Shows / Carnegie Politika Podcast
Carnegie Politika Podcast
The Carnegie Politika Podcast delivers world-class analysis on what’s happening in Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia. Every month, Russia expert Alexander Gabuev talks to Carnegie scholars and regional analysts on the ground to respond to emerging regional trends, the future of Russian geopolitics, and how the region is shaping the world.
Episodes
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Will Peace Talks With Russia Ever Work?
Recently there have been renewed attempts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, initiated by the Trump administration. The Finnish president…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Is Europe Ready for a Hybrid War With Russia?
Over the last year, Russia has increased the front of its hybrid attacks against Ukraine’s European allies. From mysterious fires to an armed drone at Leipzig…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What Happened in Russia’s 2026 Parliamentary Elections?
Russia embarked on its first parliamentary elections since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine with ramped up repression and an emptied political space amid the…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
How Is Finland Managing the Russia Threat?
Shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia’s northern neighbors—Finland and Sweden—decided to join NATO in order to strengthen their…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
The SCO at 25: A Eurasian Colossus or Anti-American Talk Shop?
Despite its public image as a Sino-Russian answer to NATO, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a very different beast. Each member state has its own…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Inside Putin’s War Recruitment Machine
Amid mounting rumors that a new mobilization wave in Russia will follow the State Duma elections in September, there are a lot of questions over Russian…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What Is the Future of NATO?
Since Donald Trump's return to the White House, NATO’s European members have had to adjust to and navigate the new U.S. approach to defense, with the…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Has Ukraine Dealt a Lethal Blow to the Russian Oil Sector?
Following waves of Ukrainian attacks against energy infrastructure in 2024 and 2025, Russia managed to recover quickly. But the most recent drone strikes on…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Why Armenia Voted For a Pro-Europe Future
While Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan campaigned on a pro-Europe platform in the pivotal vote, the opposition wanted to see the country take a more…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Russia’s Changing Security Environment
The war in Ukraine has fundamentally altered the strategic environment for Russia on its western border. The conflict has expanded the line of contact with…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
After Putin’s Visit to China, What Next?
Putin’s Russia has always been China’s pragmatic junior partner while trying to balance its dependency on Beijing, but since Russia’s full-scale invasion of…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Is NATO Misreading Putin’s Risk Appetite?
As the conflict between the West and Putin’s Russia escalates without guardrails, would the Kremlin dare to launch a military incursion into NATO territory in…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Will There Be a New Pro-Russia Force in Europe After Orban?
Viktor Orban was one of the most prominent Russia supporters in Europe, blocking aid to Ukraine and trying to soften EU sanctions against Russia. Now that he…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What’s the Future of U.S.-Russia Arms Control?
On February 5, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, the New START, expired. Absent this or a similar agreement…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
How Is Central Asia Weathering the Iran War?
