The Week Ahead In Russia

On December 31, 1999, Boris Yeltsin stepped down and handed Russia’s reins to Vladimir Putin, the former KGB officer he had named prime minister months earlier -- and who remains in power to this day. Analyst and author Mark Galeotti joins the host to discuss Putin’s 25-year rule.

Sam Greene, professor at the King’s Russia Institute at King’s College London and director of democratic resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine, including the prospects for a cease-fire in 2025 and the role that public opinion in Russia, Ukraine, and the West could play.

Lucian Kim, author of the new book Putin's Revenge: Why Russia Invaded Ukraine, joins the host to discuss Putin's growing resentment, Russia's imperialist legacy, the Kremlin's turn toward autocracy, and other factors behind the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. permission for Ukrainian strikes deeper in Russian territory. A new Russian nuclear doctrine and a ballistic missile attack. Olga Oliker of the Crisis Group joins the host to discuss what the rush of recent developments could mean for the war in Ukraine.

What does Donald Trump's election mean for the war in Ukraine? Author and analyst Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the ramifications of the U.S. vote and examine Russia's sabotage campaign in Europe.

As it focuses on its war against Ukraine, Russia is also seeking to leverage violence in the Middle East to improve its global standing and condemn the West. The Kremlin is reaping rewards, but it also faces risks posed by its footprint in the volatile region. Hanna Notte, director for Eurasia at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins the host this week.

As Moscow's forces press forward and Ukraine holds onto part of Russia's Kursk region, there are new "mutterings" in the West about the prospects for an end to the fighting. Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the situation on the battlefield and the latest wave of talk about talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy took his "victory plan" to Biden, Harris, and Trump in a U.S. visit that also included UN speeches. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued yet another nuclear threat. Analyst and author Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss what it all means for the war in Ukraine.

How big a deal is Kyiv's incursion into the Kursk region? What are Ukraine's goals? And what are the ramifications for Russia? This week, host Steve Gutterman discusses these issues with Oleg Ignatov, a senior analyst for Russia at the International Crisis Group.

Russian forces press forward in eastern Ukraine but also suffer setbacks. Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an expert on Russian military issues, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the battlefield situation, manpower problems, and the talk about efforts to end the fighting.