The Naked Pravda

Meduza welcomes European Council on Foreign Relations Senior Policy Fellow Kadri Liik for a discussion about her recent article, “Putin’s Archaic War: Russia’s Newly Outlawed Professional Class – And How It Could One Day Return,” where she argues that the invasion of Ukraine is “effectively de-modernizing Russia” and derailing processes that could have put the country on a less aggressive, more professional path. A specialist in Russian domestic and foreign policy and in relations between Russia and the West, Liik joined The Naked Pravda to address the issues she raised in her essay. Timestamps for this episode: (2:07) How does the invasion of Ukraine trigger the “de-modernization” of Russian society and foreign policy?(4:36) How does Soviet foreign policy compare to the diplomacy Moscow practiced before and since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine?(5:58) What are the “modern” aspects of Russia’s recent and current foreign policy in Syria and Africa?(9:14) How long will the war’s de-modernization plague Russian society and policymaking?(11:23) To what degree is Russia now “de-modernized” and ostracized globally (not just in the West)?(15:00) What will it take for the West to come to a consensus with the Global South about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?(16:47) How does the “decolonization” debate in Western academia and activism fit into all this? Does this perspective have traction inside Russia?(21:46) What are the “needs” that fueled Russia’s “homegrown” democratization potential before the February invasion?Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

After Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, five Hollywood giants — Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Sony Pictures, and Paramount — all stopped releasing new films in Russia. Netflix, which was producing multiple shows in Russia for the domestic market, has also suspended all service there. Amazon Prime has halted streaming in Russia, too. All this comes just as the entertainment industry was hoping to rebound from two years of pandemic shutdowns and concerns. Russian movie theaters are now on the verge of collapse, and the country’s streaming services — seemingly poised for a major expansion before the war — are scrambling to keep subscribers by restocking their catalogues and hoping for success with original programming. To find out where Russians will find their future entertainment, Meduza turned to three experts in the nation’s television and film industries. Timestamps for this episode: (2:48) AR Content Creative Executive Ivan Philippov breaks down what trends in Russian entertainment(9:01) Kinopoisk podcast host and former editor-in-chief Lisa Surganova explains the current state of Russia’s streaming services(16:00) Filmmaker and film and television researcher Egor Isaev weighs the loss of coproduction deals with Hollywood studios and U.S. streaming services(23:02) Surganova explains how TV and cinema funding work in Russia(29:14) Philippov looks at the struggling movie business from the Kremlin’s perspectiveКак поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

Earlier this week, the European Union passed a landmark agreement banning most Russian oil imports into the region by the end of the year, though the embargo features a temporary exemption for imports delivered by pipeline in order to overcome opposition from landlocked Hungary. In late May, the U.S. Treasury declined to extend a license that allowed Russia to make payment on its sovereign debt to U.S. holders, possibly accelerating the prospect of Russia defaulting on its government debt. To discuss these major developments and more happening in the sanctions campaign against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, The Naked Pravda welcomed back Dr. Maria Shagina, a political risk analyst and sanctions expert who works as a Diamond-Brown Research Fellow for Economic Sanctions, Standards, and Strategy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Timestamps for this episode: (1:48) What’s the significance of Russia’s current account surplus?(6:15) Has Western unity on economic sanctions against Russia peaked, or is the EU and U.S. capable of more?(7:52) What determines the divisions inside the European Union when it comes to confronting Russian aggression?(11:11) What are the main drivers of a potential global food crisis?(12:28) Does the West risk alienating large parts of the world by forcing higher energy costs on the Global South?(19:05) How have the sanctions against Russia affected the push for greener energy sources?(23:25) Have economic realities now put Russia definitively on an eastward trajectory? How fundamental is this to the country’s future development?Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

