In Moscow's Shadows

292 Episodes

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In Moscow's Shadows 270: Hoax Bombs and Difficult Language

2026-11-0848:49

Russia's 'hybrid war' on Europe seems to be hotting up - but can one confidently blame Moscow for the recent spate of hoax bomb threats? The first instinct is to say “it must be Russia” and it very probably is, but we need to understand what we can honestly claim, what we merely suspect, and we can respond when proof is partial by design. This is about the language we use to assess the threat, but encoded within that is also a guide to European policy options. Likewise, Putin’s recurri...

In Moscow's Shadows 269: White Flags and Red Banners

2026-11-0154:24

This week's conversation between Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre and Vladimir Putin certainly ruffled some feathers. Setting aside the did-he-didn't-he fluff about whether Putin delivered another of his historical lectures (anonymous sources say so, but I'm willing to believe the on-the-record denials from Stubb and Støre), it's a useful start (and no more than that) to European diplomacy with agency. Europe cannot outsource dialogue with Moscow to to the White House and ...

In Moscow's Shadows 268: Peace and (Info) War

2026-10-2554:01

A peace deal is easy to sketch and brutally hard to land. The latest reported shape of US-led talks offers some promise, especially with the talk of genuinely solid security guarantees for Ukraine and European involvement, although the last portion of the Donbas remains a seemingly-insuperable roadblock. Nonetheless, at least the announced ceasefire around Oleshky sounds like a little good news amidst the misery. From there, I turn to the part of modern conflict that gets blamed for almost e...

In Moscow's Shadows 267: Once Upon A Time In... Chelyabinsk?

2026-10-1849:41

A mid-sized gang in Chelyabinsk should not be front page news, and that is exactly why it is so useful. When the Artakovsky criminal group is rolled up, the details point to bigger trends in the Russian underworld: how gangs recruit, Chechen criminal 'franchising,' the AUE threat, how they govern themselves, and how the state is learning to prosecute them with sharper tools. The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis ...

In Moscow's Shadows 266: Diesel and Delusion

2026-10-1144:40

Donald Trump's diesel deal is, of course, in effect a birthday present for Putin, explained by The Donald’s transactional self-interest and hunger for a headline before the midterms, not baroque theories about hidden loyalties. Even if not a single barrel of diesel ever ships, though, this is undoubtedly good for Moscow. Maybe some revenue (if need be, Putin can starve domestic markets to export), but above all a political gain. Washington is again at odds with an angry Kyiv, while Europe is ...

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