Eho Moskvi is one of the few remaining media outlets in Russia that neither takes commands from the Kremlin nor attempts to guess for themselves what would please the president and prime minister of the country.
The programmes are informative, thought provoking (even the said thoughts converge on nightmares) and refreshing. I personally particularly recommend Julia Latinina's "access code" (Юлия Латынина, "Код Доступа") and "Personal Opinion" with Viktor Shenderovich (Виктор Шендерович, "Особое Мнение"). The later has been the primary creator of the Russian version of the "Spitting Image" and rarely fails to entertain in his satirical, critical and yet deeply patriotic (in the why-these-morons-and-monsters-are-destroying-my-fatherland kind of way); Ms Latinina commentary is serious, extremely insightful and thought provoking.
Overall Eho's programmes are an absolute "must hear" to anyone in the West who is trying to understand the modern Russia, be they prospective ex-pats, university students or journalists. Simple translation of these programmes or inviting their hosts and guests to Western News Rooms would greatly improve current, utterly confused, coverage of Russian affairs in most prominent western news outlets.
