert in disinformation and democracy promotion in Eastern Europe. Kevin found out how she got into Think Tank Land and asked her just what it means to work toward democratic aims, both abroad and at home.You can follow her on the Twitters here:https://twitter.com/wiczipediaShe also runs a whole newsletter for your education and edification enjoyment. You can sign up at her website here:https://tinyletter.com/wiczipediaAnd you can read her Fulbright paper about Russian disinformation here (it's a slick 29 pages):https://wiczipedia.com/russian-disinformation/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today's the first in The Russia Guy's new interview series. Kevin sat down (remotely. don't read too much into that word) with Aric Toler, one of Bellingcat's top analysts and the lead Eastern Europe digital researcher at DFR Lab, to find out how he got into the Russia expertise biz, and what life is like in the open-source intelligence world.Follow him on Twitter, y'all.https://twitter.com/AricTolerSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Kevin discusses three stories in this episode:A conspiracy theory says the FSB leaked a hacker's confession to incriminate the U.S. government in the DNC hack!https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/12/12/new-information-about-russian-officials-orchestrating-the-dnc-hack-could-be-designed-to-pin-the-cyber-attack-on-the-u-s-governmentRelated to this story, see Ellen Nakashima's WaPo report:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/court-document-points-to-kaspersky-labs-cooperation-with-russian-security-service/2017/12/13/14ba9450-df42-11e7-bbd0-9dfb2e37492a_story.html?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.5290e4ad429aThese religious traditionalists make for awful posterboys, if tolerance is your thing.https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/12/11/a-moscow-university-student-is-attacked-and-forced-to-apologize-on-camera-for-offending-muslims-christians-and-all-women-by-criticizing-sexist-traditionsRussian media monitoring and censorship explained.https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/12/13/a-hybrid-hunt-for-criminal-journalistsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Kevin commits Internet treason by criticizing his own country, moaning about Washington's inability to live up to its own word about FARA registration not interfering with media outlets' work. Then he moves on to moaning about the Russian Orthodox Church's weird obsession with an old and ugly conspiracy theory about Jews murdering the Romanovs in a “ritual killing.”How the U.S. says it treats ‘foreign agent’ journalists versus what it actually doeshttps://meduza.io/en/short/2017/11/30/how-the-u-s-says-it-treats-foreign-agent-journalists-versus-what-it-actually-doesFederal investigators have reopened the Tsar Nicholas II murder case, and the Russian Orthodox Church wants them to consider a notoriously anti-Semitic conspiracy theoryhttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/11/30/federal-investigators-have-reopened-the-tsar-nicholas-ii-murder-case-and-the-russian-orthodox-church-wants-them-to-consider-a-notoriously-anti-semitic-conspiracy-theorySupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Kevin's back and he's talking about four stories today:Russia's Security Council tells the government to develop a separate Internet for the BRICShttps://meduza.io/en/news/2017/11/28/russia-s-security-council-tells-the-government-to-develop-a-separate-internet-for-the-bricsThe Russian Investigative Committee's ‘Jewish problem’https://meduza.io/en/news/2017/11/29/the-russian-investigative-committee-s-jewish-problemNavalny's supporters accuse Ksenia Sobchak's campaign of inflating its support online, but her team says it has network TV to thankhttps://meduza.io/en/news/2017/11/28/navalny-s-supporters-accuse-ksenia-sobchak-s-campaign-of-inflating-its-support-online-but-her-team-says-it-has-network-tv-to-thank‘I won the role when the FSB needed to cast its next victim’ Meduza interviews the Polish historian deported from Russiahttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/11/28/i-won-the-role-when-the-fsb-needed-to-cast-its-next-victimAnd don't miss Meduza's long-read on the 1962 Novocherkassk story:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/11/23/the-novocherkassk-massacreSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In this episode, Kevin reviews Oleg Kashin's recent op-ed savaging the Western media's coverage of RussiaGate stories, which he says has robbed the country's young political culture of a celestial constellation (deep, right??). Kevin also reviews the hilarity of Russia Today's foreign-agent registration documents in the U.S.Kashin's op-ed, in Englishhttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/11/13/the-day-russians-stopped-believing-the-western-mediaFor more on RT's FARA docshttps://meduza.io/en/news/2017/11/14/rt-s-american-subsidiary-told-the-u-s-justice-department-that-it-doesn-t-know-where-its-money-comes-from-in-russiaSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
