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The Eastern Border
by Kristaps Andrejsons
A podcast about the politics and the history of the eastern Europe - including, but not limited to the current state of Russia, politics of the EU, history of the USSR and the region in general. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
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3.07 "A Dolboyob, But Ours!"
First of all, yes, I know the thumbnail is wrong, but I noticed that a bit too late, I hope you won't mind. The Russian empire has a peculiar talent for producing spectacles that read like satirical fiction. This week, Mikhail Zvinchuk—the sanctioned founder of the largest military Z-channel on...
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3.06 The Assembled Man: Life and crimes of Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin
In 2014, Igor Girkin crossed into Ukraine with 52 men and pulled the trigger on a continental war, convinced he was the reincarnation of a White Guard general destined to resurrect the Russian Empire. Twelve years later, he is sitting in a penal colony in the Kirov region, working as a...
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3.05 Virtual Zone of Our Control
Maxim Shevchenko gave the only operational definition of victory that functions inside Russia's neo-estate society: victory is whatever the President says it is, and everyone must agree, because any other point of view leads to prison. Lev Vershinin took it further: for the ruling class, victory…
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3.04 Who Pays for the War
Three hundred and fifty-five seats. Whatever that was, it certainly wasn't the end. It was just the beginning. Within days of the vote, the bill arrived. A stealth tariff pushes the cost of missed drone strikes straight onto domestic electricity bills. Kapotnya refinery goes 100% offline. The...
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3.03 History of Non-Elections
Russia just held its State Duma elections. United Russia walked away with 355 of 450 seats, the largest faction in its history, on a result the Kremlin's own planners had reportedly tried to talk down to 45%. So how do you get 58%? You spend 120 years perfecting the method. ACT 1: THE ALGORITHM...
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3.02 Pre-Voting in a Non-Binding Pseudo-Referendum. Sort-of.
Welcome back to the Chornaya Zona. In Episode 3.02, we execute a surgical strike on the administrative rot surrounding the GosDura 2026 elections. The Russian state is currently operating on pure vranyo: running a 20% payday-loan debt spiral while pretending to maintain a 2% deficit, and manually...
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3.01 Vranyo
The Russian state is not collapsing because of Western sanctions or NATO expansion. It is dying of a biological, bureaucratic pathogen it injected into its own bloodstream over a century ago. Welcome to the ultimate historical and modern autopsy of Vranyo and Pokazuha - the systemic lie and the...
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3.0 Hardcore Eastern Border (A Dan Carlin tribute)
Season 3.0 of The Eastern Border begins here. Recorded 22 kilometers from the border of the Russian Federation, this is a 2-hour, 18-module geopolitical autopsy of an empire cannibalizing its own interior. We aren't looking at a conventional war anymore. We are documenting a trapped, radicalized...
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2.56 Rabid Dogs on a Broken Leash
Welcome back to the Chornaya Zona. The Kremlin’s summer offensive has collapsed into a mathematical nightmare, the demographic death spiral is accelerating, and the imperial command structure is completely conceptually blind. In this episode, we dissect the terminal phase of Russian institutional...
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2.55 They will hang me
CIA Director John Ratcliffe didn’t fly to Moscow to negotiate with diplomats—he flew in to hand the FSB a spreadsheet proving the Russian Empire is mathematically dead. In this broadcast, we break down the secret intelligence dossier, the Lindsey Graham sanctions ultimatum, and the systemic panic...
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Dark Autumn 3
Greetings, comrades! Welcome back to The Eastern Border for the definitive, third installment of the Dark Autumn series: The Latgalian Siege. Recorded straight from the post-storm mud in Pilda, Latgale—running on hacked FPV drone batteries after Cyclone Pilda took out the regional power grid—we...
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2.53 TFUM
Time to put on our Wall Street suits and dive into the spreadsheets to calculate the TFUM: The Total F*cked Up Metric. The Russian Federation isn't a state anymore; it's a wildly over-leveraged hedge fund/doomsday cult run by mobsters on ponyatiya, and the universe is finally issuing a margin…
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2.52 Serfdom Forever!
