Then & Now #6 – Teresa Cherfas in conversation with Dmitry Oreshkin

Welcome to the sixth episode of our new Russian-language podcast Then & Now with me, Teresa Cherfas. Whilst our podcast is mostly about people for whom February 24th 2022 was a turning-point in their lives, the subject of today’s conversation is the country, whose leadership caused that date to be so significant in all our lives. We are talking, of course, about Russia. To lead us to an understanding of just how fateful a date 24th February 2022 may be for Russia itself, we talked to Dmitry Oreshkin, someone who has devoted many years to  detailed observation of the political, economic, and social life of the country. Let him be our guide as we discuss present-day Russia and the likely future of the Russian Federation.This recording took place on May 11th 2023You can also listen to the podcast on our website, SoundCloud, Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Anchor and YouTube. My questions include:How long have you known that Putin had imperial ambitions in relation to Ukraine? Where did these ambitions come from?After Russia invaded Ukraine, you decided to leave the country. What was your main argument for your decision?How do you assess the current wave of Russian emigration? How does it compare to previous Russian emigrations? How might this influence the country’s future development?What do you think prompted the general mobilization that took place last autumn? What consequences has it had?Immediately after its was announced, a large number of men of conscription age left Russia. Do you see this as a demographic crisis? Can you comment on the annual Victory Day celebrations in Moscow and other Russian cities? What can does it tell us about the state of the Russian army – about its losses, about the criticism we hear about the Defence Ministry from numerous private military groups and so on?Under what circumstances could the war against Ukraine be brought to an end?What will happen after Putin? Do you think he will be overthrown? Will he die peacefully in his bed?