Russia’s Victory Day public holiday, celebrated on May 9, has undergone a major transformation in Putin’s Russia. Historically, it was a day of somber commemoration, and its main leitmotif was “Never again.” Under Putin, the holiday has become increasingly militaristic, with the memorial aspect now overshadowed by the far more belligerent slogan “We can do it again.” How did this happen, and what role does Victory Day play in the Putin regime today?
Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Robert Zoellick, formerly a president of the World Bank, U.S. trade representative, and U.S. deputy secretary of state, to discuss initiatives to seize Russian assets and give them to Ukraine, along with the associated legal hurdles.
Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Justyna Gotkowska, deputy director of the Center for Eastern Studies in Warsaw, to discuss the latest Russia-related incidents over Denmark, Estonia, Norway, and Poland, and what they mean for NATO.
Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Sergey Vakulenko, a senior fellow at Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and leading expert on Russia’s energy sector, to discuss the state of the Russian oil and gas sector, which remains a crucial source of revenue for Putin’s war machine.
Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Sergey Radchenko, historian and professor of international relations at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of the book To Run the World: The Kremlin’s Cold War Bid for Global Power, to discuss the history of Russia-China relations and their current state.
Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by his colleague, Artyom Shraibman, a non-resident fellow at Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, and one of the most prominent experts on Belarus, to discuss Belarus’ key role in European security.