Russian Roulette

4.8 (137)
POLITICS
UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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

2D AGO

The Ukrainian Defense Industry and Europe’s Untapped Arsenal

Max and Maria welcome back Elina Ribakova to discuss her latest piece in Foreign Affairs, exploring the Ukrainian defense industry and its potential capacity to help Europe secure its own defense. More from Elina in Foreign Affairs: Europe’s Untapped Arsenal: Ukraine Has Forged the Defense Industry the Continent Desperately Needs

43 min
APR 23

The History of Russian Feminism with Julia Ioffe

Max and Maria are joined by journalist and author Julia Ioffe to discuss her recent book, Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy. Motherland is available now from HarperCollins Publishers.

44 min
APR 2

How the Iran War and the Price of Oil Impact the Kremlin's Calculus

Max and Maria are joined by Hanna Notte and Janis Kluge for a deep dive on how the Iran war and turmoil in global energy markets continue to impact Russian foreign policy. This conversation was recorded on March 25, 2026.

48 min
MAR 20

BONUS EPISODE: What the Iran War Means for Russia

Max sat down with Michael Kimmage for a rapid fire session running over the potential implications of the ongoing war in the Middle East for Russian foreign policy. This conversation was recorded on March 19, 2026.

19 min
MAR 20

Transnational Corruption in Foreign Policy Today

Max and Maria spoke with Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon about how authoritarian and illiberal governments leverage transnational corruption as part of their foreign policies and global strategies. This conversation was recorded on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. "The Age of Kleptocracy: Geopolitical Power, Private Gain" by Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon (Foreign Affairs, February 2026) Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics by Alexander Cooley and Alexander Dukalskis (Oxford University Press, 2025)

53 min
MAR 5

Eric Ciaramella on How Europe Can Arm Ukraine

Eric Ciaramella of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace returned to the show to discuss his recent article with Sophia Besch on the ways that European states can support Ukraine militarily without the involvement of the U.S. Max and Maria asked him about his piece, the funding questions behind its ideas, and Eric's overall assessment on peace negotiations with Russia. This conversation was recorded on February 26, 2026. "Fortress Ukraine: How a Coalition of the Willing Can Rearm Kyiv Without Washington," by Eric Ciaramella and Sophia Besch (Foreign Affairs, January 2026). "What If Trump Gets His Russia-Ukraine Deal?" by Eric Ciaramella (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, February 2026).

47 min
FEB 26

Four Years of the War in Ukraine (Live Event)

Max and Maria spoke with Hanna Notte, JP Gresh, and Michael Kimmage at a live CSIS event marking the four-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This conversation was recorded on February 23, 2026. For the video recording of this event, please go to CSIS.org. "Putin Had High Hopes for Trump. They Have Been Dashed," by Hanna Notte (The New York Times, February 2026). Preorder We Shall Outlast Them: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West, by Hanna Notte (W.W. Norton & Company, August 2026).

1h 7m
FEB 12

Ukraine's Ongoing Energy Crisis

Max and Maria were joined by Andrian Prokip and Tim McDonnell to discuss the relentless Russian bombardment of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and what this means for average Ukrainians trying to survive the winter months. Be sure to explore Tim McDonnell’s newsletter, Semafor Energy.

49 min

See All (158)

4.8

out of 5

137 Ratings

Audio?

02/26/2023

female victim

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