Days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its second year with no end in sight, President Vladimir Putin delivers a state-of-the-nation speech on February 21. Irina Lagunina, associate standards editor and former director of the Russian Service at RFE/RL, joins host Steve Gutterman.

Eighty years after the Soviet Army defeated Hitler’s forces in the Battle of Stalingrad, Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to get the memory of the bloody and pivotal showdown to fit his false narrative of the war in Ukraine. Ian Garner, an author and expert on Russian war propaganda, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

How will German, British, and U.S. tanks affect the course of Russia's war against Ukraine? And is the Kremlin's attempt to rally Russians for a "New Patriotic War" against the West already failing? Mark Galeotti, a Russia analyst and author whose books including Putin's Wars: From Chechnya To Ukraine, joins Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Dozens of Ukrainian civilians are killed when a Russian rocket obliterates part of an apartment building in Dnipro. Fighting persists following Moscow's claims of control over the Donbas town of Soledar. RFE/RL's Irina Lagunina joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Following Russian setbacks in its bloody bid to subjugate Ukraine, is the propaganda changing? And why is Putin avoiding holding one of his big image-making exercises, the annual press conference? Ian Garner, an author and expert on Russian war propaganda, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Why was the Kremlin so eager to bring an arms dealer home, and what are the prospects for further releases following the Griner-Bout exchange? Also, what's behind opposition politician Ilya Yashin's long prison term? RFE/RL's Irina Lagunina joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

The Belarusian state has provided plenty of support for Russia's war on Ukraine but has resisted sending troops. What's behind that reluctance – and why has the death of the country's longtime foreign minister sparked so much speculation? Katia Glod, a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Russian attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure are darkening cities as winter approaches, but Ukrainians' resolve may be burning even brighter, and Western support continues. Kadri Liik, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the latest phase of the war.

From a massive mobilization drive to money problems in the regions, Russia's war on Ukraine is straining the Kremlin's ability to govern -- and to keep up support from the people it needs to maintain its grip. Analyst Andras Toth-Czifra joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss what the unprovoked war has done to 'state capacity' and 'regime capacity' in Russia.

What’s next -- for Ukraine and Russia -- after Russian forces relinquished the only regional capital they had seized since the start of the invasion in February? And amid Ukrainian gains on the ground, what’s behind the talk about talks? Olga Oliker, program director for Europe and Central Asia at the Crisis Group, joins Steve Gutterman to discuss.