Russian Roulette
News & Politics
About
Hosted by Max Bergmann and Dr. Maria Snegovaya of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at CSIS, Russian Roulette explores the politics, history, and complex societies of Russia and Eurasia. Tune in for fascinating interviews and discussions on some of the biggest questions facing the broader post-Soviet space. Produced by David Lotfi, Lexi Linafelter, and Nicholas Fenton
Episodes
- War, Inflation, and Putin's Paranoia: has Russian Public Opinion Begun to Shift?
Dr. Sam Greene joins Max and Maria to discuss the current state of Russian public opinion, considering economic conditions, the war, and reports of paranoia within the Kremlin.
- The Ukrainian Defense Industry and Europe’s Untapped Arsenal
Elina Ribakova discusses her Foreign Affairs article on the Ukrainian defense industry and its capacity to support European defense needs on Russian Roulette.
- The History of Russian Feminism with Julia Ioffe
Julia Ioffe joins hosts Max and Maria to discuss her book, "Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia," examining the subject from the Revolution through to Autocracy.
- How the Iran War and the Price of Oil Impact the Kremlin's Calculus
Max and Maria hosted Hanna Notte and Janis Kluge to discuss the influence of the Iran war and global energy market instability on Russian foreign policy. The conversation was recorded on March 25, 2026.
- BONUS EPISODE: What the Iran War Means for Russia
Michael Kimmage joined Max to discuss the potential implications of the Middle East war for Russian foreign policy. The conversation was recorded on March 19, 2026.
- Transnational Corruption in Foreign Policy Today
Max and Maria spoke with Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon about how authoritarian and illiberal governments leverage transnational corruption as part of their foreign policies and global strategies. This conversation was recorded on Tuesd…
- Eric Ciaramella on How Europe Can Arm Ukraine
Eric Ciaramella of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace returned to the show to discuss his recent article with Sophia Besch on the ways that European states can support Ukraine militarily without the involvement of the U.S. Max…
- Four Years of the War in Ukraine (Live Event)
Max and Maria spoke with Hanna Notte, JP Gresh, and Michael Kimmage at a live CSIS event marking the four-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This conversation was recorded on February 23, 2026. For the video recor…
- Ukraine's Ongoing Energy Crisis
Max and Maria were joined by Andrian Prokip and Tim McDonnell to discuss the relentless Russian bombardment of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, and what this means for average Ukrainians trying to survive the winter months. Be sure to expl…
- Thresholds of Survival: The Latest Report on Ukrainian Resistance to Russian Occupation by Jade McGlynn
Max and Maria spoke with Jade McGlynn about her latest report on Ukrainian resistance in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. " Thresholds of Survival: The Resistance in Occupied Ukraine " by Jade McGlynn (January 2026, CSIS.org)
- Adam Entous on U.S.-Ukraine Relations in 2025
Max and Maria spoke with Adam Entous of The New York Times on his in-depth investigation exploring the Trump Administration's policies towards Ukraine in 2025. This conversation was recorded on January 7, 2026. " The Separation: Inside the…
- Sergey Radchenko on Ukraine Peace Negotiations
Max and Maria spoke with Sergey Radchenko about the state of affairs in peace negotiations over Ukraine as we come to the close of 2025. They discuss the different parties' goals and positions, and how this current round of negotiations co…
- The Latest 28-Point Peace Plan for Ukraine
Max speaks with Michael Kimmage about his immediate reactions to the new 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, and the rapid-fire diplomacy taking place in response to its release. This conversation was recorded on November 24, 2025.
