Mark is always awesome to listen to. If Mark and Ben Hodges had the same interview together I think it'd be interesting to listen to watch.

Ukraine territory is a whopping 603,628 square kilometers (233,062 sq mi), Russia at one point occupied a total of 161,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) or almost 27% of Ukraine's territory and some has been librated so now we are down to 119,000 km2 What really gets me is that some ppl. are now saying why does Ukraine not just let Russia have the areas /land it’s just a small part of Ukraine anyway..... A small part of Ukraine ...WE ARE taking about a land mass is 119,000 km2 In EU terms thats the size of Belgium, Holland, luxembourg all put together.. In UK terms that the size of all of Scotland and 80% of England all put together !! In US terms is the size of South Carolina, West Virginia all put together !! Why the f. should Ukraine give Russia all that land for what? TO ONLY be invaded some years later when Russia as had a brake and regrouped ,rebuilt its army and fortified positions !! I SAY RUSSIA GETS TO TAKE LAND AND DEMAND UKRAINE CAN NOT JOIN NATO IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AT ALL !! Nobody wants to be a "buffer country". NO nation wants to have a little bit of freedom !!!! ; The whole concept is demeaning to an independent nation. NO nation wants to have a little bit of freedom and self-determination, like some sort of 2nd class country; That is not right, and Russia has no right to demand or bully Ukrainians or Ukraine to accept that Ukraine and its ppl. should become some sort of lap dog on a leash 2nd class country to serve kremlins geopolitical agenda; so Kremlin, Putin and RuZZans can feel better about themselves ... ---------It is embarrassing that the US and Europe do not support Ukraine more than they do , the US. were in Afghanistan for 20 years and achieved less than Ukraine in 2 years, and Ukraine is also fighting a much stronger opponent (Russia )with many more resources than the taliban !! As a Norwegian I am ashamed of our policies in the west , the western nations governments use every opportunity to go on national TV and tell how much they support, but the truth is that we have only provided 94 Euros per inhabitant, it is ridiculous when we look at the size of Ukraine, the opponent and the way Russia has bombed cities in Ukraine back to the Stone Age, and that we (western nations ) have not lost a single person in the war , we are talking about Europe, democracy and freedom that Ukraine is defending , one can only be ashamed

Late Putinism is a funny phrase I'm going to use it

🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 It is so typical of Western Europe to say "oh we didn't see that coming" and "we must never let it happen like this again". We should listen to our Baltic friends, they, if any, know what Ukraine and the rest of Europe need to do to secure our future. Right now, Ukraine is paying the highest price for its survival and for our safety, now we must all give everything we can to help them. It is our damned duty. Do your duty and earn your rights. We simply have to stop seeing the world as we wish it to be and start seeing it for what it is.

Someone should ask Agent 🍊 (Trump) if Mr. Putin's election was rigged.

If memory serves me well, someone once said: "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely!" This is applicable not only to Putin but to all the megalomaniac rulers across the globe. Nuff said.

Putin has to ride the tiger. No happy evenings by the fire in his sunset years.

Lots of sad, lonely , putin lovers on here ..

The stubbonest limpets, still clinginging to the doomed ship, as it sinks to the ocean floor.

“Most of the people voted for me, that makes me the boss!”, unfortunately there are way too many people in the West also hold similar notions about democracy.

I was extremely surprised to hear Mr. Galeotti say that Russia had no territorial ambitions beyond Ukraine. It's not what Russian media says, it's not what Russian officials say, it's not how other neighboring countries are acting, it's not how NATO seems to see things. Very odd indeed. I'm curious how Vlad Vexler will react to Mr. Galeotti's statements.

Vranyo - that's a great word - we need something like that in English in these days of political and media 'hype' and 'spin' - something like 'bulsho' where the speaker knows he's talking BS, the listener knows it's BS, the speaker knows he knows, and the listener knows that he knows he knows, but both just treat it as if it's all quite sensible. A truly Pythonesque dialogue !

Thank you. Always interesting. Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦 🇬🇧🤝

dream on

I want to read several of Mark Galeotti's books on this subject. However, I've been reading Vladislav M Zubok's "Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union" for a while now, so they'll need to wait Buying books, owning books, and reading books are three distinct hobbies that have only a tenuous connection to one and other

Very interesting analysis, immediately disproved by the actual events. Very entertaining. The kind of thinking that is leading the elites into an abyss

With all due respect, I don't think Mark Galeotti spends enough time with regular people, because the number of times I've explained that winning an election in truly democratic countries doesn't mean you're The Boss, rather that you're First Among Equals, in my own country to my own countrymen, is astounding. Most people genuinely think that when you win an election that you automatically get to do whatever you want, like despot trading cards. All you have to do is look at how people react to election results.

