What happens when Harry Potter arrives in Russia just as Vladimir Putin rises to power? Cullan and Lera speak with returning guest Dr. Eliot Borenstein (NYU), author of the new book The Politics of Fantasy: Magic, Children’s Literature, and Fandom in Putin’s Russia , to unpack how Western fantasy franchises, particularly Harry Potter, were translated, adapted, and politicized in Russia. From Orthodox denunciations of wizardry and bizarre propaganda flops like Kids vs. Wizards , to the homegrown ...
Aug 21, 2025•58 min
On this episode, Cullan speaks with sociology professor Lisa Wisniewski of Goodwin University about her new book exploring the lived experiences of Slavic Americans and the cultural, political, and emotional landscapes they navigate as immigrants. Drawing from personal narratives and interdisciplinary research, Dr. Wisniewski unpacks how migration shapes identity, memory, and belonging in both Eastern and Western contexts. This was a compelling and important conversation on diaspora, displacemen...
Apr 19, 2025•51 min
In this episode, we sit down with Russian-born author Yaroslav Barsukov , whose life and work are deeply intertwined with the political upheavals of modern Russia. Growing up in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia, Barsukov witnessed firsthand the rise of Vladimir Putin before immigrating to Vienna in 2005. From there, he observed as Russia's trajectory culminated in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. We discuss Barsukov’s personal experiences with Russian propaganda, h...
Mar 03, 2025•42 min
What was life like for Russian women under serfdom? In this episode, Cullan talks with the expert on this subject, Dr. Tracy Dennison, a historian and professor at Caltech. Based on her talk by the same name, Tracy explores how societal structures shaped and limited women's choices, opportunities, and constraints under different ruling families. Thanks for listening, and Happy 2025! About the Guest Tracy Dennison studies institutions and their effects on long-term growth and development. She is ...
Jan 07, 2025•28 min
On this episode, host Cullan chats with Siarhei of the Prague Civil Society Centre to discuss the transformative work of the organization and the power of the connections they build across Europe and Central Asia. If you've been tuning in for a while, you probably noticed that some of our most recent episodes were also recorded in Prague, during the Centre's Unlock 2024 conference. Unlock is a civic summit showcasing the latest trends at the nexus of activism, media and technology in Eastern Eur...
Dec 02, 2024•31 min
On this episode, Basil speaks with Lieutenant Colonel Martin Wroblewski, PhD, a seasoned officer in the German Army with deep insights into the intricacies of European security dynamics. They delve into the German role in NATO and in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, as well as Russian information operations as they pertain to Germany. LTC Wroblewski shares his expertise on the importance of developing interoperability within NATO forces, the strategic partnership between America and Germany, the c...
Oct 06, 2024•21 min
On this episode, Josh Sanborn joins Lera and Sergio to talk about his latest cultural research on spies and spy fiction from the Cold War, and the fascinating interplay between the Intelligence Community and the fiction world. In his forthcoming book project Bad Romance , Josh unpacks famed novels such as From Russia with Love and Soviet films and how the portrayal of espionage and covert action differs between the West and the USSR. Thanks for listening! About the Guest Joshua Sanborn is profes...
Sep 29, 2024•29 min
"When we think about the War in Ukraine, we should think about Belarus as well," says Ryhor Astapenia, founder and research director of the Centre for New Ideas, a Minsk-based non-partisan civil society organization promoting democratic reforms in Belarus. On this episode, Ryhor shares with us about the importance of Belarus in the European security theater, the role of independent media in promoting democracy among Belarussians, and Aleksandr Lukashenko's support for Putin's agenda and the Russ...
Sep 15, 2024•20 min
On this episode, recorded at UNLOCK Prague 2024, SlavX host Kate speaks with Anastasiia Apetyk, a lawyer and expert on information rights and digital security. Since 2017, at the Expert Centre for Human Rights (Kyiv, Ukraine), Anastasiia has been researching security issues at the community level, problems of information and digital rights, data protection, and digital security. She advises on and develops training programs in the field of digital rights and digital security for executive author...
Sep 05, 2024•38 min•Season 7Ep. 2
In this episode, Basil and Misha sit down with Maksim Dvorovyi to discuss his work on digital advocacy in Ukraine and globally, the potential banning of Telegram due to its lack of content regulation, and the trouble with debunking as a method for countering disinformation. We hope you enjoy! ABOUT THE GUEST Maksym Dvorovyi ( @dvorovyi ) is a Kyiv-based digital rights and media law & policy expert, currently legal counsel with the NGO Digital Security Lab Ukraine. Since 2015, he has been act...
