What Is Russia Thinking?

Getting in the mind of Vladimir Putin is a notoriously difficult, and indeed thankless, task. Russia analysts have long tried to predict what the Russian President and the Kremlin he dominates is thinking, but often to no avail. It was shown in the surprise by so many when Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, and continues as the war has dragged on. But this week on Power Lines, we’re doing our best to do just this. We’ll look back at the differing cultural and political outlooks of the West and Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, exploring whether there is something uniquely antagonistic about the Russian psyche, or if it comes from a gulf in understanding between the two civilizations. We’ll also look at today, to see whether Russia is benefitting from the current instability engulfing the globe. To find out more, this week we speak to Sam Greene, one of the world’s preeminent Russia analysts. Sam is the Director for Democratic Resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), as well as a Professor of Russian Politics at King's College London, where he founded and directed the King's Russia Institute for ten years. Having lived in Moscow for many years, and with a number of seminal books about the country and its politics under his belt, he was perfectly placed to try and dissect the enigma that is the modern Russian state. Check out insights.Kyivindependent.com for more in depth analysis of the War in Ukraine, and follow The Kyiv Independent on Twitter and Facebook, and Instagram to get latest news and to stay up to date with our coverage. You can find Message Heard on our website at messageheard.com, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to never miss a show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices