The Naked Pravda

On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, The Naked Pravda speaks with journalist and author Lucian Kim to ask the questions that still don’t have settled answers: Was this war the product of one man’s radicalization, or something deeper — an imperial culture that generates aggression with or without orders from the top? Why didn’t Putin march on Kyiv in 2014, when Ukraine had no army and most of its citizens didn’t yet see Russia as an enemy? And is Putin really the inscrutable black box that analysts make him out to be, or has he been telling us exactly what he intends for decades? Lucian Kim has been covering Russia since Putin’s first term in office — more than two decades of on-the-ground reporting, including time in the Kremlin press pool and as NPR’s Moscow-based correspondent. He is now a senior Ukraine analyst at the International Crisis Group. His book, Putin’s Revenge: Why Russia Invaded Ukraine, published by Columbia University Press, is now available in paperback. Use the promo code CUP20 at checkout for a 20-percent discount. Timestamps for this episode: (02:25) How do you write about Putin’s psychology when his inner world is a black box?(09:02) Has Putin’s COVID isolation hardened him permanently?(09:48) Why didn’t Putin order a full-scale invasion in 2014, when Ukraine was defenseless?(14:24) In an “adhocracy” of freelancers, who bears responsibility for Russian aggression?(18:11) Did Putin kidnap ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych or rescue him?(23:00) Why frame the conflict as a generational clash over Soviet memory?(29:30) Is there still reason for hope in Russia’s younger generation?Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

It’s no secret that Russia relies on high salaries and sign-on bonuses to recruit soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Despite staggering battlefield losses, an estimated 30,000 men still enlist every month. But after four years of full-scale war, the cost of finding volunteers is only rising steadily, and the burden is falling on Russia’s regions.  Why have hundreds of thousands of men joined the Russian army? How much does it cost to sustain recruitment? And is it only a matter of time before Vladimir Putin will be forced to declare another mobilization? In this episode of The Naked Pravda, deputy editor Eilish Hart explores the big questions behind Russia’s recruitment numbers with Dr. Janis Kluge, a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin. Time stamps for this episode: (2:14) Where the data comes from: Using federal and regional budgets(6:59) Quotas and pressure: How the top-down recruitment system works(9:03) Why men enlist: Bonuses, debt, and coercion at the margins(11:43) What recruitment really costs(16:50) Bonus shopping: Recruits traveling to the highest-paying regions(21:43) Will Putin mobilize again? Scenarios and warning signsКак поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, resistance to Russian occupation has undergone a radical transformation. The public displays of defiance that defined the war’s early days — with civilians blocking tanks and holding street protests — have long been crushed by the Kremlin’s ruthless occupation regime. By blending systematic brutality, bureaucracy, and pervasive surveillance, Russia has sought to extinguish dissent and erase Ukrainian identity in occupied regions. But this has only forced the resistance deeper underground. In this episode of The Naked Pravda, deputy editor Eilish Hart sits down with Dr. Jade McGlynn, the head of the Ukraine and Russia program at the Center for Statecraft and National Security at King’s College London, to discuss this shift. Drawing on her extensive field research and recent report for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Dr. McGlynn analyzes how resistance efforts have adapted to survive life behind the front lines. Time stamps for this episode: (2:36) Early resistance and public defiance in occupied Ukraine(10:43) Organized resistance and intelligence(14:23) Differences across Ukraine’s occupied territories(24:20) The challenges of researching Ukrainian resistance(30:08) Diplomatic efforts and perceptions in UkraineКак поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

In this week’s episode, host Kevin Rothrock sits down with RFE/RL senior international correspondent Mike Eckel to discuss his January 28 investigation into the bizarre case of Nomma Zarubina: The FSB, Lies, and Drunk Texting the FBI. A 35-year-old Russian woman and mother of a young daughter, Zarubina was jailed in Manhattan this past December — not for traditional espionage or even “espionage-lite,” but after a spiral of erratic behavior that included lying to the FBI about her contacts with Russia’s FSB and harassing a federal agent with drunken, late-night text messages. In a conversation that explores the blurry legal line between cultural promotion and foreign-agent activity, Eckel unpacks how Zarubina fits into a wider “parade of fools” — a recent trend of Russian figures like Maria Butina and Elena Branson who secretly networked at the Russian state’s behest. The discussion also highlights the personal unraveling of Zarubina, whose meltdown and subsequent taunting of the FBI (“Catch me baby, so many spies”) offer a grim look at the human cost of Russia’s fringe intelligence operations. Timestamps for this episode: (3:27) Details of the investigation(7:05) Comparisons to other Russian agents(17:27) Zarubina’s unusual behavior(20:38) The case’s legal implications and future outlookКак поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears its four-year anniversary, The Naked Pravda looks back even further to the origins of the conflict that began nearly 12 years ago. This episode features a deep dive into the 2013–14 Euromaidan Revolution and its counter-movement, the Antimaidan. William Jay Risch, a professor of Russian and Eastern European history at Georgia College, joins the podcast to discuss his forthcoming book, Ukraine’s Euromaidan: From Revolutionary Euphoria to the Madness of War.  In this interview, Risch challenges prevailing Western narratives by examining the marginalization of leftist voices during the revolution and the missed opportunities for broader political mobilization. He also discusses the agency behind the “Russian Spring” counter-protests, explaining how escalating revolutionary violence and Russian intervention weakened Ukrainian unity and contributed to where the country finds itself today.  Time stamps for this episode: (3:22) Euromaidan’s evolution(12:27) The role of identity and class politics(19:20) The impact of Russian intervention(25:09) The aftermath and current state of UkraineКак поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно