The Russia Guy

In this episode, Kevin spoke to Nataliya Vasilyeva, who works as a Moscow correspondent for the Associated Press. Nataliya is one of the most talented reporters working the Russia beat today, and you’ve probably reading her work, maybe without even knowing it. Last December, she managed to obtain a copy of a 47-page contract between a firm linked to Evgeny Prigozhin and Syria’s state-owned General Petroleum Corporation, which granted the Russian company a quarter of the proceeds from oil and gas production at fields its contractors — the Wagner private military company — capture and secure from ISIS militants. https://apnews.com/7f9e63cb14a54dfa9148b6430d89e873So what are you going to learn in this interview? Kevin asked Nataliya about her background and how she came to journalism. He asked her what it’s like reporting from Moscow during America’s obsession with the “RussiaGate” scandal. And she also talked a bit about what it’s like to live as a correspondent in Russia’s capital — the hustle and bustle, the need to make room for a private life, and the amazing travel opportunities.You can follow Nataliya on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/NatVasilyevaAPAnd don't miss the two stories she mentions at the end of this interview:*Russia's role in Ukraine seen shifting to training rebelshttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3024188/Russias-role-*Ukraine-seen-shifting-training-rebels.html*Russian crackdown on Muslims fuels exodus to IShttps://www.timesofisrael.com/russian-crackdown-on-muslims-fuels-exodus-to-is/If you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock

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In this episode, Kevin spoke to Neil Hauer, an independent analyst and journalist based in Tbilisi, Georgia, who focuses on Syria, Russia, and the North Caucasus, to learn more about the chemical weapons attack in Syria that provoked the latest tensions between Washington and Moscow. He discussed evidence and the military situation that led us here, as well as Russia’s threat to shoot down American missiles fired at targets in Syria. Neil also talked about Russian personnel on the ground and the risks of U.S. bombs claiming Russian lives. Follow Neil Hauer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/NeilPHauerIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Today Kevin looks at some wild draft legislation just submitted to the State Duma that would give Russia its latest unenforceable Internet regulations. The draft law in question is actually a rewritten version of legislation introduced last summer that was supposed to require social networks to delete any “illegal content.” The new version of this law is basically the same thing, with some added provisions against “fake news” and even cussing.So what are you going to learn in this episode of the podcast? *The main points of the new draft legislation*Why these new regulations would be significant*How the Russian government would enforce these new rules*What we can actually expect, in terms of adoption and enforcement. Luckily, Meduza published a nifty summary of what State Duma deputies want to do with this draft law:https://meduza.io/en/cards/russian-lawmakers-drafted-a-new-version-of-their-latest-lousy-idea-to-regulate-social-media-but-just-how-bad-is-itIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

Howdy, folks! On today’s episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin interviews Andrew Roth, The Guardian’s new Moscow bureau chief, and a reporter who’s written previously for The Washington Post and The New York Times.In this interview, you’ll learn how Andrew Roth got into the business of reporting on Russia. I asked him about his upbringing, his education, and especially about his early days as a journalist in Russia. We also talked about the lifestyle and quality of living foreign correspondents enjoy in Moscow today, and about the news agenda as it exists in Russia and in the West. What was it like to report from Moscow in the immediate aftermath of the RussiaGate scandal? What’s it like now, with spies getting poisoned, shopping malls burning down, and Putin grabbing a fourth presidential term? Here are the three stories Andrew mentions at the end of this interview:In Bleak Ukraine City, a Duo’s Odd Experiments Win a Niche Onlinehttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/18/world/europe/in-bleak-ukraine-city-a-duos-odd-experiments-win-a-niche-online.html From Russia, ‘Tourists’ Stir the Protestshttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/world/europe/russias-hand-can-be-seen-in-the-protests.html Ukraine Used Cluster Bombs, Evidence Indicateshttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/21/world/ukraine-used-cluster-bombs-report-charges.html If you enjoyed this episode and like listening to The Russia Guy, please consider pledging a little money on Patreon to help yours truly pay for sound recording, editing, and hosting:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock

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This episode of The Russia Guy focuses on trash and the nightmare it’s created in towns surrounding Moscow, where locals have been staging protests on and off for weeks and months in different places, in response to an apparent ecological disaster that seems to be spiraling out of control.What are you going to learn on this episode of The Russia Guy? Kevin reviews “garbage riots” in six districts surrounding Moscow, looking at the reported sizes of these demonstrations and what tactics activists are using to stand up to their local officials.If you're interested in this story, read Meduza's full report here:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/28/moscow-s-trash-uprisingIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging a little dough to help with sound recording, editing, and hosting costs:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockThanks for listening!