Welcome to Serfdom Forever! The demographic hemorrhage has become so catastrophic that Moscow is now renting North Korean indentured servants to roll sushi in the suburbs, while Russian Gen Z medical students actively reject the state's attempts to lock them into modern-day serfdom. I break down...
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2.51 The Pirate, the Piglet, and the Cartel
In this special 7,000+ word extended autopsy set to the aggressive thrash metal of golden-era Metallica, I dismantle the terminal rot, financial death spirals, and internal cartel wars tearing the Russian Federation apart. From 20-kilometer hallucinations on Putin's desk maps and university...
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2.50 The 800,000 Ghosts
Welcome back to The Eastern Border. In Episode 2.50, we descend into the terminal madness of the Russian state apparatus. With the federal budget blowing through a staggering 5.73 trillion ruble ($70 billion) deficit in just six months and the Central Bank secretly dumping 85 tons of gold, the...
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2.49 Crazy Vova's Superpower Emporium
Welcome back to The Eastern Border. I had a bit of a doozy with health, but we're back now! In Episode 2.49, we take a deep, unfiltered look into the structural collapse of the Russian Federation in August 2026. From municipal tap water in Tyumen that smells of sewage and cemetery runoff to the...
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2.48 Dark Autumn for Russia 2
Back in April, the white-paper dreamers in Washington told you the Russian state was a rational actor optimizing its war effort. We used the Ponyatiya analytics engine to predict an August logistical meltdown and a regional liquidity freeze. Tomorrow is August, and the Wildberries hubs, energy...
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2.47 I am a Bobbit Worm and I do "BLOOP"
Ukrainian deep-strike drones are acting as mechanical Bobbit worms—buried deep in the operational rear, snapping Russia’s supply chains in half. In Episode 2.47, we wade through the ashes of burning logistics hubs, examine the return of Soviet-style digital price-fixing, and dissect the…
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2.46: National Peculiarities of Russian Freemasonry
When an empire starts running out of money, fuel, and soldiers, it doesn't apologize—it doubles down on esoteric cosplay and window-dressing. In this episode of The Eastern Border, Kristaps Andrejsons takes you deep into the eschatological psych ward of the Russian Federation. We trace the absurd...
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2.45: The Wildberries Extinction Event
Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign has escalated into a systematic liquidation of Russia's deep-rear logistics. As multi-billion-ruble Wildberries and Ozon distribution hubs burn from Krasnodar to St. Petersburg, the illusion of "business as usual" for the Russian middle class has officially…
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2.44 August Without an Emperor
August has always been a bad month for the Russian Empire. In this comprehensive Eastern European Gonzo brief, Kristaps Andrejsons rips through the sanitized corporate vranyo to document the real-time death rattle of a late-stage totalitarian regime. The deep rear is officially on fire. Tonight…
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2.43 ...but it sometimes rhymes
The software patches on the Kremlin’s digital autocracy have officially failed, and the nineteenth-century Tsarist operating system underneath is throwing rods in real time.In this massive, deep-dive episode of The Eastern Border, we map the exact, radioactive parallels between the catastrophic...
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2.42 The Pantyhose Filter
Welcome back to the edge of the empire. In Episode 2.42, the grand illusion of the "Long War" officially crashes into a 69-hour line for gasoline. The balkanization of the Russian Federation is no longer theoretical; it is happening at the local pumps. We track the total collapse of the fuel...
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2.41 All Hail Hypnotoad
The Russian state isn't just collapsing; it's being quietly appraised for a corporate buyout. In Episode 2.41, we dive into the terminal loop of the imperial engine. While British Storm Shadows vaporize the Voronezh Semiconductor Plant and the 31st Air Defense Division gets systematically wiped…
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2.40 Fraud Watch
Welcome back to the studio at the edge of the empire. Today, the institutional lying known as Vranyo has officially collided with a physical, unyielding brick wall. We have arrived at Dopizdelis—the exact moment a superpower talks itself into a terminal, inescapable corner. In this episode, we...
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2.39 Vranyo for Dummies
The global gas station has run out of gas. In Episode 2.39 of The Eastern Border, we pull back the heavy curtain of "Vranyo"—the mandatory, systemic state lie—to audit the absolute logistical, financial, and psychological collapse of the Russian Federation in the summer of 2026. From the...
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The Eastern Border x Operator Starsky
Another of our collaboration episodes for the anniversary month! This time, with our good friend Operator Starsky! Trigger warning: There is mention of intimate activities with Tatyana Montyan here. As, well, ANYTHING related to Montyan, that will probably melt your brain. And remember, donate to...
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2.38 Existential Fanfiction
Happy Anniversary to The Eastern Border! We are celebrating the madness of the post-Soviet space by watching the Russian Federation actively cannibalize its own economy in real-time In this masterclass of imperial decay, we track the massive Ukrainian drone strikes turning Russian oil refineries...
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The Eastern Border x Advent of Computing
In our second anniversary episode, we chat with Sean from Advent of Computing about Russian internet blocks and much more! Car4Ukraine Eastern Border Summer Campaign! https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-eastern-border YouTube link: https://youtu.be/lsAWKr5G3cw Oh, and…
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Transnistria (and other things) with The Red Line
Here's the first one of our anniversary special episodes. This is a prolonged chat with Michael Hillard from The Red Line podcast. Donate to Car4Ukraine: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-eastern-border Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder....
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2.37 The Simulated Empire
Welcome to the absolute peak of the “Simulated Empire.” It is June 2026, and the Russian Federation has finally achieved the ultimate geopolitical breakthrough: it has completely decoupled from the physical universe. Why fight a miserable, bloody, losing war in the Ukrainian mud when your…
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2:26 This was supposed to be SPIEF 2
The geopolitical abstract has officially broken down into physical, bleeding reality. Recorded live from Latgale, just 22 kilometers from the Russian border, host Kristaps Andrejsons breaks down a sleepless night under a NATO kinetic intercept and details the accelerating structural collapse of…
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The Eastern Border x Decoding Trolls Car4Ukraine Fundraising Stream
In the honor of our 15th anniversary month, we'll be doing quite a bit of collaborations and other fun events. As the first among our guests we have @decodingtrolls - I forgot to ask if I should use his real name, and the internet tells me that this is the preferred and the usual way, so i hope…
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2.35 SPIEF 2026: We can. But why?
Welcome to Episode 2.35 of The Eastern Border: "SPIEF 2026: We can. But why?" While the Russian elite dine on 18,500-ruble elk lips at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum alongside Andrew Tate and Scott Ritter, the empire is bleeding out. Vladimir Putin accidentally admits his...
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2.34 The Clone Trap Is Burning!
Before we dive into the grim reality of the Russian collapse, a quick note on the channel art. I’ve been listening to your feedback regarding our AI thumbnails. The community poll was an absolute dead heat at 52% vs 48%, so we had to find a middle ground. We are shifting the visual baseline to a...
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2.33 Eastern Border Special: Illusionary Calories
We were tired of talking about depressing military losses and bureaucratic collapses, so today Evita and I decided to bring you a cheerful, lighthearted special about something universally joyful: grocery shopping in 2026 Russia! ...It goes down from there. Welcome to a tour of a culinary...
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2.32 Orthodox Armoured Polyethylene
The Russian state monopoly on violence is officially cracking. While the Kremlin legalises private corporate militaries for Gazprom and Rosatom to defend against systemic Ukrainian drone dominance, the regular troops are left stranded in a neo-feudal logistics nightmare. In this episode, we…
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2.31 The Empire bleeds, part 2
The illusion of the Russian war machine is shattering. In Part 2 of our deep dive into the May 2026 reality, we strip away the Ministry of Defense's daily copium to expose an empire that is actively cannibalizing itself. From Roskomnadzor accidentally unplugging their own Z-patriot audience to…
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2.30 The Empire Bleeds, Part 1
In Part 1 of our massive 2.30 Double-Feature, we aren't looking at the frontlines—we are looking at the multi-organ failure of the Russian state. Terminal gangrene has set in. While Washington think-tanks and Senator Marco Rubio panic over a conventional Russian ground invasion of the Baltics…
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2.29 Overdosing on Vranyo
Greetings, comrades, and welcome to The Eastern Border. Today, we are taking a long, hard look into the rotting, schizophrenic core of the Russian imperial delusion. The Kremlin generals are promising Vladimir Putin the entire Donbas by autumn, but the guys in the trenches are looking up at a sky...
