Unpowering Russia

This episode explores the analysis presented in Chaillot Paper 186, "Unpowering Russia," edited by Ondrej Ditrych and Steven Everts. The paper argues that the European Union needs to adopt a more assertive stance against the Kremlin's tactics, going beyond resilience and deterrence to actively diminish Russia's capacity to undermine European unity and challenge its core interests. The discussion covers Russia's global footprint, examining its activities and vulnerabilities in regions such as China, the Indo-Pacific, the Southern Mediterranean, the Western Balkans, and Sub-Saharan Africa. It also delves into critical domains including Russia's hybrid warfare tactics, its use of the "red line playbook" of escalation threats, and the challenges posed by its "shadow fleet". The paper offers insights into Russia's strengths and weaknesses and proposes concrete ways the EU can leverage its own capabilities to counter Moscow's influence.