What is life really like for Russians right now?

The predictions began soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: the collapse of the Russian economy was imminent. Four years later, it still hasn’t happened. And yet, the cracks are appearing: Ukrainian drones that are now capable of striking critical targets in Moscow; economic data that even the Kremlin can’t spin as positive. But what do these changes actually feel like for Russian citizens? This week, Wojciech calls people with friends and family in Moscow to find out. We’re also talking about why your bar of Milka is 10 grams lighter than it was. Oh, and we’re calling up the winner of the Microsoft Excel World Championships. No biggie. Check out Diarmuid Early’s YouTube videos here, including this one, which starts with an introduction to competitive spreadsheeting. This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are Aleksandar Vučić’s interview with The Rest Is Politics: Leading, and Francesco Pacifico’s essay in The Dial: Are You Enjoying Our Linguine?Resources for this episode: The Milka ruling from Bremen in full (German)“Russia blocks Telegram and cracks down on VPNs” – Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich, 17 April 2026“Moscow bans publication of Ukrainian drone strike damage without official permission” – The Kyiv Independent, 13 May 2026“Ukraine conflict in January 2026” – Levada-Center, 4 February 2026“Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s oil export infrastructure” – Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich, 1 April 2026“Turning Point in the War in Ukraine?” – Kyiv Post, 19 May 2026“Disentangling effects of protection on seabed organic carbon and biodiversity in a rare highly protected mud-dominated MPA” – Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, August 2026 issue “Dutch court rules bottom trawling in Dogger Bank is unlawful” – Oceanographic, 11 May 2026 This podcast was brought to you in cooperation with Euranet Plus, the leading radio network for EU news. But it’s contributions from listeners that truly make it all possible — we could not continue to make the show without you! If you like what we do, you can chip in to help us cover our production costs at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/europeanspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (in many different currencies), or you can gift a donation to a superfan. You can also donate via our website if you prefer. And finally: we'd also love it if you could tell two friends about this podcast. We think two feels like a reasonable number.Produced by Katy LeeMixing and mastering by Wojciech OleksiakMusic by Jim Barne and Mariska MartinaThe Europeans is proudly produced using Europe’s own Hindenburg.YouTube | Bluesky | Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Mastodon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Substack | [email protected]