Through speeches by political leaders and in television broadcasts that have blanketed the country (as well as new territories recently seized by force), the Kremlin has argued breathlessly that Ukrainian statehood is a historical accident weaponized by Russia’s enemies. This rhetoric, which essentially denies the existence of an independent Ukranian identity, has reached not only millions of civilians but also the Russian troops now in Ukraine, where journalists, the local authorities, and international observers have been documenting and cataloging these soldiers’ acts of violence against noncombatants. As the world learns more about the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian people, Ukrainian law enforcement and officials throughout the West have begun the process of investigating, designating, and prosecuting these acts. For a better understanding of this work and its challenges, The Naked Pravda spoke to four experts about war atrocities in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, focusing particularly on genocide as it’s understood both legally and in terms of history and politics. The scholars who joined this discussion: Erin Farrell Rosenberg, an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Law, and an attorney specializing in international criminal law and reparationsEugene Finkel, an associate professor of international affairs at Johns Hopkins University, and the author of “Ordinary Jews: Choice and Survival during the Holocaust”Dirk Moses, a professor of Global Human Rights History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the author of “The Problems of Genocide: Permanent Security and the Language of Transgression,” and the senior editor of the “Journal of Genocide Research”Maria Varaki, a lecturer in international law at the War Studies Department at King’s College London, and the co-director of the War Crimes Research Group Timestamps for the main sections of this episode: (4:15) The legal terms used to designate mass violence and crimes in warfare, and genocide’s special legacy(36:11) How war crimes and genocide are prosecuted, establishing genocidal intent, and upholding justice(1:04:21) The politics of genocide allegations, and the consequences of taking them seriouslyКак поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

The past nine weeks of all-out war have completely upended civilian life throughout Ukraine. After withdrawing from around Kyiv and Chernihiv in late March, Russian forces are ostensibly refocusing their invasion on taking Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions. With many cities, towns, and villages already in dire humanitarian situations, civilians living in these areas are faced with the difficult choice of attempting to evacuate or bracing themselves for an escalated offensive. Meanwhile, residents of the Kyiv region are clearing the wreckage Russian forces left behind and trying to adjust to a “new normal.” For insight into civilian life in some of Ukraine’s most wartorn areas, Meduza turned to two Ukrainian experts who have been reporting on the ground throughout the war.  Timestamps for this episode: (1:38) Maria Avdeeva, research director at the European Expert Association, on documenting Russian war crimes to combat disinformation and the critical humanitarian situation in Kharkiv. (12:30) Journalist and Public Interest Journalism Lab co-founder Nataliya Gumenyuk on the atmosphere in Kyiv, how local leaders and civilian volunteers keep Ukrainian towns running, and the humanitarian situation in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions. (23:45) Avdeeva on why the local government in Kharkiv is clearing debris and planting flowers while still under attack. (25:42) Avdeeva and Gumenyuk on rebuilding Ukraine after — and during — the war. (31:00) Gumenyuk on what makes reporting on this war different and what she wants international audiences to know about Ukraine.Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

The Russian North Caucasus has played a special role in the invasion of Ukraine. Journalists estimate that at least 60 men from Dagestan died fighting for Russia by March 23, indicating that this republic had lost more soldiers, by far, than any other region in Russia. In terms of public messaging, Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov has been one of the loudest cheerleaders for the “special operation,” rattling his saber at every opportunity and declaring the seizure of Ukrainian territories before it’s actually happened. Across the North Caucasus, one of the most crucial factors when it comes to military service is the absence of alternatives. Unemployment is higher in this region than anywhere else in Russia. It’s the highest of all in Ingushetia, where it exceeds 30 percent. To find out more about the war’s impact here, The Naked Pravda turned to Ingush journalist and activist Izabella Evloeva and independent political and security analyst Harold Chambers. (Also, Meduza extends a special thanks to journalist Katie Marie Davies for her assistance with dubbing parts of this episode.) Timestamps for this episode: (3:26) How does unemployment affect support for the war?(4:37 and 9:15) How regional leaders have responded to the invasion(6:39) The felony “disinformation” case against Izabella Evloeva(11:11) The colonial relationship between Russia and Ingushetia(12:13) Popular attitudes about the war(13:54) Could the war go so badly for Russia that it creates unrest back home?(15:00) Ramzan Kadyrov’s changing public imageКак поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities imposed military censorship in all but name, annihilating the entire domestic free press. Within a week of Moscow’s “special operation in the Donbas,” the television station Dozhd and radio station Ekho Moskvy both shut down, ending 12 and 32 years, respectively, of independent journalism. In late March, after a 28-year run, the newspaper Novaya Gazeta suspended all reporting until the end of the war, citing warnings from the federal censor. Many of the journalists who worked for these outlets have already fled Russia, but they continue their work at new platforms, on their own channels at YouTube, Telegram, and elsewhere. For a better understanding of this new guerilla reporting, The Naked Pravda spoke to two independent journalists now operating from outside Russia to find out how they’re managing this job: Farida Rustamova (who uses Telegram and Substack) and Ekaterina Kotrikadze (on Telegram and YouTube). Timestamps for this episode: (2:43) Did Russian independent journalists lose the fight against Kremlin propaganda?(10:23) How has military censorship damaged the quality of reporting and information available from Russia?(18:55) Rustamova’s path to Substack.(26:52) Kotrikadze on TV Rain’s plans for the future.(36:23) Did Kotrikadze see the full-scale invasion coming?Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