- The Increased Level of Repressions Within the Russian Elite
Max and Maria spoke with Nikolay Petrov and Mikhail Troitskiy, two leading experts on the contemporary Russian elite, to discuss the current status of this ruling group inside Russia today, and why it finds itself increasingly under pressu…
- Russian and Ukrainian Battlefield Adaptations with Dara Massicot and Kateryna Bondar
Max and Maria had a livestreamed conversation in the CSIS Brack Studio with Dara Massicot and Kateryna Bondar to discuss Russian and Ukrainian battlefield adaptations and technological innovations. This conversation took place on November…
- The Impact of New Sanctions and Ukrainian Deep Strikes on the Russian Energy Industry with Clayton Seigle
Max and Maria spoke with Clayton Seigle about how new sanctions from the Trump administration could potentially impact Russian energy revenues. Additionally, they discussed the effects of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries. This…
- The 2025 Moldovan Parliamentary Elections
Max and Maria spoke with Leah Kieff and Vlad Lupan about the outcomes of the recent Moldovan parliamentary elections at the end of September, and why they're significant for both Moldova, and the broader region. This conversation was recor…
- The Russia-India Relationship with Tina Dolbaia and Vasabjit Banerjee
Max sat down with Tina Dolbaia and Vasabjit Banerjee to talk about their new CSIS paper, "Guns and Oil: Continuity and Change in Russia-India Relations." They delve into the history of the Russia-India relationship, how it's been impacted…
- Michael McFaul on Trump, Putin, and Autocrats vs. Democrats
Max and Maria spoke with Stanford professor and former ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul to talk about his latest book, and where things stand today in U.S.-Russia relations. Pre-order Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, an…
- Jade McGlynn with an Update from Ukraine
Max had wide-ranging conversation with Jade McGlynn while she was traveling in Ukraine. Topics covered include the Ukrainian war effort, the situation behind the lines in the Russian-occupied territories, and the recent protests in Ukraine…
- Max and Maria on the Alaska and White House Peace Summits
Max and Maria give their takes on the recent efforts to negotiate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. They analyze the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska, and then the meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy, and European leaders…
- Has Putinism Failed? A Conversation with Harley Balzer and Sergei Guriev
Max and Maria spoke with Harley Balzer and Sergei Guriev about the recently released volume, Failure. Russia Under Putin . This conversation was recorded on July 17, 2025. Failure. Russia Under Putin is available now from Bloomsbury Publis…
- Max and Michael Kimmage Catch Up on All Things Russia and Ukraine
This week, Max spoke with Michael Kimmage about the recent headlines connected to Russia and Ukraine, and what they mean for the coming months. " The Limits of Putin's Balancing Act: What the Kremlin Will Sacrifice in Pursuit of Victory in…
- Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Geopolitics in the South Caucasus
Max and Maria are joined by Richard Giragosian and Jeffrey Mankoff to talk about the current geopolitical moment in the South Caucasus, with a particular focus on the dynamics at play in the relationships between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and R…
- Hanna Notte on What the Israel-Iran War Means for Russia
Hanna Notte returns to the show for a conversation with Max and Maria about what the most recent round of hostilities between Israel and Iran, plus the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, mean for Russia's own Middle Eastern strate…
- Bonus Episode: The Russian Wartime Economy (Live Event Recording)
Max moderated a live panel discussion with Maria, and two leading experts on the Russian economy, Elina Ribakova and Vladislav Inozemtsev. The conversation focused on the findings of the recent report from the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eura…
- A Battlefield Update from Mike Kofman
Max and Maria get another update from military expert Mike Kofman on the state of the frontlines in Ukraine. This conversation was recorded on June 11, 2025. " The Russian Wartime Economy: From Sugar High to Hangover " by Maria Snegovaya,…
- The Ukrainian Economy Today with Elina Ribakova
Elina Ribakova returned to the show to speak with Max and Maria about the evolution of the Ukrainian economy since February 2022.
- Chokepoints and Economic Warfare with Edward Fishman
Max and Maria spoke with Edward Fishman about his bestselling book, Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare .
- The State of Russia-Ukraine Negotiations with Michael Kimmage
Max and Maria welcome Michael Kimmage back to the show to provide his analysis of the ongoing U.S.-led negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine. This conversation was recorded on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. " What if America Abandons…
- Keith Gessen and Bryn Rosenfeld on How We Should Interpret Russian Public Opinion Data About the War in Ukraine
Maria spoke with journalist Keith Gessen and scholar Bryn Rosenfeld about their work trying to make sense of Russian public opinion towards the war in Ukraine, and what it means for our understanding of Russian society today.