Aug 25, 2024•21 min•Season 7Ep. 1
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Keith Brown, a distinguished anthropologist from Arizona State University's Melikian Center. Dr. Brown takes us on a deep dive into the rich and often contentious history of Macedonia, exploring the complexities of historiography and the narratives that shape our understanding of the Balkan region. Join us as Dr. Brown shares his unique journey into the study of Macedonia, revealing how personal and historical narratives intertwine in the pursuit of knowledg...
Aug 13, 2024•38 min
On this episode, Nick speaks with Susanna Weygandt a scholar studying performance theories of Russian and East European theater. She discusses the work of Anatoly Vasiliev, famed Russian theater director for the Moscow School of Dramatic Arts. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST: Elena Susanna Weygandt analyzes and documents performance theories indigenous to Russia and East Europe that have not yet been documented. She draws on methods of interview and ethnography as well as digital display i...
Jun 25, 2024•39 min
On this episode, José Vergara (Bryn Mawr College) delves into the challenges and rewards of teaching literature in a carceral setting and his continued exploration of novels born behind bars. From the haunting prose of incarcerated writers to the innovative realms of digital humanities, Vergara shares his many projects such as the Encyclopedia of the Dog ( https://encyclopediaofthedog.com/ ) based on the iconic novel "Between Dog and Wolf" by Sasha Sokolov, and the Reactor Room, an immersive Che...
May 30, 2024•32 min
On this episode, Misha and Cullan speak with Fabian Baumann, a research associate at the University of Heidelberg, whose latest book Dynasty Divided (2023, NIU Press) uniquely approaches the nuanced history of Ukrainian and Russian nationalism through a prominent Kievan family of journalists, scholars, and politicians. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE BOOK From Cornell University Press: Dynasty Divided uses the story of a prominent Kievan family of journalists, scholars, and politicians to analyz...
May 19, 2024•35 min
On this episode, Kseniya Yurtayeva joins Taylor and Basil to discuss her work on cyberaggression, hybrid warfare, and the difficulty of creating and enforcing cyber law in the midst of a global conflict. ABOUT THE GUEST: Kseniya Yurtayeva holds a PhD in criminal law, criminology and criminal-executive law and is a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan with support from the Weiser Diplomacy Center. Her current scientific interests focus on cyberaggression as a method applied in contempor...
May 05, 2024•38 min
On this episode, Taras Fedirko from the University of Glasgow joins us on the Forty Acres to share the multilayered story of post-Soviet media in Ukraine and its dramatic transformations from Kravchuk to Zelenskyy. ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Taras Fedirko is a Lecturer in Organized Crime and Corruption at the University of Glasgow. His current research focuses on the political economy of war in Ukraine since 2014, with a particular interest in the transformative effects of war, e.g. in the new elites a...
Apr 27, 2024•58 min
On this episode, attorney and business consultant Daniel Satinsky shares about his new book, which tells the story of American participation in the dismantling of the Soviet economy and the creation of the Russian market economy in the 1990s. Creating the Post-Soviet Russian Market Economy: Through American Eyes is based on more than 100 interviews with citizen diplomats, entrepreneurs, bankers, consultants, and aid program administrators active in Russia in those years. The book chronicles the ...
Apr 15, 2024•51 min
On this episode, Pjotr Sauer shares his firsthand experiences and reflections on reporting on Russia both before February 24, 2022 from within the country and then after, reporting from outside of the country. He elaborates on the difficulties for all journalists in navigating the challenges and constraints in Russia and expands on the plight of his friend and colleague Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street journalist who has been officially imprisoned by Russian authorities for one year as of March...
Mar 31, 2024•31 min
On this episode, Valeria Sobol of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaigne talks with us about her 2000 book "Haunted Empire." Dr. Sobol guides us through the tapestries of Imperial Russia, where crumbling estates and eerie figures cast long shadows over the pages of history. Drawing on her meticulous research and profound insights, she unveils the intricate interplay between Gothic motifs and the imperial legacy, offering a captivating exploration of power, trauma, and the uncanny in Russia...
Mar 24, 2024•48 min
On this episode, independent journalist Terrell Jermaine Starr shares his experiences covering Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022 and explaining to Americans the importance of the nation for global security, democracy, and humanity broadly. "We all need to be invested in each other's safety and security... Ukraine is the exact place I feel that I need to be to tell the story of how we can be better human beings to one another, and that's what my journalism is about." The #Connexions Experts...