Central Asia’s countries have been the focus of increased attention since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They have been involved in…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
How Is the Iran War Affecting Russia? With Nicole Grajewski and Sergey Vakulenko
At the center of the new war in the Middle East is one of Russia’s most important partners in its struggle against the West: Iran. Despite strategic agreements…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
How the South Caucasus Is Navigating a Turbulent World
Following the initiation of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan last summer, there is still a long way to go before the conclusion of a formal…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What to Expect From the Russian Economy in 2026
The Russian economy has been under intense pressure from sanctions, the demands of war, and structural challenges. Still, it isn’t collapsing, despite…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Transatlantic Tensions, the Russia Threat, and Davos, With Gideon Rachman
This year’s World Economic Forum took place amid turbulent transatlantic relations. Donald Trump has renewed his plans for “getting” Greenland, threatening to…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Maduro’s Downfall, Global Oil Markets, and Russia, With Sergey Vakulenko
Under Putin, Russia has established a relationship with Venezuela, and was heavily involved in the country until recent years. The Chavez and then Maduro…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Navigating the U.S.-Russia Standoff: India’s Foreign Policy, With Pankaj Saran
India and Russia have a mutually beneficial relationship going back decades, and since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, India’s strategic importance for…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What Went Wrong in Russia? Russian Imperialism, With Ekaterina Schulmann and Alexander Graf Lambsdorff
Russia went from a tsarist empire and the totalitarian USSR to the freedom of the 1990s, complete with hopes of becoming a European democracy. Unfortunately…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
How Russian Diplomacy Lost Trump, With Elizaveta Fokht
Russia has had a year to convince Trump to give up on Ukraine and force Zelensky to surrender, but at the end of 2025, we are yet to see any significant…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
The Collapse of the Oil Empire? New U.S. Sanctions Against Russia, With Edward Fishman
After recent failures to bring the Kremlin to the negotiating table to end the war in Ukraine, Trump has adopted a new approach to Putin, taking the…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
How to Handle Russia’s Frozen Assets in the EU, With Robert Zoellick
Russian assets abroad were frozen almost as soon as the country launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The idea of seizing those assets and transferring…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What to Do About Russian Drones in NATO Airspace, with Justyna Gotkowska
Over the last month, there have been multiple violations of NATO airspace by Russian fighter jets and drones most likely launched by Russia. The alliance must…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Putin’s War Engine: How Healthy is Russia’s Oil and Gas Industry? With Sergey Vakulenko
The Russian oil and gas sector has been under significant pressure this year, but has continued to withstand sanctions. Recently, however, Ukraine has launched…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Better Than Ever? Russia-China Relations, with Sergey Radchenko
At this week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping seemed determined to show the whole world that Russia-China relations…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What’s Going On Inside Belarus with Artyom Shraibman
Since the regime brutally crushed opposition protests in 2020, Belarus has rarely made the headlines. Some see the country as a loyal satellite of Russia…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Back to the Stalin Era? An Inside Look at the Russian Elites, with Farida Rustamova and Margarita Liutova
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, life for Russia’s rich and powerful has passed the point of no return. The recent suicide of…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What Was That? The NATO Summit 2025, with Nathaniel Reynolds
This year’s NATO summit was very unusual on multiple levels. Amid the disruption brought by Donald Trump’s presidency, and with Ukraine’s European allies…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
A Friend in Need? Decoding Russia’s Position on the Israel-Iran War, with Nicole Grajewski and Arkady Mil-Man
The war between Israel and Iran, Russia’s key partner in the Middle East, is entering its second week, with potential for escalation and worrisome spillover…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
How Stable Is the Russian War Economy? With Alexandra Prokopenko
At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Western leaders put a lot of faith in applying economic pressure to Russia, and it is now probably the most sanctioned…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Calculating Russia’s Losses in Ukraine, With Mika Golubovsky and David Frenkel
Soon after the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia stopped publishing official data on its military losses. Despite that, analysts from independent media still…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Special Episode: Victory Day in Russia, with Arkady Ostrovsky
Russia’s Victory Day public holiday, celebrated on May 9, has undergone a major transformation in Putin’s Russia. Historically, it was a day of somber…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Does Ukraine Need a Ceasefire at Any Cost? With Michael Kofman
While recent diplomatic efforts to bring Ukraine and Russia to a peace deal and the unexpected Easter truce announced by Putin are bearing no fruit, the…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Trump’s Tariffs and Their Effect on Russia with Tatiana Mikhailova
When U.S. President Donald Trump announced his long list of reciprocal tariffs, many instantly noticed that one country had escaped any restrictions: Russia…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
A Deep Dive Inside Ukraine with Balazs Jarabik
Throughout the war, many people have been skeptical about how long Ukrainian society could hold up before inevitably collapsing under Russian pressure. After…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Can Trump Drive a Wedge Between Russia and China? With David Rennie and Yanmei Xie
What is the reason for the sudden change of heart in U.S. policy on Russia under the Trump administration? One theory is that Donald Trump is trying to lure…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Relationship Goals? Unpacking the Latest U.S.-Russia Talks, With Eric Green and Felicia Schwartz
With the arrival of the new administration in the White House, everyone waited with bated breath for the first executive orders regarding the war in Ukraine…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Ukraine’s Last Defender? Germany, the EU, and Russia's War, with Sophia Besch
In 2022, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declared “Zeitenwende”—a “turning point” in how Germany should think about…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Triangle of Sadness: Prospects of Trump-Putin-EU Peace Talks on Ukraine, with Eric Ciaramella
Since Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president, ways to stop the carnage in Ukraine this year have been the subject of intense policy discussions in…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
No Silver Bullet: The Effect of Russian Energy Sanctions, With Sergey Vakulenko and Tatiana Mitrova
For a long time, oil and gas sales were the Russian economy’s main source of income. Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU and U.S…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Assad’s Downfall and the Consequences for Russia in the Middle East
Russia has had a strong military presence in Syria ever since 2015, bolstering the regime of Bashar al-Assad and pushing back the rebels. But in the space of a…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Chaos Is a Ladder. Russia’s New Ballistic Threat and Its Consequences for the West.
