What's the connection between the largest cocaine bust in Russian history and the man who was the city's deputy mayor at the time, Vladimir Putin? Current Time reporter Andrei Soshnikov and RFE/RL Enterprise Editor Carl Schreck join guest host Mike Eckel to discuss a mostly overlooked but revelatory entry in Putin's political trajectory as well as findings made in the first of a multipart series looking at the Russian president's backstory.

When the war is over, will Russia end up in a worse position than it was in before it invaded Ukraine? And should making sure that it does be a goal for the West? Nigel Gould-Davies, the senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

At the annual military parade in Red Square, Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated the Kremlin's narratives about the war in Ukraine but made no big announcements and signaled no changes in strategy. Ian Garner, an author and expert on Russian war propaganda, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

With Russia causing devastation in Ukraine that echoes World War II and preparing to celebrate the anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat 77 years ago, are major developments likely in Ukraine – and in Russia itself? Kadri Liik, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Can Ukraine win the war? And as Russia's military losses mount and isolation increases, are the whispers of dismay and discontent in circles close to President Vladimir Putin growing louder? Political analyst and author Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

As the terrible human toll mounts and evidence of atrocities emerges, where is the war in Ukraine headed? And how sustainable is the situation in Russia? Olga Oliker, program director for Europe and Central Asia at the Crisis Group, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

As Russian forces withdrew from the suburbs of Kyiv, they left a trail of death and destruction -- including mounting evidence of cold-blooded killings of Ukrainian civilians. Will this awful development change views of the war in Russia or the West? Alexander Clarkson, a lecturer at King's College London, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Imprisoned Kremlin opponent Aleksei Navalny is handed a new nine-year sentence, part of a sweeping and persistent clampdown on dissent in Russia as the war in Ukraine -- which President Vladimir Putin may have expected to last a few days -- enters its second month. Ben Noble, an associate professor of Russian politics at University College London and co-author of a recent book about Navalny, joins host Steve Gutterman on Twitter Spaces to discuss.

Russia’s war in Ukraine is horrifyingly real. Are the peace talks for real, too, or are they meant to buy Moscow time after the initial failures of its military campaign? And what’s in store for Russia, where President Vladimir Putin is seeking enforce loyalty and support for the war? Author and analyst Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

More than two weeks after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the death toll is mounting as Moscow’s forces pound civilian areas across much of the country. Buzzfeed News correspondent Christopher Miller, who has been in Ukraine since January, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.