Max and Maria spoke with Harley Balzer and Sergei Guriev about the recently released volume, Failure. Russia Under Putin.

This conversation was recorded on July 17, 2025.

Failure. Russia Under Putin is available now from Bloomsbury Publishing.

This week, Max spoke with Michael Kimmage about the recent headlines connected to Russia and Ukraine, and what they mean for the coming months.

"The Limits of Putin's Balancing Act: What the Kremlin Will Sacrifice in Pursuit of Victory in Ukraine," by Michael Kimmage and Maria Lipman (Foreign Affairs, July 2025)

Max and Maria are joined by Richard Giragosian and Jeffrey Mankoff to talk about the current geopolitical moment in the South Caucasus, with a particular focus on the dynamics at play in the relationships between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia.

This conversation was recorded on July 9, 2025.

Hanna Notte returns to the show for a conversation with Max and Maria about what the most recent round of hostilities between Israel and Iran, plus the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, mean for Russia's own Middle Eastern strategy. 

This conversation was recorded on June 25, 2025.

"Russia no longer needs Iran's help to sustain the war in Ukraine," by Hanna Notte (June 2025, Financial Times)

"Why Isn't Russia Defending Iran?" by Hanna Notte (June 2025, The Atlantic)

Max moderated a live panel discussion with Maria, and two leading experts on the Russian economy, Elina Ribakova and Vladislav Inozemtsev. The conversation focused on the findings of the recent report from the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program, "The Russian Wartime Economy: From Sugar High to Hangover."

Max and Maria get another update from military expert Mike Kofman on the state of the frontlines in Ukraine. 

This conversation was recorded on June 11, 2025.

"The Russian Wartime Economy: From Sugar High to Hangover" by Maria Snegovaya, Nicholas Fenton, Tina Dolbaia, and Max Bergmann (June 2025, CSIS.org)

"Russia's Battlefield Woes in Ukraine" by Seth Jones and Riely McCabe (June 2025, CSIS.org)

"Assessing Russian Military Adaptation in 2023" by Michael Kofman (October 2024, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)

Elina Ribakova returned to the show to speak with Max and Maria about the evolution of the Ukrainian economy since February 2022.

Max and Maria spoke with Edward Fishman about his bestselling book, Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. 

Max and Maria welcome Michael Kimmage back to the show to provide his analysis of the ongoing U.S.-led negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine.

This conversation was recorded on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.

"What if America Abandons Ukraine?" by Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage (Foreign Affairs, May 2025).

"The Zeitenwende Is Real This Time," by Michael Kimmage and Sudha David-Wilp (Foreign Affairs, April 2025).

Maria spoke with journalist Keith Gessen and scholar Bryn Rosenfeld about their work trying to make sense of Russian public opinion towards the war in Ukraine, and what it means for our understanding of Russian society today.