After the long-awaited decision of the United States to allow the use of Western-made weapons against internationally recognized Russian territory, Russia…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
How Will Trump’s Presidency Influence Russia’s War Against Ukraine?
For many, the recent victory of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election looks like a clear win for the Kremlin. Trump has promised to stop the war in…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
The Dissipation of Russian Influence in Moldova
Russia is using agents of influence, propaganda, vote buying, and the Orthodox Church to retain influence in Moldova. With a presidential election looming, the…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Unbalancing Act. What the 2025 Budget Says About the Russian Economy
Despite predictions that the Russian military budget had reached its peak, the recently announced 2025/26 budget shows otherwise. To keep the war machine oiled…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
How Are Russia and Ukraine Adapting to the Kursk Incursion?
In August, the Ukrainian armed forces managed to pull off an incursion into Russian territory. Unlike previous forays executed by small paramilitary groups…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
NATO at 75: Ukraine, Russia, and the Future of European Security
Russia’s unjustified aggression against Ukraine has revitalized NATO, and this new energy was on display at the recent 75th anniversary summit of the alliance…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Arc of Instability: How to Survive as an “In-Between” European State
The war in Ukraine has left a group of “in-between” European countries more vulnerable and insecure than ever before. These countries—Armenia, Bosnia and…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What's Happening Between Russia and North Korea?
Putin has visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years. The visit reflects the two countries' deepening alignment amid Pyongyang's active support for…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What Impact Will Russia's New Defense Minister Have in Ukraine?
Following his fifth presidential inauguration, Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a new government. The most significant change is to the Defense…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Is Putin Prioritizing Regime Survival Over Fighting Terrorism?
Responsibility for the March 22 terrorist attack at the Crocus City concert hall has been claimed by the Afghanistan-based Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), and…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Is Western Apathy Trapping Belarus in Russia's Embrace?
Four years ago, Belarus reached a point of no return in its delicate balancing act between Russia and the West. Desperate for support, Alexander Lukashenko's…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Post-Election Russia Resembles the Soviet Union
Russia’s presidential election this month shattered all previous records, with president Putin "securing" an unprecedented 87.3 percent of the vote. The…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Podcast: Navalny's Legacy for the Russian Opposition
The sudden death of the jailed Russian opposition leader was a shock, though it was not unexpected. For the last decade, Navalny had been the most vocal critic…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What’s the Secret of the Russian Economy’s Resilience?
The Western sanctions imposed against Russia in response to its full-blown invasion of Ukraine were not just designed to put a cost on Moscow’s actions, but…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
Learned Indifference: How Russian Society Has Gotten Used to War
Since Russia launched its "special military operation" against Ukraine, Russian society has adapted to living amid conflict. Despite initial predictions that…
- Carnegie Politika Podcast
What Does Russia Stand to Gain From the Israel-Hamas War?
It's been more than a month since Hamas attacked Israel, reigniting the Middle East crisis once again and switching the focus of other political players to the…