This week’s guest is Meduza special correspondent Lilya Yapparova, who just spent several days in Chernihiv, reporting on how the Russian invasion has destroyed local families and upended residents’ lives. She managed to leave the city just before Russian troops besieged it again. Now back in Kyiv, still reporting on the war, Lilya joined the podcast to talk about her latest article, “‘Mom, please make it stop’: Meduza special correspondent Lilia Yapparova was in Chernihiv in the final days before Russian troops cut it off from the outside world. Here’s what she saw.” Timestamps for this episode (4:37) What would you ask Zelensky or Putin?(8:39) On the nature of war reporting(10:55) How does a journalist engage people who are caught in the horrors of war? What was it like to visit Chernihiv and report on events there?(15:47) Do Ukrainians treat Russian journalists as “aggressors”? Is there anti-Russian hostility from ordinary Ukrainians?(18:17) The return of the barter economy, and the greatest true romance story ever told(21:38) What are some of the internal conflicts among the Ukrainians defending the cities now under Russian onslaught?(26:14) Will Ukrainians ever forgive the Russian people for this war?Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

We’re now more than three weeks deep into Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and many are asking the question: What information is still reaching Russians? Unless you’re using a VPN to tunnel beneath the state’s censorship, Instagram is blocked, Facebook is blocked, Twitter is blocked, and YouTube is probably next. The independent news media is in tatters, and it looks like the main social networks left standing will be domestic services like Odnoklassniki and Vkontakte, which enforce the Kremlin’s political censorship — and then there’s Telegram. For a better understanding of what this means for Russia’s information space — focusing particularly on Russians’ increased reliance on Telegram — The Naked Pravda welcomes back Dr. Tanya Lokot, an associate professor in Digital Media and Society at the School of Communications at Dublin City University in Ireland, and Dr. Mariëlle Wijermars, an assistant professor in Cyber-Security and Politics at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. The two scholars recently coauthored an article published in the journal Post-Soviet Affairs, titled, “Is Telegram a ‘Harbinger of Freedom’? The Performance, Practices, and Perception of Platforms as Political Actors in Authoritarian States.” Timestamps for this episode: (4:02) Is Telegram a “harbinger of freedom”?(5:05) How does Telegram’s lack of moderation potentially endanger vulnerable groups?(8:10) How vulnerable are Telegram users to government snooping?(11:06) Why do users stick with Telegram if there are serious security concerns about the service?(13:16) On Telegram head Pavel Durov’s mixed messages in Ukraine(17:30) Are the U.S. social media giants any better?(20:32) Revisiting Telegram during the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests(21:11) What content is available on Telegram during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?(26:36) That year between 2018 and 2019 when Russia “blocked” Telegram(31:10) What’s next for the RuNet?Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

In the days since Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Western world has imposed crippling economic sanctions on Russia designed to force extreme costs on the Kremlin for its aggression. In the Biden administration’s words, the measures will “weaken the Russian defense sector and its military power for years to come and target Russia’s most important sources of wealth.” Russian economy expert and Foreign Policy Research Institute fellow Maximilian Hess says he worries that the looming financial collapse in Moscow could resemble 1918 more than the 1990s. He joins this week’s episode of The Naked Pravda to explain what he means. Timestamps for this episode: (4:25) How bad could this get?(8:03) Floating currency and frozen stock trading(11:01) The return of a planned economy?(12:41) Shortages of critical products(15:32) What’s the message behind the sanctions?(19:58) Russia’s retaliatory optionsКак поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно