The Power Vertical Podcast by Brian Whitmore: Recent Episodes
The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
The Power Vertical Podcast by Brian Whitmore covers emerging and developing trends in Russian politics, shining a spotlight on the high-stakes power struggles, machinations, and clashing interests that shape Kremlin policy today. Brian Whitmore is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council Eurasia Center and Russia and Eurasia Specialist and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies at The University of Texas at Arlington.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with military analyst Michael Kofman, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a senior editor at War on the Rocks, and host of the Russian Contingency Podcast who just returned from a visit to the front in eastern Ukraine.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore has a wide-ranging discussion with Serhiy Kudelia, a Professor of Political Science at Baylor University, and the author of the recently published book, Seize the City, Undo the State: The Inception of Russia's War on Ukraine. The discussion examined what this crisis has taught us about the state of Ukrainian democracy during wartime, the generational divide defining the country's politics, and the ongoing struggle to root out corruption.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore has a conversation about what that means with Yuriy Boyechko, a Ukrainian-American humanitarian leader and the founder and CEO of Hope For Ukraine, a nonprofit providing aid to civilians affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Michael Carpenter, a senior fellow for Transatlantic Affairs at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who served in the administration of former President Joe Biden as the NSC's Senior Director for Europe and U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE and in the administration of Barack Obama as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia; and Max Bergmann, director of the Europe and Russia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who served as a member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff and as a speechwriter for former Secretary of State John Kerry.
On this week’s episode of the Power Vertical Podcast, Brian Whitmore speaks with James Sherr, Marta Dyczok, and Serhiy Kudelia about the historical disputes straining Polish-Ukrainian relations and what they mean for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
WAR AND INNOVATION - HOW UKRAINE REVOLUTIONIZED CIVIL DEFENSE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Mikhail Zygar, author of the bestselling books All The Kremlin's Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin, War and Punishment: Putin, Zelensky, and the Path to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, and the recently published The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia's Short-lived Victory over Totalitarianism to make sense of it all and to separate the signal from the noise.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore looks at this military revolution with former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodniuk and Michael Carpenter, who served in the administration of former President Joe Biden as the NSC's Senior Director for Europe and U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE; and in the administration of Barack Obama, Mike served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore breaks it all down with James Sherr, an Honorary Fellow at the International Center for Defense and Security and an Associate Fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs; and former U.S. State Department official Max Bergmann, director of the Europe and Russia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who served as a member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff and as a speechwriter for former Secretary of State John Kerry.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with military analyst Michael Kofman, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Principal Research Scientist at the CNA Corporation, and a senior editor at War on the Rocks.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore breaks it all down with Michael Carpenter, a Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Affairs at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who served in the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden as the NSC's Senior Director for Europe as well as the US Ambassador to the OSCE and in the administration of Barack Obama as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia; and Casey Michel, author of the books American Kleptocracy: How The US Created the Greatest Money Laundering Machine in History, Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World, and United States of Oligarchy: How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with James Sherr, an honorary fellow at the International Center for Defense and Security in Tallinn, and John Sipher, a 28-year CIA veteran, a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at The Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, a Senior Fellow at the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence and Policy at George Mason University, and the founder of Spycraft Entertainment.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore breaks it all down with journalist, author, and longtime Kremlin-watcher Casey Michel, head of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human RIghts Foundation and author of the books American Kleptocracy, Foreign Agents, and United States of Oligarchy.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Michael Carpenter, who served as the NSC's Senior Director for Europe as well as the US Ambassador to the OSCE in the Biden administration; and former U.S. State Department official Max Bergmann, who served as a member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff and as a speechwriter for former Secretary of State John Kerry.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore breaks it all down with John Sipher, a 28-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency's National Clandestine Service. John also served as a member of the CIA’s Senior Intelligence Service and is the recipient of the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal. These days, John is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at The Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, a Senior Fellow at the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence and Policy at George Mason University, and the founder of Spycraft Entertainment.
which was published this week in The Insider. Michael is the author of the Substack newsletter Foreign Office, a contributing editor at New Lines magazine, and a reporter for The Insider. He is also the author of the book ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror and is currently working on a new book about Russia's GRU.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Mikhail Zygar, author of the bestselling books All The Kremlin's Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin, War and Punishment: Putin, Zelensky, and the Path to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, and the recently published The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia's Short-lived Victory over Totalitarianism.
