The Week Ahead In Russia

How has the rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenary force changed Russia, and what effects may still be to come? Kirill Shamiev, a fellow at the European Council of Foreign Relations and an expert on Russia and civil-military relations, joins the host to discuss.

How will relaxed U.S. rules for Ukraine's use of American weapons affect Kyiv's defense against Russia's invasion? And can the upcoming Peace Summit in Switzerland make a difference? Olga Oliker, program director for Europe and Central Asia at the Crisis Group, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Under increasing pressure to untie Kyiv's hands, the United States has changed course and allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons to strike at some targets inside Russia. Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, joins the host to discuss the significance of the shift.

Dr. Allyson Edwards, a lecturer at Bath Spa University in Britain and an expert on Russian militarism, youth, memory, and patriotic education, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the Kremlin's misuse of history in the war in Ukraine and beyond.

What's behind the shake-up that is sending longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to President Vladimir Putin's Security Council and putting a longtime economic official in charge of the military? Author and analyst Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the personnel shifts and Russia's new offensive in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.

U.S. weapons for Ukraine, more talk about talks, and calls for the containment of Russia. As Russian President Vladimir Putin starts yet another term, Sam Greene, director of Democratic Resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis and a professor at King's Russia Institute, joins the host to discuss developments in Moscow's war on Ukraine and confrontation with the West.

After an excruciating six-month wait, new U.S. aid for Ukraine's defense could become law this week. Christopher Miller, Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times and author of The War Came To Us: Life And Death In Ukraine, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss how this is affecting the mood in Ukraine and what it could mean for the course of the war.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warns that Ukraine could lose the war if new U.S. aid is not approved. Is Russia about to make major advances? And why is the Kremlin doubling down on claims of a Ukrainian role in the Crocus City Hall attack despite a lack of evidence? Oleg Ignatov, senior analyst for Russia at the International Crisis Group, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Gunmen killed at least 137 people at a concert hall outside Moscow in the deadliest terror attack in Russia in 20 years. Why did this happen now, what does it mean, and how will the Russian state respond? Author and analyst Mark Galeotti, an honorary professor at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Russia’s March 15-17 election is set to keep President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin for six more years. Given that certainty, does the election matter? And what might Putin’s fifth term mean for Russia, Ukraine, and the world? Russian historian and analyst Sergei Medvedev joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Russian forces are seeking further advances after capturing Avdiyivka, and the $60 million U.S. aid package is still stuck in Congress. Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, joins the host to discuss a crucial juncture in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

Jan Matti Dollbaum -- research group leader at LMU Munich and co-author of the book Navalny: Putin's Nemesis, Russia's Future? – joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the life, death, and legacy of Aleksei Navalny.