Russian Roulette

Russian Roulette

Russian Roulette takes a look at the politics, economics, and culture of Russia and Eurasia through both interviews and lively discussion with experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and around the world. Hosted by CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program experts Olga Oliker and Jeffrey Mankoff.

Episodes

Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Geopolitics in the South Caucasus

July 15, 2025 • 47 mins
Max and Maria are joined by Richard Giragosian and Jeffrey Mankoff to talk about the current geopolitical moment in the South Caucasus, with a particular focus on the dynamics at play in the relationships between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. This conversation was recorded on July 9, 2025.
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Hanna Notte on What the Israel-Iran War Means for Russia

June 27, 2025 • 36 mins
Hanna Notte returns to the show for a conversation with Max and Maria about what the most recent round of hostilities between Israel and Iran, plus the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, mean for Russia's own Middle Eastern strategy.  This conversation was recorded on June 25, 2025. "Russia no longer needs Iran's help to sustain the war in Ukraine," by Hanna Notte (June 2025, Financial Times) "Why Isn't Russia Defending...
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Bonus Episode: The Russian Wartime Economy (Live Event Recording)

June 26, 2025 • 89 mins
Max moderated a live panel discussion with Maria, and two leading experts on the Russian economy, Elina Ribakova and Vladislav Inozemtsev. The conversation focused on the findings of the recent report from the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program, "The Russian Wartime Economy: From Sugar High to Hangover."
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A Battlefield Update from Mike Kofman

June 20, 2025 • 49 mins
Max and Maria get another update from military expert Mike Kofman on the state of the frontlines in Ukraine.  This conversation was recorded on June 11, 2025. "The Russian Wartime Economy: From Sugar High to Hangover" by Maria Snegovaya, Nicholas Fenton, Tina Dolbaia, and Max Bergmann (June 2025, CSIS.org) "Russia's Battlefield Woes in Ukraine" by Seth Jones and Riely McCabe (June 2025, CSIS.org) "Assessing Russian Military Ada...
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The Ukrainian Economy Today with Elina Ribakova

June 3, 2025 • 36 mins
Elina Ribakova returned to the show to speak with Max and Maria about the evolution of the Ukrainian economy since February 2022.
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Chokepoints and Economic Warfare with Edward Fishman

May 16, 2025 • 53 mins
Max and Maria spoke with Edward Fishman about his bestselling book, Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. 
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The State of Russia-Ukraine Negotiations with Michael Kimmage

May 2, 2025 • 47 mins
Max and Maria welcome Michael Kimmage back to the show to provide his analysis of the ongoing U.S.-led negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine. This conversation was recorded on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. "What if America Abandons Ukraine?" by Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage (Foreign Affairs, May 2025). "The Zeitenwende Is Real This Time," by Michael Kimmage and Sudha David-Wilp (Foreign Affairs, April 2025).
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Keith Gessen and Bryn Rosenfeld on How We Should Interpret Russian Public Opinion Data About the War in Ukraine

April 23, 2025 • 56 mins
Maria spoke with journalist Keith Gessen and scholar Bryn Rosenfeld about their work trying to make sense of Russian public opinion towards the war in Ukraine, and what it means for our understanding of Russian society today.
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Russia-Ukraine Negotiations: Outlining a U.S. Strategy with Tom Wright

April 4, 2025 • 40 mins
In this special CSIS crossover episode with Russian Roulette’s sister podcast, The Eurofile, Max Bergmann and co-host Donatienne Ruy welcome Tom Wright, senior fellow at Brookings and former Senior Director for Strategic Planning at the United States National Security Council (NSC) in the Biden administration, to discuss his recent article in Foreign Affairs outlining a U.S. strategy for Russia-Ukraine negotiations.  The interview ...
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Drones and AI on the Battlefields of Ukraine with Kate Bondar and Sam Bendett

