From Russia With News The Moscow Times

This week on the program we have the latest on how Russia is dealing with the coronavirus, with experts on the line to take us through the latest developments and assess how Russia’s health system and economy will cope with the pandemic.

— The Moscow Times reporter Evan Gershkovich joins us to go over the steps Russia has taken in recent days.

— We discuss concerns over the capacity and quality of Russia’s hospitals and medical facilities to deal with the coronavirus from Judy Twigg, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and Senior Associate and Center for Strategic and International Studies

— And finally, ING’s Chief Russia Economist Dmitry Dolgin explains how the massive global economic disruption caused by the coronavirus will affect Russia.

This week on the podcast:

— In a televised statement to Russia’s parliament, Vladimir Putin backed a constitutional shake-up that could see him remain President for another two full terms.
The plans would mean Russia’s cap of two six-year presidential terms for presidents would be re-set when a batch of high-profile constitutional amendments come into force later this year, thereby allowing Putin to run for office again in 2024 and 2030 — should he wish to of course. To dig into the developments and look at what happens now, Professor Sam Greene, head of the Russia Institute at Kings College London joins us on the line.

— Last week, Russia rejected a proposal from Saudi Arabia to cut oil production in response to the economic fallout of the coronavirus, kicking off an “oil price war” and sending global energy prices tumbling. In the studio to weigh up those claims and assess the real damage, Natasha Doff, Economy and government editor at Bloomberg News here in Moscow.

This week on the podcast:

— The leaders of Russia and Turkey meet in Moscow on Thursday in a bid to de-escalate fighting in Syria which has brought the two countries to the brink of direct military confrontation. It is the latest episode in a fraught nine-year civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands, created millions of refugees and reshaped geopolitics in the Middle East. Financial Times Bureau Chief Henry Foy joins us in the studio to discuss what is at stake for both countries.

— Following Super Tuesday in the United States, it is shaping up to be a two-way fight between Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former vice president Joe Biden to secure the Democratic nomination and go head-to-head with Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. On the line to discuss where the candidates sit on Russia, journalist Ben Judah, author of “Fragile Empire: How Russia fell In and Out of Love with Vladimir Putin”, and who is now on the campaign trail in the U.S. reporting on Bernie Sanders’ bid for the White House.

This week on the podcast: 

— China has complained that Moscow’s response to coronavirus is discriminatory and risks damaging relations with Beijing. Associated Press correspondents Francesca Ebel and Dasha Litvinova looked at how Moscow authorities went into great lengths to track down Chinese nationals. Francesca joins us to explain Russia’s increasingly heavy-handed measures to contain the outbreak.

— The battle for the Arctic is heating up — literally — as countries, companies and citizens wrangle to protect and advance their interests in the region. We’ll speak to American journalist Alec Luhn about the effects of climate change on the Arctic, and Russia’s political and economic strategy for its icy north.

From today — that’s Thursday the 20th of February — most Chinese citizens will be temporarily blocked from entering Russia as part of Moscow’s latest moves to contain the spread of coronavirus. The ban covers all Chinese citizens traveling to Russia on employment, tourist and student visas. On the line to discuss Russia’s latest moves to stop the coronavirus spread is Alexander Gabuev chair of the Asia-Pacific program at Carnegie Moscow Centre.

And later. Vladimir Putin fired his long-time advisor Vladislav Surkov this week — the Kremlin’s so-called “grey cardinal” who was, until a few weeks ago, Russia’s chief negotiator over the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. On the phone to explain a bit about the man behind the reputation and explore whether Surkov leaving the Kremlin will mean anything for Russia-Ukrainian relations, Mark Galeotti of Honorary Professor at UCL’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies and author of ‘We Need to Talk about Putin’.
From Russia With News is hosted by Jake Cordell and produced by Pjotr Sauer. The episode was recorded and edited at CM Records Studio in central Moscow.

— On Monday, seven members of a Russian anti-fascist activist group were jailed for up to 18 years on terrorism charges in a case that observers have compared to a Soviet-era show trial. We speak to NYT correspondent Ivan Nechepurenko about how Russian society has reacted to the case.
— New Yorker correspondent Joshua Yaffa joins us in the studio to discuss his new critically-acclaimed book “Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia,” a fascinating portrait of modern Russia and the inner struggles of the people who sustain Putin’s rule.