Russian Roulette

4.8 (138)
Politics
Updated Weekly

Hosted by Max Bergmann and Dr. Maria Snegovaya of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at CSIS, Russian Roulette explores the politics, history, and complex societies of Russia and Eurasia. Tune in for fascinating interviews and discussions on some of the biggest questions facing the broader post-Soviet space. Produced by David Lotfi, Lexi Linafelter, and Nicholas Fenton

10h ago

Russian Roulette LIVE: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West with Hanna Notte

Hanna Notte, author of We Shall Outlast Them: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West, sat down LIVE with Max and Maria for a wide-ranging discussion of Russia's evolving global strategy and what its confrontation with the West means for the future of international order.Hanna joined the show to discuss her new book, We Shall Outlast Them: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West, a panoramic account of a Russia grown increasingly outward-facing, and of the changing international landscape in which it now operates. Drawing on reporting and analysis from more than a dozen countries, Notte traces how the Kremlin has adapted its foreign policy, built new partnerships, navigated sanctions, and expanded its influence across the Global South. From the halls of the United Nations to military bases, presidential palaces, and tense borderlands, she explores the people and institutions advancing Russia's agenda, as well as the activists, refugees, and whistleblowers living with its consequences.In this episode, they break down how Russia's war in Ukraine has evolved into a wider contest over the global order. The full event is available on demand HERE.Guest: Hanna Notte | director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies; senior associate (non-resident) with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program We Shall Outlast Them: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West | Book by Hanna Notte Hanna Notte on Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West | Russian Roulette | CSIS Virtual Event (October 6, 2026) Mentioned:Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. You may enjoy our sister podcast, The Eurofile — where we look at the key issues affecting Europe through a Washington lens.
Sep 25

Red Lines and Reality: The West's Escalation Dilemma in Ukraine

Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Western policymakers have faced a recurring dilemma: how much escalation risk is acceptable in pursuit of a Ukrainian battlefield advantage? Samuel Charap and Mick Ryan join Maria Snegovaya to discuss whether Western fears of escalation systematically delayed critical military aid, how to weigh battlefield support against diplomatic engagement, and what victory for Ukraine might actually look like — including how different U.S. administrations have approached each of these questions. Guests: Dr. Samuel Charap | Distinguished Chair in Russia and Eurasia Policy, Senior Political Scientist, RAND Major General (ret.) Mick Ryan | Senior Fellow in Military Studies, Lowy Institute Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile
Sep 11

Where Crises Converge: Russia's Role in the Middle East

Max Bergmann is joined by Hanna Notte and Natasha Hall to map the escalation risks, assess Russia's shifting military and diplomatic footprint in Syria under the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa, and parse what a surprise CIA visit to Moscow reveals about where this global realignment is heading. Along the way, they examine Ukrainian strikes on Iranian vessels, allegations that Moscow is feeding Tehran intelligence on U.S. positions, and what a deepening Russia-Iran economic partnership means for the wider region. Guests: Hanna Notte | director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies; senior associate (non-resident), Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program, CSIS Natasha Hall | senior advocate for the Middle East, Refugees International; Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Program, Chatham House; senior associate (non-resident), Middle East Program, CSIS Mentioned: Resilience Through Linkage: Russia, Iran, and Aspirations for North–South Trade – CSIS Report by Maria Snegovaya, Tina Dolbaia, and Nicholas Fenton We Shall Outlast Them: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West – Book by Hanna Notte Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile
Aug 28

Putin’s Propaganda Machine in Russian Classrooms (A Russian Language Exclusive)

