NewsPoliticsGovernment

Russian Roulette

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Hosted by Max Bergmann and Dr. Maria Snegovaya of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at CSIS, Russian Roulette explores the politics, history, and complex societies of Russia and Eurasia. Tune in for fascinating interviews and discussions on some of the biggest questions facing the broader post-Soviet space. Produced by David Lotfi, Lexi Linafelter, and Nicholas Fenton

Play

Open in

173 episodes
fortnightly
Avg 44 min
English

Episodes 173

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

Today · 51 min
Washington's Ukraine Policy and What's Next in the War
Michael Kimmage joins Max and Maria to unpack Ukraine through a Washington lens: how America’s role in peace talks has shifted, whether the midterms matter, and how history says the war might end.
October 23 · 55 min
Ukraine's Wartime Reality
The U.S. has eased sanctions on Russian diesel while Ukraine has accused Washington of withholding intelligence and throttling access to its Starlink and Starshield networks. Is the U.S turning its back on Kyiv? What does growing uncertainty of U.S. support mean on the ground in Ukraine? Jana Kobzová and Maksym Skypchenko join Max Bergmann to discuss the situation on the ground in Ukraine, where U.S.-Ukraine relations stand, and what the future of peace negotiations may hold as the war intensifies. Guests: Jana Kobzová | Co-director of the European Security Programme and Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations Maksym Skypchenko | President, Transatlantic Dialogue Center Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile
October 7 · 1 hr 3 min
Russian Roulette LIVE: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West with Hanna Notte
Hanna Notte, author of We Shall Outlast Them: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West, sat down LIVE with Max and Maria for a wide-ranging discussion of Russia's evolving global strategy and what its confrontation with the West means for the future of international order.Hanna joined the show to discuss her new book, We Shall Outlast Them: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West, a panoramic account of a Russia grown increasingly outward-facing, and of the changing international landscape in which it now operates. Drawing on reporting and analysis from more than a dozen countries, Notte traces how the Kremlin has adapted its foreign policy, built new partnerships, navigated sanctions, and expanded its influence across the Global South. From the halls of the United Nations to military bases, presidential palaces, and tense borderlands, she explores the people and institutions advancing Russia's agenda, as well as the activists, refugees, and whistleblowers living with its consequences.In this episode, they break down how Russia's war in Ukraine has evolved into a wider contest over the global order. The full event is available on demand HERE.Guest: Hanna Notte | director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies; senior associate (non-resident) with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program We Shall Outlast Them: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West | Book by Hanna Notte Hanna Notte on Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West | Russian Roulette | CSIS Virtual Event (October 6, 2026) Mentioned:Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. You may enjoy our sister podcast, The Eurofile — where we look at the key issues affecting Europe through a Washington lens.
September 25 · 43 min
Red Lines and Reality: The West's Escalation Dilemma in Ukraine
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Western policymakers have faced a recurring dilemma: how much escalation risk is acceptable in pursuit of a Ukrainian battlefield advantage? Samuel Charap and Mick Ryan join Maria Snegovaya to discuss whether Western fears of escalation systematically delayed critical military aid, how to weigh battlefield support against diplomatic engagement, and what victory for Ukraine might actually look like — including how different U.S. administrations have approached each of these questions. Guests: Dr. Samuel Charap | Distinguished Chair in Russia and Eurasia Policy, Senior Political Scientist, RAND Major General (ret.) Mick Ryan | Senior Fellow in Military Studies, Lowy Institute Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile
September 25 · 43 min
The History of Russian Feminism with Julia Ioffe
Max and Maria are joined by journalist and author Julia Ioffe to discuss her recent book, Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy. Motherland is available now from HarperCollins Publishers.
September 11 · 46 min
Where Crises Converge: Russia's Role in the Middle East
Max Bergmann is joined by Hanna Notte and Natasha Hall to map the escalation risks, assess Russia's shifting military and diplomatic footprint in Syria under the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa, and parse what a surprise CIA visit to Moscow reveals about where this global realignment is heading.
August 28 · 51 min
Putin’s Propaganda Machine in Russian Classrooms (A Russian Language Exclusive)
Maria Snegovaya sits down with Pavel Talankin –– a Russian schoolteacher who became an unlikely lens into the Russian propaganda machine.
August 28 · 49 min
Russia's Classrooms Face Putin’s Propaganda Machine
Maria Snegovaya sits down with Pavel Talankin –– a Russian schoolteacher who became an unlikely lens into the Russian propaganda machine.
August 14 · 17 min
How Ukraine Fights: Reflections from the Front Lines feat. Nate Vance
Maria Snegovaya sits down with Nate Vance — a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the 2022 invasion — to discuss Ukrainian and Russian military tactics, life as an infantryman on the front lines, and the impact of Soviet legacies on military culture.
July 27 · 46 min
Has the War Come Home to Russia?
Max Bergmann sits down with Maria Snegovaya and Jade McGlynn, senior associate (non-resident) with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and senior research fellow / head of the Ukraine and Russia Program at King's College London, to discuss how Russians have responded to major shocks over the past four years, and whether polling data in Russia truly indicates shifting attitudes toward the war.
July 10 · 48 min
Ukraine's Dynamic Defense Sector: Combat Hubs, Air Defense, and Non-Stop Innovation
Investigative journalist Tim Mak, who has been stationed in Ukraine since 2022, joins Max and Maria for a discussion about life in Kyiv, the processes and challenges driving innovation in Ukraine’s dynamic civilian defense combat hubs, and the impact of AI and information integration on the battlefield.
June 26 · 39 min
How Drone Innovation Reshapes the Battlefield in Ukraine with Kate Bondar
Max and Maria sit down with Kate Bondar, Senior Fellow at CSIS’s Wadhwani AI Center and expert on autonomous warfare, to discuss the role of drones in combat in Ukraine, including Russia’s innovation tactics and takeaways from the recent increase in strikes on Moscow and Kyiv
June 11 · 43 min
Dr. Nina Khrushcheva: History, Evolution, and a View from Inside Russia
Max and Maria sit down with Dr. Nina Khrushcheva, Professor of International Affairs at the New School and one of the world’s leading experts on Russia, to discuss her new Russian‑language book Nikita Khrushchev: Vozhd vne sistemy (“Nikita Khrushchev: An Outlier of the System”) and her experience as one of the few scholars still traveling to and from Russia. As Nikita Khrushchev’s great‑granddaughter and adoptive granddaughter, she offers a rare, personal view of how Russian culture, politics, a
May 29 · 33 min
Shifting Tides in Ukraine - Lawrence Freedman on the Future of the War
Max and Maria welcome Sir Lawrence Freedman, historian, author, and Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London, to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine, how he sees the conflict evolving, and what to expect in the critical months ahead.
May 14 · 41 min
War, Inflation, and Putin's Paranoia: has Russian Public Opinion Begun to Shift?
Max and Maria welcome back Dr. Sam Greene, professor of Russian Politics at King's College London, to discuss the state of Russian public opinion today, and whether domestic conditions have begun change given the state of the economy, war, and reports of increasing paranoia in the Kremlin.
April 30 · 42 min
The Ukrainian Defense Industry and Europe’s Untapped Arsenal
Max and Maria welcome back Elina Ribakova to discuss her latest piece in Foreign Affairs, exploring the Ukrainian defense industry and its potential capacity to help Europe secure its own defense.
April 23 · 43 min
The History of Russian Feminism with Julia Ioffe
Max and Maria are joined by journalist and author Julia Ioffe to discuss her recent book, Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy.
April 2 · 48 min
How the Iran War and the Price of Oil Impact the Kremlin's Calculus
Max and Maria are joined by Hanna Notte and Janis Kluge for a deep dive on how the Iran war and turmoil in global energy markets continue to impact Russian foreign policy.
March 20 · 18 min
BONUS EPISODE: What the Iran War Means for Russia
Max sat down with Michael Kimmage for a rapid fire session running over the potential implications of the ongoing war in the Middle East for Russian foreign policy.
March 20 · 53 min
Transnational Corruption in Foreign Policy Today
Max and Maria spoke with Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon about how authoritarian and illiberal governments leverage transnational corruption as part of their foreign policies and global strategies.

Showing 1–20 of 173 episodes