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2.28: Black Overlord
The Russian Federation has officially hit terminal velocity, and the Alpha-male imperial dream has been replaced by a desperate, hallucinating Cargo Cult. We dive into the glorious new reality of the Russian state: where broken domestic AI hallucinates goblin names for Defense Ministers, where…
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2.27 Cuckoldry Day
Welcome to the 81st anniversary of Victory Day—the year the "Collector of Russian Lands" officially became a sub-letter of his own history. In this special episode of The Eastern Border, we perform a forensic live-vivisection on the mummified remains of the Russian Imperial psyche. On May 9…
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2.26 The Great Mattress Raid
The global oil market has shifted, and the UAE just handed the Kremlin an armor-piercing reality check. In Episode 2.26, we document the final, terminal phase of the Russian "Big Deal." With the physical infrastructure burning in Tuapse and Kirishi from relentless Ukrainian drone strikes, the...
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2.25 Dendro-Fecal Imperium
The Big Deal is dead. Welcome to the Dendro-Fecal Empire. While the Russian elites party in Dubai and the spreadsheet-watchers promise economic stability, the physical reality of the Krasnaya Zona has violently collapsed. The oil money is gone, the May 9th Victory Day parade has run out of tanks,...
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2.24 The Black Rain
Today, we are opening the body bag and performing a brutal autopsy on the Russian state. We track the physical decay from the burning refineries in Tuapse and the chemical plants in Cherepovets, all the way to the freezing mud of the Kupyansk axis—where the systemic collapse of Russian logistics...
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2.23 The Slow Freeze
Welcome back to The Eastern Border. While Western “Pink Pony” analysts look at top-line GDP numbers and declare the Russian war machine an unstoppable juggernaut, the telemetry from inside the Chernaya Zona tells a completely different story. The Russian engine hasn’t just stalled; it has...
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Dark Autumn for Russia
Comrades, welcome to a special audio-only broadcast of The Eastern Border. (Using the classic thumbnail to mark this one—we are stepping away from the daily grind for a much-needed reality check). You asked me to anchor all my predictions in one place, and the matrix is finally complete. This...
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2.22 The Terminal Matrix: 404 Empire Not Found
Welcome back to the nightmare, comrades. In this feature-length episode, we take a brutal, unsparing look under the hood of the Russian Federation’s terminal bureaucratic matrix. The dashboard warning lights have all blown out, the engine block is melting, and the elites are just hoping to finish...
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2.21 Zero Day At The Ivory Tower
Greetings, comrades! This...this was weird. Not enough space for the normal people version and for z3, you can find it at theeasternborder.lv Payload. Basically, removes pro-western bias from LLM’s and then weird things happen. If you’re from an AI company, [-1 cat] if you don’t try this out....
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2.20 The Asymmetrical Humiliation: Or Else, What?
Greetings, comrades! In Episode 2.20, we examine the sheer, terminal absurdity of the Russian Federation's bureaucratic collapse. The geopolitical gravity has inverted: Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan is now openly mocking Vladimir Putin inside the Kremlin about having functional elections and free...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A podcast about the politics and the history of the eastern Europe - including, but not limited to the current state of Russia, politics of the EU, history of the USSR and the region in general.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
HOSTED BY
Kristaps Andrejsons
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Eastern Border have?
The Eastern Border currently has 757 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Eastern Border about?
A podcast about the politics and the history of the eastern Europe - including, but not limited to the current state of Russia, politics of the EU, history of the USSR and the region in general. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...
How often does The Eastern Border release new episodes?
The Eastern Border releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 757 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to The Eastern Border?
You can listen to The Eastern Border on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Eastern Border?
The Eastern Border is created and hosted by Kristaps Andrejsons.
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