Maria Snegovaya sits down with Pavel Talankin –– a Russian schoolteacher who became an unlikely lens into the Russian propaganda machine. His documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, captured two years of footage from inside a provincial Russian classroom as Putin's war transformed his students into instruments of the state. The film won the 2026 Oscar for Best Documentary. Talankin joins Russian Roulette's first episode recorded in Russian to discuss his inspiration, experience making the film, and what his story reveals about the depths of propaganda in Russia's education system today. NOTE: This episode is in Russian. An English version of the audio (created using AI dubbing software and reviewed by native speakers) is available in the Russian Roulette podcast feed. Mentioned: Mr. Nobody Against Putin | Documentary film directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile
Aug 28

Russia's Classrooms Face Putin’s Propaganda Machine

NOTE: This interview was conducted in Russian. The English audio was created with AI dubbing software and reviewed by native speakers of both languages for accuracy. Maria Snegovaya sits down with Pavel Talankin –– a Russian schoolteacher who became an unlikely lens into the Russian propaganda machine. His documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, captured two years of footage from inside a provincial Russian classroom as Putin's war transformed his students into instruments of the state. The film won the 2026 Oscar for Best Documentary. Talankin joins Russian Roulette to discuss what he witnessed, the process of making the film, and what his story reveals about the depths of propaganda in Russia's education system today. Mentioned: Mr. Nobody Against Putin | Documentary film directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile
Aug 14

How Ukraine Fights: Reflections from the Front Lines feat. Nate Vance

Maria Snegovaya sits down with Nate Vance — a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the 2022 invasion — to discuss Ukrainian and Russian military tactics, life as an infantryman on the front lines, and the impact of Soviet legacies on military culture. Vance spent three years with the Da Vinci Wolves, seeing action from Bakhmut to Pokrovsk, before leaving in early 2025 when his first cousin JD Vance's rise to the vice presidency made him a potential Russian target. Mentioned: Russian Blood and Treasure: The Ballooning Costs of Putin’s War: CSIS Publication by Seth Jones and Riley McCabe Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile
Jul 27

Has the War Come Home to Russia?

Max Bergmann sits down with Maria Snegovaya and Jade McGlynn, senior associate (non-resident) with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and senior research fellow / head of the Ukraine and Russia Program at King's College London, to discuss how Russians have responded to major shocks over the past four years, and whether polling data in Russia truly indicates shifting attitudes toward the war. Mentioned: Russian Attitudes Are Shifting as the War’s Effects Come Home, Maria Snegovaya and Jade McGlynn Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile
Jul 10

Ukraine' Dynamic Defense Sector: Combat Hubs, Air Defense, and Non-Stop Innovation

Investigative journalist Tim Mak, who has been stationed in Ukraine since 2022, joins Max and Maria for a discussion about life in Kyiv, the processes and challenges driving innovation in Ukraine’s dynamic civilian defense combat hubs, and the impact of AI and information integration on the battlefield. Mentioned: The Counteroffensive by Tim Mak, Substack The Arsenal, Tim Mak Build Back Ukraine, Tim Mak Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile

See All (170)

4.8

out of 5

138 Ratings

September 2025

09/23/2025

Geoplanter

My favorite part of the show is the theme music! I imagine Maria dancing to the music, Go-Go Style, in a 1960s mini-skirt!
Great wisdom

03/01/2025

QE Infinity

The informed and professional people on this show bring a high level of thoughtful discussion.
Audio?

02/26/2023

female victim

Great content but sometimes hard to follow because the audio is lacking.
Expand Access

04/12/2021

emma hopewell

To truly diversify the field ask public school systems to diversify their world language course offerings. A language like Russian needs to be offered in middle school so that high school students can achieve some intermediate level of skill before college. More traditionally taught languages have a monopoly on language instruction in schools. Until access expands beyond elite school systems, diversity will be difficult to achieve in area studies programs.

Hosted by Max Bergmann and Dr. Maria Snegovaya of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at CSIS, Russian Roulette explores the politics, history, and complex societies of Russia and Eurasia. Tune in for fascinating interviews and discussions on some of the biggest questions facing the broader post-Soviet space. Produced by David Lotfi, Lexi Linafelter, and Nicholas Fenton