And as the Kremlin seeks to exploit the transatlantic rift, Ukraine is seeking a way to survive it. We're in uncharted waters folks. On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Michael Carpenter, a senior fellow for transatlantic affairs at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who served in the administration of former U.S President Joe Biden as the NSC's Senior Director for Europe as well as the US Ambassador to the OSCE; and Eric Ciaramella, a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who served as a deputy national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the U.S. National Intelligence Council.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Peter Dickinson, editor of the UkraineAlert blog at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and the publisher of the magazines Business Ukraine and Lviv Today; and Serhiy Kudelia, a Professor of Political Science at Baylor University and author of the recently published book, Seize the City, Undo the State: The Inception of Russia's War on Ukraine.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore talks with journalist and longtime Russia-watcher Casey Michel about the Kremlin’s competing narratives surrounding its invasion of Ukraine. Drawing on Michel’s new Atlantic Council Eurasia Center report, they break down how myths about history, identity, and Russia’s place in the world have shaped Moscow’s decisions. The conversation also explores how believing these false narratives has led the Putin regime to critical miscalculations in Ukraine and beyond.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore breaks down the most damaging corruption scandal of Zelenskyy’s presidency, as Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies allege that close associates of the president plotted to skim nearly $100 million from the energy sector amid nationwide blackouts caused by Russian strikes — and with signs of a troubling Russian link inside the scheme. At the same time, reports have surfaced that the United States and Russia have discussed a possible peace deal without Ukraine’s participation, one that appears to demand near-total capitulation from Kyiv. Brian is joined by Michael Carpenter and James Sherr to unpack what this means for Ukraine’s political stability, Western support, and the broader direction of the war.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with military analyst Michael Kofman about the intensifying battle for Pokrovsk — a key Ukrainian stronghold under mounting Russian assault. With nearly a third of front-line fighting concentrated in or near the city, the discussion examines why Pokrovsk matters strategically, what its potential fall could mean for Ukraine’s defenses, and how the narrative surrounding it shapes perceptions of the war’s trajectory.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Kyiv-based analysts Peter Dickinson and Mykola Bielieskov about the escalating Russian assault on Pokrovsk. They discuss what the city’s fate means for Ukraine’s defensive strategy, the morale of both sides, and the evolving story of the war’s perception in the West.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with James Sherr, Honorary Fellow at the International Center for Defense and Security in Tallinn. They unpack a week of geopolitical whiplash — from talk of U.S. Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine to sudden reversals and new sanctions on Russia. Whitmore and Sherr break down what this rollercoaster reveals about the state of the war, the shifting diplomacy around it, and Europe’s evolving stance at the latest EU summit.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodniuk, chairman of the Center for Defense Strategies in Kyiv. They discuss Zagorodniuk’s concept of “strategic neutralization,” Ukraine’s emerging theory of victory focused on systematically denying Russia’s ability to achieve its military objectives rather than seeking total defeat. The conversation explores how this strategy plays out across the Black Sea, ground, air, cyber, and information domains. Whitmore and Zagorodniuk also examine how recent diplomatic developments and shifting battlefield conditions could shape Ukraine’s long war strategy.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Laura Thornton of the McCain Institute, David Smith of the Moldova Small Enterprise Alliance, and Corina Rebegea of Accountability Lab about Moldova’s pivotal parliamentary elections. With Russia deploying disinformation, crypto scams, and even the Orthodox Church as tools of influence, the stakes extend far beyond Chisinau. The panel unpacks how this “multi-vector war” could reshape Moldova’s democratic trajectory, impact Ukraine and Romania, and alter the balance of security across Europe.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Michael Carpenter, Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Affairs at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and James Sherr, Honorary Fellow at the International Center for Defense and Security. They unpack Russia’s latest drone incursions into NATO airspace, the EU’s proposed “drone wall,” and Moscow’s broader sabotage campaign across Europe. The discussion explores whether these escalations mark a new phase in Russia’s hybrid war and what the West can do in response.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Joseph Webster, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, about the contours and contradictions of the Sino-Russian “no limits” partnership. They explore how China has helped keep Russia’s economy and war machine afloat by purchasing hydrocarbons, supplying dual-use technology, and providing economic lifelines—all in broad daylight. The discussion also examines the limits of this relationship, including its asymmetry, potential pitfalls in Central Asia, and the challenges it poses for Western strategy.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Max Bergmann of CSIS about Vladimir Putin’s return to the global stage. From Beijing’s military parade with Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un to a red-carpet summit in Alaska with Donald Trump, Putin is no longer isolated. We unpack what this means for the emerging authoritarian axis, the future of the West’s unity, and the impact of U.S. security cuts to Europe.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Anton Shekhovtsov, director of the Centre for Democratic Integrity in Vienna and author of Towers of Europa, about Vladimir Putin’s eliminationist war against Ukraine and his quest for “symbolic immortality.” They discuss how ideology, historical revisionism, and the dehumanization of Ukrainians shape the Kremlin’s motivations, and why understanding Putin’s drive for symbolic immortality is key to grasping the genocidal nature of the war. The conversation also explores evolving Russian political myths, the manipulation of culture and history, and what Europe must do to meet the security challenges of a rapidly changing world order.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with David Kramer, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, and Serhiy Kudelia, Associate Professor of Political Science at Baylor University, about the high-stakes Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. With the meeting unfolding as the episode was recorded, they analyze the possible scenarios—from capitulation to a Minsk 3-style ceasefire to the status quo—and explore how each could impact Ukraine, Europe, and U.S.-Russia relations. They also examine the broader strategic goals at play, the political signals from Washington, and what history might teach us about moments like this.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Michael Carpenter and James Sherr to unpack a chaotic week of U.S.-Russia diplomacy and shifting signals out of Washington. As Trump calls a surprise Moscow meeting “highly productive” and dangles the possibility of direct talks with Zelensky and Putin, the U.S. simultaneously threatens secondary sanctions and hikes tariffs on India. What’s really going on? And could the West actually engineer a Ukrainian victory if it chose to? Tune in as our guests break down the mixed messages, strategic stakes, and what it all means for Ukraine, Russia, and the West.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with military analyst Michael Kofman about Russia’s summer offensive, Ukraine’s resilience on the battlefield, and what shifting front lines near Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka, and Zaporizhiya mean for the next phase of the war. They also explore the growing role of drones, Russia’s aerial strikes on Ukrainian cities, and how U.S. pressure and Ukraine’s domestic politics are shaping the conflict.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Volodymyr Kulyk, Dylan Combellick, and Michael Carpenter about the growing protests in Ukraine following President Zelensky’s controversial move to curb anti-corruption agencies. As demonstrations erupt across major cities, civil society pushes back against what many see as a breach of democratic norms in the middle of war. The conversation explores whether a red line has been crossed—and what that means for public trust, wartime governance, and Ukraine’s democratic future. The guests unpack the origins of these key institutions, their role since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, and how this moment echoes past political tensions. It’s a deep dive into democracy under siege—and why Ukrainians are demanding its protection now more than ever.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Jonathan Katz and Corina Rebegea about the new Cold War unfolding within democracies. They explore how Russia, corruption, and disinformation are undermining institutions across the West. The discussion also takes a close look at the recent crisis in Romania’s presidential election and what it reveals about defending liberal values today.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Jeff Mankoff about rising tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan following a brutal crackdown and arrests on both sides. They explore how Azerbaijan’s assertiveness reflects shifting power dynamics in the former Soviet space and its growing confidence after victory in Karabakh. The conversation also covers Azerbaijan’s energy clout, ties to Turkey, and Moscow’s costs from escalating tensions. Later, they examine Russia’s faltering effort to rally the Global South against the West, with BRICS losing momentum.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with James Sherr and Michael Carpenter about cracks in the Russia-Iran relationship following recent attacks on Tehran. They unpack what Iran's diminished ability to arm Moscow means for Putin’s influence in the Middle East. The conversation also turns to the NATO summit in The Hague and its implications for Europe’s security landscape.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Jeff Mankoff about the simmering espionage tensions between Russia and China that suggest cracks in their so-called "no limits" partnership. They explore leaked Russian intelligence reports accusing Beijing of spying and covert operations within Russian territory. Is the Sino-Russian alliance unraveling—or is something else at play?
Brian Whitmore joins ABC News Radio to discuss Ukraine's latest drone attack on Russia and the potential impact this may have on the upcoming peace talks.
In this episode of the Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk and security expert Alexander Khara about Ukraine’s unprecedented drone strike deep inside Russian territory. The guests analyze how the 18-month-long operation—dubbed Operation Spiderweb—was executed with precision, stealth, and strategic impact. They explore what this reveals about Ukraine’s intelligence, logistics, and innovation in asymmetrical warfare. The conversation also looks ahead at how Ukraine is redefining modern conflict with drones, AI, and creative military tactics.
In this episode of the Power Vertical Podcast, Justin Sherman joins host Brian Whitmore to unpack the complex ecosystem behind Russia’s offensive cyber operations. From government agencies like the GRU and SVR to loosely affiliated cybercriminals and patriotic hackers, Sherman explores how these entities operate—often independently, yet in alignment with state interests.
In this episode of the Power Vertical Podcast, Jen Stout joins host Brian Whitmore to discuss her experiences as a journalist in Ukraine.#podcast #russia #russian #ukraine
PUTIN'S CO-CONSPIRATORS by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE POTEMKIN PEACE PLAN by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
AND THE WAR GRINDS ON by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE NEW EUROPEAN FRONT by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
STRANGE NEW WORLD - UTA TALK by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
BRAVE NEW INTELLIGENCE WORLD by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US! THE EMERGING UKRAINIAN-EUROPEAN DEFENSE ALLIANCE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE PUTINIZATION OF WORLD POLITICS by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
LAZY 'REALISM' AND THE APPEASEMENT OF RUSSIA by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
IT'S EUROPE'S MOMENT by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
A TIPPING POINT FOR UKRAINE -- AND EUROPE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE BATTLE FOR DEMOCRACY, IN THE EAST AND IN THE WEST by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
EURASIAN EMPIRES CLASHING by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE WAGES (AND DEBTS) OF WAR by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE FALL OF PUTIN'S S.O.B. by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE END OF THE WORLD ORDER AS WE KNOW IT? by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
PUTIN'S PLOT AGAINST AMERICA by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
MOSCOW'S NEXT MOVE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
UKRAINE'S NEW REALITY by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
NUKES, NATO, AND UKRAINIAN SECURITY by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
SHOWDOWN IN THE GRAY ZONE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
GEORGIA'S DECISIVE MOMENT by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE WAR AT HOME by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
MAFIAISM IS THE NEW COMMUNISM - University of Texas at Arlington Talk by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
ZELENSKY'S PLAN, PUTIN'S THREATS by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
A MOMENT OF TRUTH IN UKRAINE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE DICTATOR'S LITTLE HELPERS by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
UKRAINE'S KURSK OFFENSIVE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
UKRAINE STRIKES BACK by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
PUTIN'S HOSTAGE - TAKING TERROR MACHINE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE GEOPOLITICS OF THE SOUTH CAUCASUS by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
ROGUE RUSSIA by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
WRONGFULLY DETAINED by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
UKRAINE: THE VIEW FROM THE FRONT by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
PUTIN PLAYS THE PYONGYANG CARD by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
RUSSIA THE COLONIZER by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
GEORGIA ON THE BRINK by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
NORTHERN EXPOSURE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
PUTIN'S NEW POLITBURO by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
PUTIN'S POLITICAL PRISONERS by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE MYTHS OF WAR by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
PUTIN'S IMPERIAL GURUS by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE WAR GRINDS ON by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE POLITICS OF UKRAINE ASSISTANCE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
TERROR IN MOSCOW, DELUSION IN THE KREMLIN by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
ALL THE DICTATOR'S MEN by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
RUSSIA AFTER NAVALNY by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
TWO YEARS OF WAR by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
DEATH OF A DISSIDENT by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE PRESIDENT AND THE GENERALS by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
RUSSIA TOMORROW: FIVE SCENARIOS FOR RUSSIA'S FUTURE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
NUKES, LIES, AND 'SECURITY ASSURANCES' by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
In addition to the front lines in the Donbas, the battle for Ukraine's future is being fought out in Western capitals.
A MOMENT OF TRUTH IN UKRAINE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
MR. ZELENSKY GOES TO WASHINGTON by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
Putin's Middle Eastern Front by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
Putin's Latest American Hostage by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
TOWARD A THEORY OF SUCCESS IN UKRAINE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
UKRAINE'S HOME FRONT by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
BREAKING THE STALEMATE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
UNPACKING PUTIN'S GLOBAL STRATEGY by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
600 DAYS OF WAR by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE NEW CRIMEAN WAR by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE PUTINIST IDEOLOGY by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE WAR IN AUTUMN by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
WAR, PUNISHMENT, AND CATHARSIS by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
PUTIN'S OTHER WARS by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
SEDITION AND PUNISHMENT by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
STATE OF THE WAR by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE BATTLE FOR GEORGIA, THEN AND NOW by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
MOSCOW'S WOUNDED 'GODFATHER' by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
KREMLIN CHAOS & NATO UNITY by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
AFTER THE UPRISING by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
INSURRECTION AND CONSEQUENCES by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
WHO BLEW UP NORD STREAM? by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
The Long Hot Summer Campaign by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
BUILD UKRAINE BACK BETTER by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
UKRAINE ON THE EVE OF THE SPRING OFFENSIVE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
The Black Sea Front by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
The China Syndrome by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
SANCTIONS AND PUTIN'S WAR MACHINE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
CONNEXIONS Day 2 Piercing The Armor Of Russian Propaganda by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
CONNEXIONS Day 1 The New Cold War by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
Fall of an Empire - University of Texas at Arlington Talk by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
ASSASSINATION, INTRIGUE, AND POWER STRUGGLES by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE GUNS OF SPRING: UKRAINE'S LOOMING OFFENSIVE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
Dictators, Summits, and War Crimes by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE CASE FOR LIBERATING CRIMEA by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
The Belarusian Front by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
A YEAR OF WAR: PART TWO by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
A YEAR OF WAR: PART ONE by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
UKRAINE AND WESTERN SECURITY by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
THE LONG AND GRINDING WAR by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
Ukraine and The War Over History by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
Ukraine and the Global Battle for Democracy by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
Putin's War Comes Home by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
The Axis of Rogues by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
The Guns of Winter by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
When The War Is Over by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
War, Famine, and Genocide by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
The Winter War by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
The Cartoon Villain by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
Toward a Marshall Plan for Ukraine by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
Threats, Lies, and Dirty Bombs by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
Separated At Birth, University of Texas at Arlington Talk by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
Ukraine strikes the only bridge linking the annexed Crimean peninsula to Russia, scoring a key strategic and symbolic victory after a month of victories on the battlefields in the east and the south.