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In today’s episode, Kevin spoke to Ben Noble, a lecturer in Russian politics at University College London in the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, who researches legislatures in non-democracies.In this interview, Kevin asked Ben what he means when he says Russian members of parliament “can serve as pawns in proxy skirmishes between non-legislative actors.” Ben also talked about how he gets all his information about bureaucratic infighting at the Duma, and what actors and agencies tend to win these clashes of politics by other means. Finally, he discussed the likely consequences of the partial media boycott on the State Duma announced after the Slutsky ruling last Wednesday. I refer to two texts by Ben in this podcast. Read his Medium blog post here: https://tinyurl.com/yaby694eAnd read his book chapter with Ekaterina Schulmann here:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XNXG12Z/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o00_?ie=UTF8&psc=1Follow Ben Noble on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ben_H_NobleSupport this podcast on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

In this episode, Kevin spoke again to friend-of-the-show Alexey Kovalev, an investigative journalist in Russia. We discussed the latest developments in the scandal surrounding State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky, who was exonerated this past week by the Ethics Committee, despite accusations by multiple women journalists who say he sexually harassed them at different times over the past several years. The committee’s decision, as well as the insulting questions its members asked two of Slutsky’s victims during their inquiry, have enraged the Russian news media and provoked a boycott by dozens of outlets on reporting at the State Duma.What are you going to learn about in this episode of The Russia Guy? *Who is Leonid Slutsky?*What kind of career has he had in Russian politics? *What happened exactly at the Ethics Committee inquiry on Wednesday, March 21? *How did the media boycott of the State Duma take shape, and how is the state-run media, which isn’t part of the boycott, handling the Slutsky scandal? *How will the boycott influence reporting on Russia’s legislature, and how important is the Russian State Duma, anyway?Follow Kovalev on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alexey__KovalevRead the full Meduza story quoted in this episode here: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/23/all-i-can-do-is-recommend-a-good-therapistSupport this podcast on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

In this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin discusses a new Meduza-OCCRP investigative report about the secretive groups funding Vladimir Putin's re-election campaign.Questions asked and answered in this episode:* What does it mean that Putin’s re-election campaign is funding itself through nonprofit foundations affiliated with United Russia? Is that any different than how he’s always done it?* What are these foundations, and how are they connected to influential political players like billionaire Gennady Timchenko and Moscow Governor Andrey Vorobyev?* How does the central organization responsible for funding the Putin campaign’s warchest respond to allegations that it exists purely to hide the president’s real donors?And don't miss Meduza's full report, which includes an impressive infographic linking everyone and everything in this murky business:https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/03/13/putin-s-secret-bankrollersSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

In this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin spoke to investigative reporter Alexey Kovalev to learn more about Russia’s upcoming presidential race, voter mobilization efforts, voter apathy, and Vladimir Putin’s pre-Election Day media blitz.In this episode, you'll hear an except from Fabrika's pro-Putin pop song “Vova Vova.” You can watch the NSFW music video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95VTlKr6pZs&t=42sYou can follow Alexey on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/Alexey__KovalevIf you enjoy this podcast, consider pledging some of your hard-earned money through Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrockSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock)

On March 7, following the controversial overtime defeat of the ice hockey team Severstal Cherepovets by SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL conference quarterfinals, sports writer Slava Malamud penned a 21-tweet thread arguing that not just the game or the series, but the whole KHL season has essentially been rigged by Vladimir Putin’s cronies to ensure that his hometown team wins this year's Gagarin Cup championship.In this episode of The Russia Guy, Kevin spoke to Malamud to learn more about this year's “fixed” KHL season.Follow Slava Malamud on Twitter:https://twitter.com/SlavaMalamudAnd send me money here. All of it:https://www.patreon.com/kevinrothrock

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