After several weeks of silence, Kevin is back with a look at Evgeny Prigozhin, “Putin's favorite chef,” to talk troll factory, procurement deals, and American shortsightedness. He's also going to gab about two very fine pieces of original reporting — one very long, and the other not as much.For background about Mr. Prigozhin:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2016/06/13/evgeny-prigozhin-s-right-to-be-forgottenFor a summary of Navalny's May 2017 research on Prigozhin's "cartel":https://themoscowtimes.com/news/navalny-unmasks-a-cartel-allegedly-earning-billions-in-defense-contracts-58049For Sasha Sulim's epic work on the North Caucasus:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/31/guilty-by-bloodFor Mikhail Danilovich's probing look at unprosecuted hate crimes against gay men in Russia:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/11/02/he-wasn-t-worthy-of-being-a-manSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today (Oct. 15), Kevin discuss an interview published hours ago with a former member of St. Petersburg's infamous Internet Research Agency.Read Meduza's summary of the interview in English here:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/15/an-ex-st-petersburg-troll-speaks-outOr read Dozhd's original text (in Russian, paywalled):https://tvrain.ru/teleshow/bremja_novostej/fabrika-447628/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today (Oct. 13), Kevin talks about Russian Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin's prickly, revealing outburst at an academic conference. He also reviews a new Russian TV show all about American “sleeper agents” in Moscow. It's called “Sleepers” (not “The Russians”).Bastrykin's outbursthttps://meduza.io/en/news/2017/10/13/russia-s-investigative-committee-chief-seems-a-little-desperate-in-chechnyaMeduza's review of “Sleepers”https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/13/there-s-a-new-spy-drama-on-russian-tv-about-american-sleeper-agentsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today (Oct. 11), Kevin looks at a developing scandal involving top officials from Roskomnadzor, Russia's federal censor, and the still-escalating “foreign agent” conflict in the U.S. and Russian news media.Russia's Justice Ministry threatens ‘special restrictions’ on the work of U.S. journalistshttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/11/russia-s-justice-ministry-threatens-special-restrictions-on-the-work-of-u-s-journalistsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today (Oct. 6), Kevin talks about a ridiculous interview by the new U.S. ambassador to Russia, Jon Huntsman; rumors circulate that Moscow might ban American media outlets outright; Navalny plans nationwide protests on Oct. 7; and Meduza's new deep-dive report on “YouthArmy,” a “military-patriotic movement” created with support from the Defense Ministry.The Huntsman interview: https://twitter.com/foxandfriends/status/916252874622906371Police vs. Navalny activists:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/06/how-russia-s-cops-and-oppositionists-are-preparing-for-saturday-s-nationwide-protestsMeet the ‘YouthArmy,’ Russia's new hope for military-patriotic education:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/06/making-real-men-out-of-schoolchildrenSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today's episode (Oct. 4), Kevin talks about this Putin quote: “I still haven’t decided if I’ll run at all, let alone against whom I’ll run.” He also summarizes a new interview with Russian media star Elizaveta Osetinskaya, and looks at five fake stories reported by Russia's “best evening news program” and “best analytical review program.”The Osetinskaya interview: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/04/russia-is-trending-in-america-but-expertise-is-in-short-supplyThe TEFIs roundup: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/04/this-is-what-earns-emmys-in-russiaSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
Today (Oct. 2), Kevin discusses three stories: Alexey Navalny's return to jail (and world headlines); a long report on how the Russian govt is saving money by denying compensation payments to dead soldiers' families; and how social workers in Yekaterinburg seized a woman's two adopted kids after her elective double mastectomy.How Alexey Navalny and his campaign manager landed in jail again for another 20 dayshttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/10/03/how-alexey-navalny-and-his-campaign-manager-landed-in-jail-again-for-another-20-daysDead but not killed: How the Russian government is saving money by denying compensation payments to dead soldiers' familieshttps://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/09/29/dead-but-not-killedRussian social workers seize woman's two adopted children after she undergoes elective double mastectomyhttps://meduza.io/en/shapito/2017/09/29/russian-social-workers-seize-woman-s-two-adopted-children-after-she-undergoes-elective-double-mastectomySupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today's episode of The Russia Guy(Sept. 28, 2017), Kevin talks about a new op-ed by former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul and a weird new “parental control” service offered by a Russian tech company specializing in big data.McFaul's op-ed: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/09/28/enough-is-enough-how-to-stop-russias-cyber-interference/?utm_term=.ead20f0639acMeduza's story on “Parental Control”: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2017/09/28/better-us-than-the-fsbSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
In today's episode (recorded Sept. 26), Kevin discusses the “Straight Out of the Kremlin’s Toolkit: Strategies of State Actors” panel at the Atlantic Council's “StratComDC” conference, and a ridiculous defense by the city of Izhevsk against Alexey Navalny's presidential campaign.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)
On today's episode, Kevin talks about a really gross crime story out of Krasnodar (involving cannibals and maybe the worst selfies ever), a film review of “Matilda” (Russia's most controversial movie in years), and the Russian government's weird, love-hate fascination with Telegram channels.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)