Vladimir Putin's Russia may just be the first country in history to claim to be annexing another country's territory even as its own troops were simultaneously and hastily retreating from that very territory.
Vladimir Putin's mobilization runs into a snag as Russians take to the streets and draft-age men flee the country in massive numbers.
In the wake of humiliating military setbacks in northeastern Ukraine, Vladimir Putin implicitly threatens the West with nuclear blackmail and calls up 300,000 reservists to replenish his depleted troops on the battlefield
A stunningly successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast in the northeast liberated an estimated 3,800 square kilometers of territory, an area roughly the size of the US state of Rhode Island, in just two days as the Russian front line crumbled and troops retreated.
As Ukraine launches a fresh offensive to retake Russian-occupied lands in the south, another struggle is taking shape that will likely be as consequential as what happens on the battlefield. And that is the energy war.
August 2022 may go down in history as the month Ukraine took the war to Russia and challenged Moscow's dominance over the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula.
Ukrainian special forces and guerilla units strike deep inside Russian-occupied Crimea, hitting two airfields and a munitions depot, challenging Moscow's control of the peninsula.
Three decades ago, U.S. President George H.W. Bush marked the end of the Cold War in his 1992 State of the Union address. It was a heady moment when anything and everything seemed possible. But it would not last.
From torture to the summary executions of civilians to the widespread abduction and forced deportation of noncombatants, the anecdotal evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine has been mounting for months.
Both the International Criminal Court and the Ukrainian authorities have launched formal investigations for crimes against humanity and potentially genocide.
But as was the case with the downing of flight MH17 eight years ago, a lot of shoe-leather forensic work into these crimes is also being conducted by teams of investigative journalists.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Peter Pomerantsev, a Senior Fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and author of the books Nothing is True and Everything is Possible and This Is Not Propaganda, who is part of a journalistic initiative called The Reckoning Project that is documenting Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
The HIMARS are changing the game on the battlefield. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and other longer-range weapons supplied by the West are enabling the Ukrainians to hit high-value Russian targets, reduce their own casualties, and mount a counter offensive in the East and South.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Michael Sawikiw, Executive Vice President and Director of the Ukrainian National Information Service, Vice President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, and President of the US Holodomor Committee; and Marta Dyczok, an Associate Professor of History and Political Science at the University of Western Ontario and CERES Fellow at the University of Toronto.
NATO's most vulnerable members are also its most hawkish because they understand that should Russia succeed in subjugating Ukraine, then history suggests they could be next. On the Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with veteran journalist and Kremlin-watcher Michael Weiss about how the war in Ukraine looks from the alliance's front line. Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com
Just over a century ago, in the aftermath of World War I, almost all of Europe's empires began the process of disintegration and decolonization. The Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and British empires all declined and fell in the first half of the 20th Century.
The Wider War: Russia's Assault on Ukraine -- and the West by The Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies and Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center
The battle for the Donbas rages in Ukraine's east with Russian forces on the verge of capturing the strategically vital city of Sievierodonetsk. And with Ukrainian cities facing a merciless onslaught of Russian artillery and missile attacks, Kyiv calls on the West to send more long-range weapons to push back the offensive.
As Ukraine fights for its sovereignty and independence, cracks are appearing in the Western coalition against Vladimir Putin.
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned against "humiliating Russia," Italy has floated a peace plan that would have Ukraine cede territory in exchange for peace, and talks are continuing in Turkey, without Kyiv's participation, to ease the grain crisis that Russia created by blockading Ukraine's ports.
When Russia invaded Georgia in 2008, it managed to convince much of the world that Georgia had started the war - an absurd proposition given that Georgian troops never left Georgian territory.
When Russia annexed Crimea and invaded the Donbas in 2014, it persuaded much of the world to pretend that it was some sort of "civil war" among Ukrainians and that Moscow was not involved despite massive evidence to the contrary.
But with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine this year, very few are believing Vladimir Putin's hype. Few believe the fairy tales of Ukrainian Nazis and chemical weapons. And most understand that this is nothing but an unprovoked war of choice on Putin's part.
Russia's once-feared disinformation machine suddenly looks pathetic.
So what happened? And why? On the Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with veteran journalist Michael Weiss, news director at the New Lines magazine, contributing editor at The Daily Beast, and director of special investigations at the Free Russia Foundation, about Russia's flailing propaganda effort and the latest developments on the ground.
If Vladimir Putin's goal in invading Ukraine was to push NATO and the EU out of Eastern Europe, he has failed miserably.
Because suddenly, Finland and Sweden have applied to join NATO, a prospect highly unlikely just months ago.
Suddenly, the prospect of Ukraine joining the EU, unthinkable just months ago, is now a very real possibility.
And suddenly, we are entering into a whole new era of European security. What will it look like?
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with former US State Department official Max Bergmann, director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies about European security in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
Does declaring victory make you a victor? As both Russia and Ukraine say they've won the war, it's far from the only question on people's minds, but an important distinction, nonetheless. Listen to this week's episode as we tackle these lines of questions.