- Russia-Ukraine Negotiations: Outlining a U.S. Strategy with Tom Wright
In this special CSIS crossover episode with Russian Roulette’s sister podcast, The Eurofile, Max Bergmann and co-host Donatienne Ruy welcome Tom Wright, senior fellow at Brookings and former Senior Director for Strategic Planning at the Un…
- Drones and AI on the Battlefields of Ukraine with Kate Bondar and Sam Bendett
Maria spoke with Kate Bondar and Sam Bendett about their work on the latest drone and artificial intelligence technologies being employed on the battlefield in Ukraine. Read Kate's latest report, "Ukraine’s Future Vision and Current Capabi…
- Rose Gottemoeller on Negotiating with Russia
Max and Maria welcomed Rose Gottemoeller back to the show, to discuss the ongoing negotiations between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. As a former American diplomat who has sat across from the Russians to negotiate international treaties, s…
- How Trump's Policies on Russia and Ukraine Are Being Received Across the Post-Soviet Space
Maria was joined by Tinatin Japaridze and Volodymyr Dubovyk to discuss how post-Soviet countries, particularly Ukraine and the states of the South Caucasus, are reckoning with the Trump administration's positions on the war in Ukraine. Thi…
- The War in Ukraine Three Years On
Max and Maria sat down with Michael Kimmage and Dara Massicot for an event in the CSIS studio to discuss the three-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The conversation took stock of the current situation on the bat…
- A New Strategy for Containing Russia
Max and Maria were recently joined by Michael Kimmage and Jeffrey Mankoff for a live event in the CSIS broadcast studio to discuss the team's recent work outlining a new European strategy for containing Russia. This conversation was record…
- Max and Maria on the Start of U.S.-Russian Negotiations Over the War in Ukraine
On today's episode, Max and Maria give their initial takes on the news that U.S. and Russian negotiators met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 18 to begin efforts to reach a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine, notably without re…
- Lessons from Soviet Foreign Policy with Sergey Radchenko
Max and Maria spoke with historian Sergey Radchenko about his latest book, To Run the World: The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for Global Power , and how the study of Soviet foreign policy can help us understand Russia's current approach to globa…
- Russia and the Middle East in 2025
Maria spoke with Hanna Notte and Natasha Hall about the new balance of forces in the Middle East at the start of 2025, and what the current geopolitical situation in the region means for Russia.
- 25 Years of Putinism with Sam Greene
Max and Maria were joined by Dr. Sam Greene to reflect on a quarter century of Putinism in Russia, how Vladimir Putin's rule has changed the country, and where his regime might be headed from here. Follow Sam's writing on Substack by subsc…
- The War in Ukraine in 2025 with Michael Kofman
Max and Maria were joined by Russian military expert Michael Kofman to discuss where the war in Ukraine may be headed in the year to come. With a new administration in Washington and political turmoil across Europe, Russia continuing to ma…
- Dara Massicot on Battlefield Developments in Ukraine and the Threat of Escalation
Max and Maria speak with Dara Massicot, one of the leading experts on the Russian military and the war in Ukraine. Dara gives updates on the efforts of both sides to make gains on the battlefield, along with the current risks of escalation…
- What Will Trump 2.0 Mean for the War in Ukraine?
Max and Maria speak with Michael Kimmage to take stock of the impact of the recent U.S. elections on the future of the war in Ukraine, and U.S. policy towards Russia. " An Outcome 'Up for Grabs': What Can Russia and Ukraine Expect from the…
- Sorin Ioniță and Eto Buziashvili on the Pivotal Elections in Moldova and Georgia
Max and Maria spoke with Sorin Ioniță and Eto Buziashvili about the recent election results coming out of Moldova and Georgia. Both of these post-Soviet states find themselves at a geopolitical crossroads, with Russian malign influence cam…
- Sanctions and the Russian Energy Industry with Ben Cahill and Eddie Fishman
Max and Maria with Ben Cahill and Eddie Fishman about the current state of Russia's energy industry, and the prospects for the country's lucrative hydrocarbon exports. They also assessed the impacts of Western sanctions on the industry to…
- Two Former Central Bankers on Russia's Inflation Problem
This week, Maria sat down with Sergey Aleksashenko and Alexandra Prokopenko to discuss the Russian central bank's continued inability to reign in domestic inflation, and what it means for Russia's economy and war effort going forward.
- Andrea Kendall-Taylor and the Axis of Upheaval
On this week's episode, Max and Maria are joined by Andrea Kendall-Taylor to discuss Russian collaboration with China, Iran, and North Korea, and the key role that these partnerships are playing in sustaining Russia's invasion of Ukraine a…
- Mike Kofman and Rob Lee on the West’s Aid to Ukraine, and the Debate Over Red Lines and Escalation
This week, Max and Maria were joined by military analysts Michael Kofman and Rob Lee to discuss the latest phase of the war in Ukraine. Max and Maria asked them for their thoughts on the ongoing Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, and whether or…
- Ukraine's Kursk Offensive with Sam Bendett and Mick Ryan
Max and Maria sat down with Sam Bendett and Mick Ryan to discuss the Ukrainian military's recent seizure of territory in Kursk Oblast, inside Russia. They discussed how this attack took place, the risks and potential gains at stake for the…