The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: Putin’s Propaganda Machine in Russian Classrooms (A Russian Language Exclusive)

   Maria Snegovaya sits down with Pavel Talankin –– a Russian schoolteacher who became an unlikely lens into the Russian propaganda machine. His documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, captured two years of footage from inside a provincial Russian classroom as Putin's war transformed his students into instruments of the state. The film won the 2026 Oscar for Best Documentary. Talankin joins Russian Roulette's first episode recorded in Russian to discuss his inspiration, experience making the film, and what his story reveals about the depths of propaganda in Russia's education system today. NOTE: This episode is in Russian. An English version of the audio (created using AI dubbing software and reviewed by native speakers) is available in the Russian Roulette podcast feed. Mentioned: Mr. Nobody Against Putin | Documentary film directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at [email protected]. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile

   August 28, 2026·52min
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   Number 2: Where Crises Converge: Russia's Role in the Middle East

   Max Bergmann is joined by Hanna Notte and Natasha Hall to map the escalation risks, assess Russia's shifting military and diplomatic footprint in Syria under the new government of Ahmed al-Sharaa, and parse what a surprise CIA visit to Moscow reveals about where this global realignment is heading. Along the way, they examine Ukrainian strikes on Iranian vessels, allegations that Moscow is feeding Tehran intelligence on U.S. positions, and what a deepening Russia-Iran economic partnership means for the wider region. Guests: Hanna Notte | director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies; senior associate (non-resident), Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program, CSIS Natasha Hall | senior advocate for the Middle East, Refugees International; Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Program, Chatham House; senior associate (non-resident), Middle East Program, CSIS Mentioned: Resilience Through Linkage: Russia, Iran, and Aspirations for North–South Trade – CSIS Report by Maria Snegovaya, Tina Dolbaia, and Nicholas Fenton We Shall Outlast Them: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West – Book by Hanna Notte Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at [email protected]. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile

   September 11, 2026·47min
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   Number 3: Russia's Classrooms Face Putin’s Propaganda Machine

   NOTE: This interview was conducted in Russian. The English audio was created with AI dubbing software and reviewed by native speakers of both languages for accuracy. Maria Snegovaya sits down with Pavel Talankin –– a Russian schoolteacher who became an unlikely lens into the Russian propaganda machine. His documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, captured two years of footage from inside a provincial Russian classroom as Putin's war transformed his students into instruments of the state. The film won the 2026 Oscar for Best Documentary. Talankin joins Russian Roulette to discuss what he witnessed, the process of making the film, and what his story reveals about the depths of propaganda in Russia's education system today. Mentioned: Mr. Nobody Against Putin | Documentary film directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at [email protected]. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile

   August 28, 2026·50min
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   Number 4: How Ukraine Fights: Reflections from the Front Lines feat. Nate Vance

   Maria Snegovaya sits down with Nate Vance — a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the 2022 invasion — to discuss Ukrainian and Russian military tactics, life as an infantryman on the front lines, and the impact of Soviet legacies on military culture. Vance spent three years with the Da Vinci Wolves, seeing action from Bakhmut to Pokrovsk, before leaving in early 2025 when his first cousin JD Vance's rise to the vice presidency made him a potential Russian target. Mentioned: Russian Blood and Treasure: The Ballooning Costs of Putin’s War: CSIS Publication by Seth Jones and Riley McCabe Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at [email protected]. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile

   August 14, 2026·18min
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   Number 5: Has the War Come Home to Russia?

   Max Bergmann sits down with Maria Snegovaya and Jade McGlynn, senior associate (non-resident) with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and senior research fellow / head of the Ukraine and Russia Program at King's College London, to discuss how Russians have responded to major shocks over the past four years, and whether polling data in Russia truly indicates shifting attitudes toward the war. Mentioned: Russian Attitudes Are Shifting as the War’s Effects Come Home, Maria Snegovaya and Jade McGlynn Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at [email protected]. If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile

   July 27, 2026·47min
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