April 3, 2025 • 46 mins
Maria spoke with Kate Bondar and Sam Bendett about their work on the latest drone and artificial intelligence technologies being employed on the battlefield in Ukraine. Read Kate's latest report, "Ukraine’s Future Vision and Current Capabilities for Waging AI-Enabled Autonomous Warfare" at CSIS.org.
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Rose Gottemoeller on Negotiating with Russia

March 17, 2025 • 33 mins
Max and Maria welcomed Rose Gottemoeller back to the show, to discuss the ongoing negotiations between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. As a former American diplomat who has sat across from the Russians to negotiate international treaties, she shared her insights about what she is watching as this process unfolds. This conversation was recorded on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
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How Trump's Policies on Russia and Ukraine Are Being Received Across the Post-Soviet Space

March 11, 2025 • 40 mins
Maria was joined by Tinatin Japaridze and Volodymyr Dubovyk to discuss how post-Soviet countries, particularly Ukraine and the states of the South Caucasus, are reckoning with the Trump administration's positions on the war in Ukraine. This conversation was recorded on Friday, March 7, 2025.
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The War in Ukraine Three Years On

February 26, 2025 • 64 mins
Max and Maria sat down with Michael Kimmage and Dara Massicot for an event in the CSIS studio to discuss the three-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The conversation took stock of the current situation on the battlefield, the state of affairs within Russia and Ukraine right now, and the diplomatic prospects for the kind of negotiated settlement currently being advocated for by the Trump administration. Th...
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A New Strategy for Containing Russia

February 21, 2025 • 65 mins
Max and Maria were recently joined by Michael Kimmage and Jeffrey Mankoff for a live event in the CSIS broadcast studio to discuss the team's recent work outlining a new European strategy for containing Russia. This conversation was recorded on January 30, 2025. For a video recording of this event, please go to CSIS.org.
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Max and Maria on the Start of U.S.-Russian Negotiations Over the War in Ukraine

February 20, 2025 • 28 mins
On today's episode, Max and Maria give their initial takes on the news that U.S. and Russian negotiators met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 18 to begin efforts to reach a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine, notably without representatives from Ukraine or European nations present. This episode was recorded on February 18, as this story was still developing.
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Lessons from Soviet Foreign Policy with Sergey Radchenko

February 6, 2025 • 43 mins
Max and Maria spoke with historian Sergey Radchenko about his latest book, To Run the World: The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for Global Power, and how the study of Soviet foreign policy can help us understand Russia's current approach to global affairs. Sergey's book is available for purchase from Cambridge University Press.
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Russia and the Middle East in 2025

January 23, 2025 • 48 mins
Maria spoke with Hanna Notte and Natasha Hall about the new balance of forces in the Middle East at the start of 2025, and what the current geopolitical situation in the region means for Russia.
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25 Years of Putinism with Sam Greene

January 10, 2025 • 33 mins
Max and Maria were joined by Dr. Sam Greene to reflect on a quarter century of Putinism in Russia, how Vladimir Putin's rule has changed the country, and where his regime might be headed from here. Follow Sam's writing on Substack by subscribing to his blog, TL;DRussia.
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The War in Ukraine in 2025 with Michael Kofman

December 19, 2024 • 62 mins
Max and Maria were joined by Russian military expert Michael Kofman to discuss where the war in Ukraine may be headed in the year to come. With a new administration in Washington and political turmoil across Europe, Russia continuing to make grinding gains on the battlefield, and calls for some sort of negotiated settlement rising, the next six months could prove critical to the future direction of the conflict. This conversation w...
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Dara Massicot on Battlefield Developments in Ukraine and the Threat of Escalation

December 6, 2024 • 36 mins
Max and Maria speak with Dara Massicot, one of the leading experts on the Russian military and the war in Ukraine. Dara gives updates on the efforts of both sides to make gains on the battlefield, along with the current risks of escalation as we head into 2025. This conversation was recorded on December 3, 2024.
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