Listen to how Brian Whitmore and Jeff Mankoff argue that imperialism is tied to culture and that Russia may not see the changes you'd expect in a world after Putin.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore, speaks with former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who was in office at the time of the 2007 attacks, about how they unfolded and what they portended.
Genocide. The word has been thrown out by US President Biden when describing the horrors committed in Ukraine. But is there a legal case to back up the claim?
Scenes of mass graves and civilians shot execution style in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, are imprinted into the World's mind, and it may never be the same again.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore unpacks the latest developments on the ground with retired U.S. Admiral James Foggo.
As Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its second month, civilian casualties mount and so does evidence of Russian war crimes. Here are the latest developments.
As the war enters its fourth week Russia's advance on major Ukrainian cities is still bogged down and stymied by a fierce Ukrainian resistance. So we're effectively in a race against time. Can Ukraine hold out long enough for Russia's economy to crumble and undermine its ability to wage war?
The debate continues about how to arm Ukraine with the weapons it needs to defend itself, most importantly fighter jets to prevent Russia from dominating the skies.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with three Ukrainian experts about the war and the situation on the ground.
Vladimir Putin launches the largest land invasion in Europe since World War II and escalates the bombing of civilian targets.
Led by its charismatic President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine mounts a David-and-Goliath-style resistance that inspires the world.
A surprisingly unified West imposes the most devastating sanctions package in history, isolating Russia and effectively cutting it off from the global economy.
And across the globe, many are asking: Has Putin become unhinged? And what does that mean going forward? On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Georgetown University Professor and former U.S. State Department official Angela Stent, author of the book Putin's World: Russia Against the West and with the Rest, about the latest developments.
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, I speak with former Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer about the Russian advances, the Ukrainian resistance, and the new geopolitical reality we are entering.
Moscow sends mixed signals, claiming to pull some troops back from the Ukrainian border and indicating an openness to additional diplomacy while at the same time taking steps to recognize the independence of Russian-occupied areas of the Donbas.
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Daniel Fata and Deutsche Welle columnist Konstantin Eggert about Putin's landmark Munich speech 15 years ago and what it means in retrospect.
As more than 100,000 Russian troops continue to encircle Ukraine and as Moscow begins shipping supplies of blood and plasma to the front, war fears are very much in the air. But what is the perspective from Ukraine?
The prospect of a major land war in Europe, perhaps the largest conflict since World War II, appears more likely than ever. But as Vladimir Putin continues his brinkmanship, how much popular and elite support does he really have to start a war?
On the Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with defense analyst Michael Kofman of the CNA Corporation about what a Russian re-invasion of Ukraine might look like and what happens next.
On the Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Merhat Sharipzhan, a Senior Correspondent at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the former director of RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, and veteran journalist and author Casey Michel about the civil unrest in Kazakhstan and the opportunities it presents to Russian expansion.
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with former Estonian President Toomas Ilves and former Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer about how far Putin may go and what a divided and distracted West can do to stop him.
From money laundering to stealth investment through opaque shell companies, strategic corruption is one of the main vectors of Russian malign influence abroad.
It erodes democratic institutions, weakens Western resolve and unity, and enhances Moscow's efforts to dominate its neighbors.
It also enables and strengthens Vladimir Putin's autocratic regime at home.
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has elevated combating corruption as a national security priority. Is it enough? And what more needs to be done?
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks to Paul Massaro, a policy advisor at the U.S. Helsinki Commission, and Russian opposition figure Vladimir Milov.
With Russia massing tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border, the threat of an invasion appears increasingly real.
In a video call this week with Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Joe Biden reiterated Washington's support for Ukraine, rebuffed Putin's demands that NATO membership be taken off the table, and threatened severe economic sanctions -- and possibly other measures -- if Russia invades.
Ukraine has been living with a low-intensity war in the Donbas for eight years. But what may be coming is something qualitatively different. How does the crisis look from inside Ukraine? And how prepared are the Ukrainian armed forces to resist a full-scale Russian invasion?
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks to former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodniuk, director of the Center for Defense Strategies, and Volodymyr Dubovyk, an associate professor in the Faculty of International Relations at Mechnikov National University in Odessa and director of its Center for International Studies. Enjoy…
As Russia continues to mount tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border, Vladimir Putin says he is seeking a binding commitment from the United States that Ukraine will never become a NATO member.
Sounds a lot like blackmail to be sure. And it is also a nonstarter.
And if trouble on one front wasn't enough, Alyaksandr Lukashenka announced this week that Belarus would not stand aside in a conflict between Russia and Ukraine. And to drive the point home, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced that it would be holding joint military exercises with Russia on its border with Ukraine.
With U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin in Europe to meet with NATO and OSCE foreign ministers, Russia is escalating its brinkmanship in Ukraine. And Ukraine is now facing threats on two fronts.
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks to military analyst Michael Kofman of the CNA Corporation about what happens next.
It's all got a feeling of deja vu.
Russia is again massing troops and moving ballistic missile systems near Ukraine's border and is accusing Kyiv of violating the terms of a ceasefire agreement in the Donbas region.
In a bellicose speech last week, Vladimir Putin accused the United States and its NATO allies of "aggravating the situation by supplying Kyiv with modern lethal weapons," vowing that Moscow will "adequately" respond.
And the Kremlin is claiming - without confirmation from Washington - that a second summit meeting between Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden is in the works. The summit would purportedly resolve a crisis entirely of Moscow's making.
We went through all this before, when a menacing Russian troop buildup on Ukraine's border in April was followed by a Putin-Biden summit in June.
So is Putin trying to repeat that trick? Or is something more menacing afoot? What is the goal of Putin's brinkmanship in Ukraine and how should the West respond?
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore discusses these issues with Konstantin Eggert, a columnist on Russian affairs with Deutsche Welle, and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer. Also on the podcast, we discuss how Lithuania is preparing for the upcoming Summit of Democracies in Washington. Enjoy...
We now live in a world where a Belarusian dictator can hijack a European commercial aircraft, torture his political opponents, and orchestrate a migrant crisis on his neighbors' borders -- and suffer no meaningful consequences.