Mar 14, 2024•35 min
On this episode, renowned historian John Connelly from the University of California, Berkeley, talks with us about the growth of fascism from democracy, the roots and justification narratives of anti-semitism in Germany and elsewhere, and the development of nationalism in modern history across Europe. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST John Connelly is the Sidney Hellman Ehrman Professor of History and Director of the Institute for East European, Eurasian, and Slavic Studies at the University...
Feb 17, 2024•44 min
On this episode, poitical scientist Serhiy Kudelia of Baylor University speaks with us about multiple topics on Ukraine from the prospects for Ukraine in the long-term, depending on continued western support, to the political effects of the war on Ukrainian leadership. Dr. Kudelia discusses the likelihood of Ukraine gaining any security guarantees from the West and under what conditions Putin might deploy strategic nuclear weapons or perhaps advance his military campaign beyond Ukraine. Thanks f...
Feb 03, 2024•32 min
On this episode, we speak with Lieutenant Colonel Martin Wroblewski, PhD, a seasoned officer in the German Army with deep insights into the intricacies of European security dynamics. We delve into the German role in NATO and in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. LTC Wroblewski shares his expertise on the importance of developing interoperability within NATO forces, the strategic partnership between America and Germany, the critical role of information operations in modern warfare, and strategies for...
Jan 31, 2024•40 min
On this episode, Francesca Lockhart, cybersecurity professor at The University of Texas at Austin, talks about her unique and prescient cybersecurity clinic that she developed on the Forty Acres after leading the Homeland Security Unit at the Texas Department of Public Safety. Francesca also discusses the role of state and local security units in protecting critical infrastructure and the importance of area studies for the national security community. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST France...
Jan 21, 2024•48 min
On this episode, Dr. Togzhan Kassenova joined Taylor and Nick for a conversation about the destructive impact of Soviet nuclear testing in Kazakhstan and the figurative fallout of the dissolution of the USSR which resulted in Russia providing security guarantees to "divorced" states in exchange for the surrender of Soviet weapons of mass destruction. Check out Dr. Kassenova's book for more about Kazakhstan's complex nuclear history under the USSR and beyond: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=3...
Jan 14, 2024•36 min
On this first episode of 2024, we reflect on the War in Ukraine and Ukraine's prospects for continued political and military support in 2024 and beyond with Carnegie Endowment's senior fellow and renowned military analyst Michael Kofman. ABOUT THE GUEST Michael Kofman is a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on the Russian military and Eurasian security issues. Prior to joining Carnegie in 2023, he served as Director...
Jan 04, 2024•34 min
On this episode, Eliot Borenstein returns for a fun conversation about the political and historical themes in pop culture and the abundance of Marvel, Harry Potter, LOTR, etc. fan fiction that emerged post-socialism. We hope you enjoy! ABOUT THE GUEST Eliot Borenstein is Professor of Russian & Slavic Studies at New York University. His most recent books include Plots against Russia: Conspiracy and Fantasy after Socialism (winner of the 2020 Wayne S. Vucinich brook prize and the 2020 AATSEEL ...
Dec 24, 2023•42 min
On this episode, cyber expert Gavin Wilde joined us to talk all things cyberwarfare. He defined the term and its distinction from information warfare; shared the reasons why he believes studying Russia is important for this complex, actively developing, and hard-to-measure battlefront; and touched on the differences between the US and Russian military cyber and information operations and structures. Follow Gavin on Twitter/X @gavinbwilde. Thanks for listening! PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was r...
Dec 18, 2023•35 min
In this episode, Bartek Gajos discusses his in-depth research into memory politics during the Soviet period and today, specifically the weaponization of history by the Russian regime, the past's influence on present actions taken by great powers, NATO expansion and EU enlargement, the "armageddon option" taken by Western G7 leaders at Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the questions surrounding Polish-Ukrainian relations. Bartek appropriately quotes Nietzsche: "... the past must be forgotten if i...
Dec 09, 2023•45 min
On this episode, Taylor and Misha speak with Mikhail Rubin, journalist and co-founder of Proekt Media, the lead investigative media outlet in Russia. Thanks for listening! ABOUT THE GUEST Mikhail Rubin has covered Russian policy processes for nearly 13 years. During this period, he has had the opportunity to work as a Kremlin pool reporter for the popular print and web-media outlets Izvestia and RBC. He has also worked as a TV-journalist with Rain (Dozhd), hosting a program about the underbelly ...
Dec 02, 2023•38 min
