This week, RFE/RL correspondent Merhat Sharipzhan joins host Steve Gutterman to talk about Moscow's stepped-up pressure on Minsk for closer integration, the upcoming "tomos" for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and what 2019 may have in store for Russians and the Kremlin.

The podcast will be taking a break next week but will be back again on January 14 to resume its normal schedule.