We've long lived in a world where an autocratic Kremlin leader can get away with assassinating his opponents with nerve agents and radioactive isotopes in Europe, invading his neighbors, and annexing their territory.
We're living in a world where cyberattacks are the norm - not the exception; where political assassinations are no longer shocking; and where it is a given that autocrats are going to meddle in democratic elections across the world.
We now live in a world of impunity. We now live in a world where might makes right and the rules are increasingly optional. In many ways, we now live in Vladimir Putin's world. So how do we get out of it?
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Peter Pomerantsev - a Senior Fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and author of the books Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: Inside the Surreal Heart of the New Russia and This Is Not Propaganda - about the causes and consequences of this age of impunity.
It has been described as a “gas station masquerading as a country,” as a nation that has "nuclear weapons...oil wells and nothing else,” and as a mere “regional power.”
Despite the fact that Vladimir Putin's regime has pulled off the first territorial annexation in Europe since World War II, successfully intervened in Syria to save the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, and is rapidly militarizing Belarus on NATO's Eastern flank, the stubborn perception of Russia as a paper tiger persists.
And with the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden focused on China -- and hoping to park the Russia problem -- it is a perception that has serious policy implications.
The thing about Russia is that it is never as strong as it appears -- and it is never as weak as it appears. So how strong is Russia really? And how much policy attention should it be receiving?
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Michael Kofman and Andrea Kendall-Taylor, co-authors of an important article in Foreign Affairs titled "The Myth of Russian Decline" to get some answers.
The long struggle over the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 pipeline appears to be entering its endgame. Is this controversial and highly politicized energy project a done deal? Or can the pipeline, which many fear will lead to corruption, cronyism, and deeper European dependence on Russian energy, still be stopped? And if it can't, what can be done in the long term to mitigate the damage?
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Dr. Benjamin L. Schmitt, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard University and former European Energy Security Advisor at the U.S. State Department.
The recently published Pandora Papers has exposed how politicians and public officials use offshore tax havens to hide their wealth and evade taxes. It's not just a moral dilemma. It's a security threat largely of the West's own making that allows autocratic leaders like Vladimir Putin to establish vectors of malign influence.
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, I speak with Paul Massaro of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Josh Rudolph of the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy, and journalist Casey Michel, author of American Kleptocracy, about the steps being taken in the United States to oppose strategic corruption.
Vladimir Putin's Kremlin is militarizing Belarus and turning Alyaksandr Lukashenka's autocratic regime into a force multiplier in his ongoing war against the West.
Russia's arms buildup in the Western exclave of Kaliningrad continues apace and -- together with the militarization of Belarus -- threatens the security of NATO allies in the Baltic states and Poland.
But with the focus of the United States largely on a rising and increasingly bellicose China -- and with Russia being dismissed by many as a declining regional power -- fears are mounting that the European front is not getting the attention it demands.
Can the West manage this new Cold War on two fronts? On this week’s Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks to former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer and Jonathan Katz, director of democracy initiatives at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, to get answers.
All is not quiet on the Ukrainian front.
Vladimir Putin's regime has stepped up efforts to give Russian passports to Ukrainians living in separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine. Moscow is also reportedly planning to spend $12 billion in occupied separatist enclaves in Donetsk and Luhansk. And Russia's ally, Belarus, is moving military hardware to its border with Ukraine including possibly Russian-made S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has taken steps to curb the political influence of its oligarchs - potentially closing off a key vector of Russian malign influence.
It's been one month since Zelensky got his coveted White House meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and secured additional defense assistance. But how do things really look on the ground in a country that has been at war for its very existence for more than seven years?
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks to Volodymyr Dubovyk, an associate professor in the Faculty of International Relations at Mechnikov National University in Odessa and director of its Center for International Studies.
A rigged vote secures a super-majority for the ruling United Russia party setting the stage for the next phase of the ongoing political drama in Moscow.
Last week's so-called election to the State Duma was a dress rehearsal for Vladimir Putin's next political project - securing his continued rule until 2036. And this project is unfolding amid the backdrop of mounting discontent with the status quo in society and an escalating crackdown on dissent from the Kremlin.
Putin has already ruled longer than any Russian or Soviet leader since Josef Stalin - and he doesn't appear to be going anywhere soon. But he's lost the youth, he's lost the cities, he's lost the urban professional class, and he's losing the working class.
So what happens now? On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with scholar, political analyst, and journalist Vasily Gatov, a visiting fellow, University of Southern California's Annenberg Center of Communication Leadership and Policy. Enjoy...
The atmosphere in the runup to Russia's so-called elections this weekend is so restrictive that for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the OSCE has decided not to send observers.
The main independent Russian election observer has been declared a foreign agent. Opposition candidates, many facing arrest and imprisonment, are fleeing the country. Websites are being blocked and Western tech companies like Google and Apple are being pressured to remove political content and apps the Kremlin doesn't like.
When it comes to Russia’s upcoming State Duma elections, there is no doubt that the fix is in - the Kremlin has the tools and the will to manufacture the result it wants. But Russian elections are less about the results, which are largely preordained, and more about the ritual and the theater. And what is not clear is whether Vladimir Putin's regime will be able to control the election's narrative.
On the Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Konstantin Eggert about what to expect.
A coordinated and comprehensive attack targeting virtually all segments of Russia’s civil society, including journalists, lawyers, activists and opposition politicians. An equally coordinated and comprehensive campaign to encourage prominent opposition figures to go into exile. A deeply unpopular ruling party with sinking poll numbers with elections just a week away. And an uprising in a neighboring country that has spooked the Kremlin elite.
Vladimir Putin's autocratic regime is cracking down on dissent again. But this time, it feels a bit different - and a lot more sinister. On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks to Russian opposition figure Vladimir Milov and scholar Maria Snegovaya about how and why the repression is different this time.
They've been called a pretext for mischief against the Baltics and Poland and a means for Russia to increase its military footprint in Belarus.
They've been called Kremlin saber-rattling, a message to the West, and a very expensive and noisy psyop. And they've been called routine military exercises that are nothing more than business as usual.
But whatever you call them, the joint Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2021 military exercises that will begin next week seem to have everybody's attention.
So what should we expect from Zapad-2021? On this week's Power Vertical Podcast host Brian Whitmore speaks with military analyst Michael Kofman, director of the Russian Studies Program at the CNA corporation to find out.
Enjoy...
Three decades ago, a new European state representing an old European nation appeared on the scene. Thirty years ago in the rubble of the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian people finally achieved their dream of independence, sovereignty, and statehood. And a generation after achieving this goal, today Ukrainians are still fighting to maintain it.
The modern Ukrainian state turned 30 this week. This week’s Power Vertical Podcast looks back at its progress and ahead to its prospects as host Brian Whitmore speaks with Ambassador John Herbst, historian Marta Dyczok, and journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk.
A rigged election is followed by unprecedented street protests as a civil society comes of age. A brutal crackdown on dissent by an increasingly desperate dictator. A brazen act of air piracy and kidnapping. Allegations of death squads. And successive waves of Western sanctions.
From August 2020 to August 2021 everything changed in Belarus as Alyaksandr Lukashenka faced the most serious crisis of his nearly three decades in power. And with Vladimir Putin's Russia waiting in the wings to exploit upheaval, it's a crisis with major geopolitical consequences.
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, we take a look back at Belarus' year of living dangerously -- and take a look ahead at what comes next. Joining host Brian Whitmore is former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer and veteran Belarusian journalist Franak Viacorka, an advisor to opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
From strategic corruption to disinformation to support for extremist political movements, Vladimir Putin 's Kremlin has deployed many weapons in its ongoing war on Western democracy. This week's Power Vertical Podcast previews a soon-to-be-released report from the Free Russia Foundation looking at one front in that war - the United States. Host Brian Whitmore speaks to veteran journalist Casey Michel, one of the authors of the report "The Kremlin's Malign Influence Inside the United States." Enjoy..
Independent media outlets and civic groups are shutting down after being designated "foreign agents" or "undesirable organizations."
Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has blocked 49 websites linked to Aleksei Navalny as the imprisoned opposition leader's associates are arrested or flee the country.
And the FSB has published a list of 61 topics that Russians are forbidden to discuss, lest they be designated as foreign agents.
Vladimir Putin's regime is dialing the repression up to eleven. On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore discusses what it all means and where it may be going with Maria Snegovaya.
Vladimir Putin is obsessed with Ukraine.
Back in 2008, he famously told then US President George W. Bush that it was not even a real country.
In a press conference following his summit with current US President Joe Biden, Putin became visibly animated - indeed almost unhinged - when talking about Ukraine.
And this week, Putin published an essay on the "historical unity" of Russia and Ukraine in which he argued - among other things - that present day Ukraine is an artificial construct of the Soviet era and that Ukrainian sovereignty is only possible in partnership with Russia.
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with James Sherr and Konstantin Eggert about what Putin's obsession with delegitimizing Ukraine's statehood tells us about his state of mind and Russian policy toward Ukraine and beyond.
Battleships, warplanes, brinkmanship, and geopolitics on the high seas.
What actually happened when Britain's HMS Defender sailed from the Ukrainian port of Odessa to the Georgian port of Batumi? How did what appears to have been a routine mission to assert navigation rights in the Black Sea escalate into a military and diplomatic incident between Russia and the West?
With Russia and NATO conducting dueling naval exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Seas tensions are rising. On this week’s Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks to military analyst Michael Kofman of the CNA Corporation about what it all means.
Enjoy…
The debate over Russia policy in the West is, unfortunately, not always grounded in reality.
All too often, it is instead based on myths and misconceptions that have been spread by disinformation campaigns and perpetuated by whataboutism.
As a result, Western policy toward Russia is often driven by wishful thinking on the part of many well-meaning politicians and policymakers.
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with James Nixey and Keir Giles of Chatham House, two of the authors of an important new report: "Myths and misconceptions in the debate on Russia, how they affect policy, and what can be done."
Enjoy...
Western sanctions against Belarus finally appear to be targeting Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s enablers in Russia.
When the United States, the European Union, Canada, and the United Kingdom announced a new round of sanctions against the Minsk regime this week, one name in particular stood out: Russian businessman Mikhail Gutseriyev, the largest single foreign investor in Belarus who was included on the EU’s list of sanctioned individuals.
Given the expanding Russian economic footprint in Belarus and the close ties between the two countries, many are arguing that the West cannot just sanction Belarus alone - it needs to sanction the Putin-Lukashenka axis of autocrats and kleptocrats.
The Europeans took a big step in that direction. On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore talks to Ilya Zaslavskiy of the Free Russia Foundation and Paul Massaro of the U.S. Helsinki Commission about what happens next and what should happen next.
Enjoy...
It had the vibe of a Cold War-era summit and it came at the lowest point in U.S.-Russian relations in decades. When U.S. President Joe Biden met Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Russia's cyberattacks, election interference, human rights abuses, and aggression against its neighbors were all on the agenda. Both leaders laid down their so-called red lines and Putin predictably played his usual game of whataboutism.
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore discusses the summit and its aftermath with former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer and Deutsche Welle columnist Konstantin Eggert.
Enjoy...
There won't be any reset buttons. There won't be any grand bargains. And U.S. President Joe Biden probably won't be looking into Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's eyes and getting a sense of his soul.
But the stakes will nevertheless be high when the U.S. and Russian presidents meet in Geneva next week.
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks to Jonathan Katz, a senior fellow and director of democracy initiatives at the German Marshall Fund, about what we can expect to happen when Biden meets Putin.
Serious questions remain about whether the authoritarian regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka acted alone in hijacking Ryanair Flight 4978 and kidnapping Belarusian dissident journalist Raman Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend Sofia Sapega. Did Lukashenka get a stealthy assist from Vladimir Putin's Russia in commandeering a commercial airliner travelling between two European Union countries? Was the Putin-Lukashenka axis of autocrats acting in concert in this brazen act of air piracy? And if so, what are the implications for Western policy?
It was always going to be a difficult needle to thread.
The Biden administration clearly views Russia's Nord Stream-2 natural gas pipeline as a geopolitical project that threatens European energy security and that of Ukraine and eastern flank NATO allies like Poland and the Baltic states.
But in Germany, the main destination of the pipeline, the project has powerful supporters, investors, and stakeholders. Which makes imposing sanctions, to say the least, difficult.
So now, the United States is trying to thread that needle - punishing an adversary without also hitting a close ally. On this week’s Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore discusses the geopolitics of Nord Stream 2 with Josh Rudolph and Kristine Berzina of the German Marshal Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy and Paul Massaro, a policy advisor at the U.S. Helsinki Commission. Enjoy…
Should the United States and its allies consider broadening its approach to sanctions against Alyaksandr Lukashenka's authoritarian regime in Belarus to include its Russian enablers in Vladimir Putin's Kremlin? Should the West instead look at imposing sanctions on the Putin-Lukashenka Axis of Autocrats?
On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks to David Kramer, who served as Assistant Secretary of State in the administration of President George W. Bush about the West's options in Belarus as well as recent developments in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
Enjoy...
In this episode of The Power Vertical, Konstantin Eggert joins host Brian Whitmore to discuss the growing intensification of Vladimir Putin's regime's war on Russia's opposition.
In this episode of The Power Vertical, Ilya Zaslavskiy and Josh Rudolph join host Brian Whitmore to discuss how to sanction a problem like Russia and look at the latest round of sanctions levied against Russia by the Biden administration.
In this episode of The Power Vertical, Jamie Fly and Kiryl Sukhotksi join host Brian Whitmore to discuss the Kremlin’s campaign against the U.S. broadcaster, what this tells us about the state of Russia's domestic politics, and the escalating conflict between Moscow and the West.
In this episode of The Power Vertical, Maria Snegovaya and Vladimir Milov join host Brian Whitmore to talk about Vladimir Putin's autocratic regime tightening the screws and turning up the pressure on the opposition.
In this episode of The Power Vertical, Michael Kofman joins host Brian Whitmore to discuss Russia's recent troop buildup near the Ukrainian border and what Vladimir Putin's regime might be up to.
In this episode of The Power Vertical, Terrell Jermaine Starr joins host Brian Whitmore to discuss his take on Navalny's civic activism and Navalny's nationalist and xenophobic past. He'll also talk about his forthcoming memoir about his time in the former Soviet Union.
In this episode of The Power Vertical, Michael Kofman joins host Brian Whitmore to discuss how Russia is modernizing its military infrastructure and expanding its force structure in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad - which borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania and what it means.
In this episode of The Power Vertical, Eto Buziashvili and Shota Gvineria join host Brian Whitmore to unpack the crisis in Georgia and what it means.
In this episode of The Power Vertical, Maria Snegovaya and Vladimir Ashurkov join host Brian Whitmore to talk about if Navalny's power horizontal can continue to challenge Vladimir Putin's power vertical and the effectiveness of Western sanctions against Putin's regime.
In this episode of The Power Vertical, Vladimir Kara-Murza join host Brian Whitmore to talk about his story surviving not just one, but two assassination attempts by Vladimir Putin's death squads.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, Ilya Zaslavskiy and Casey Michel join host Brian Whitmore to talk about the whispering campaigns online about Alexei Navalny and Vladimir Putin's authoritarian regime's ability to manipulate Western institutions.
In this edition of The Power Vertical Podcast, Paul Massaro, policy advisor to the Helsinki Commission, and Josh Rudolph, fellow for Malign Finance at Alliance for Securing Democracy, join host Brian Whitmore to discuss how the United States and its allies can forge a grand strategy to combat the malign influence of Russian kleptocracy.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, Konstantin Eggert and Ilya Zaslavskiy join host Brian Whitmore to talk about the sentencing of Alexei Navalny and the consequences of his influence for years to come.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, Maria Snegovaya, nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, and Franak Viačorka, Belarusian journalist and advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, comment on the solidarity among protestors in Russia and Belarus as each nation battles government corruption and political oppression.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore is joined by Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Zaslavskiy of Free Russia Foundation to discuss Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's arrest in Moscow and his anti-corruption campaign that revealed Vladimir Putin's opulent palace on the Black Sea coast.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore is joined by Maria Snegovaya, nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, and Konstantin Eggert, columnist on Russian Affairs for Deutsche Welle, to discuss Alexei Navalny's decision to return to Russia just five months after surviving an assassination attempt by the Kremlin.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, John Sipher, 28-year CIA veteran, and David Venable, a former intelligence officer for the U.S. National Security Agency, join host Brian Whitmore to discuss the aftermath of Russia’s SolarWinds hack.
In this episode of The Power Vertical, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk and Deputy Director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center Melinda Haring join host Brian Whitmore to discuss Ukraine's struggle to tame its oligarchs and fully establish the rule of law.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, Michael Carpenter, managing director of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement and former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense under the Obama administration, joins host Brian Whitmore to discuss the future of U.S.-Russia relations.
John Sipher, a 28-year veteran of the CIA's National Clandestine Service and Clint Watts, former FBI special agent, join host Brian Whitmore to discuss tactics of the Kremlin's political war on truth, facts, and Western institutions.
In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast host Brian Whitmore discusses the weird rumors of Putin's ill health, the State Duma's vote to grant former presidents immunity and seats in the Federation Council, and the Kremlin's erratic decision-making with guests Ilya Ponomarev and Ilya Zaslavskiy.
Authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China have spent more than $300 million interfering in democratic processes over the past decade. In this episode Josh Rudolph, Fellow for Malign Finance at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, takes us behind the scenes of these covert financial attacks and sheds light on the Kremlin's influence all over the world.
For two decades, Vladimir Putin has been the master of the Russian universe. But 2020 may go down as the year when he lost his mojo. In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, special guest Mark Galeotti joins host Brian Whitmore to discuss the major themes of his book, We Need to Talk About Putin.
Brian Whitmore of The Power Vertical speaks to BBC 5 Live's Stephen Nolan about the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
In the wake of Alexei Navalny's poisoning, Brian Whitmore joins BBC 5 Live's Dotun Adebayo to discuss the Kremlin's long history of attempted and successful assassinations.