Love listening to Michael. You can hear his vast understanding at every turn.

Mr Bush...."you are either with us or against us." same rhetoric.

She is so beautiful! Great host too!

I just discovered this channel, very intellectual shows. I'v been a follower of American progressive channels (which is my political stand point for a long time). But I'm missing a more global analizes of the realities of the world today. Thanks👍

What nonsense

I do enjoy these aspirational videos. They are hilarious in how far they go to ignore the facts.

‘You are lying, I know you are lying…and you know I know you know you are lying..’ and onward….

The CiA most be paying for this channel.

Thank you Kate for your intelligent interviews, with zero staring at your feet like some hosts on times radio, your vlogs are always refreshing and such a pleasure to absorb. Thank you! If we understand Putin and his cronies can drift on for 2 years or so in this state, were things actually worse when the Soviet Union collapsed?

Clings ? Lol , ok .

#PSUSSRTSD Post Stalin USSR Traumatic Stress Disorder 😮

Kate is the best!

A very interesting interview as usual. A question I would ask Mr. Galeotti is: Do you think that it is somehow possible for Russia to maintain this strategy indefinitely even when Putin is long dead and gone and, if not, what could its long term objectives be on the world stage in that case?

Since Navalneys death , things has been strange in Moscovich ..

😂😂🎉85% is clinging lol🎉😂😂

You need to remember how Putin came into power in Russia, and it was mostly from unbreakable traditions

Excellent analyses! L'histoire ce repete

I know he wont leave without taking everyone else's with him

Mark is back to collect his thirty pieces of silver. This man will say almost anything for a buck.

I reckon Putins time is almost over, one way or another.

Same as the Tory’s then clinging on power and a unelected prime minister here in the uk

And he has a model of Thunderbird Two!

Mark has a great understanding of Moscow, how the Kremlin works, and how Putin is the Mafia Don of the Kremlin circus. Thanks for this interview! Slava Ukraini!

I recently heard on Joe Blogs that India may not be buying oil from Russia.

'Late Rishiism' is dominated by failure in UK as Tories 'cling to power'

I can only suggest that people look for more independent content and read about the history of this part of the world as well as recent events. When you have a holistic view, you can easily and quickly learn to see gaping holes in the narrative being fed by the likes of Mark and Times Radio.

How prescient of Mark to talk about a Black Swan event that could upset things. But even he can't have expected it would come within a few hours of this interview.

The more one clings to power,the more it slips away...Lao Duh.

Super stuff

Brilliant discussion.

Fascinating interview, thank you.

Late Putinism? I hope that means soon past Putinism!

Thunderbird 2 and an Angel Interceptor on the book shelf.

Kate and Marc are my favourites!

Very,very interesting indeed. Thank you.

They don't even have sucssesors, do they??

Your a smart boy Cxxx 💚💐🌹🇬🇧

Anointed, Jesus that's a bad word for Democracy

If this is failure I’d hate to see success

No way will he be there for another decade!😱

the former Soviet Union is in civil war

Mark strikes me as a person with quite a bit of knowledge who chooses to spin it in ways that conform to his personal views, i.e. bias. He says half-truths, he omits critical details, he speculates to fill-in the gaps. And, of course, he is presented as "expert", so everyone takes all he says at face value. It is people like Mark who form the public opinion in alignment with the western political elites stance.

7:17 "...open access to media..." Then why is no Western media blocked in Russia, but in the EU we can't watch RT?

Once again one that thinks freedom for a group is a negative thing because its not the easy way out for him to go back to his life of comforts... The Ural Altaic people has a right to have a chance to be free, even if he has to use his jacuzzi only once per month instead of every day!

Just another 6 years and everything will be fine...

The Black Sea countries are many!! And Then Black Sea does not belong to Russia that’s a myth !! Bulgaria, (NATO ) Romania (NATO) Turkey (NATO) Ukraine (NATO partner ) Georgia (NATO partner) So in-fact ANY NATO country members navy and or air force is within their full right to sail and be within the Black Sea, as non of the Black Sea Nations (That have a real and legal int. recognized cost-line not like Russia ) have any problem with NATO ships being in their waters and even the non NATO members like Ukraine and Georgia, even more so then the NATO nations, want and are begging for more NATO ships to come and be in the BLACK SEA ! (NATO nations of the black sea are in-fact real black sea nations not like Russia stealing land then claiming to be the owner of that land and sea ) Coastline length to the black see by country/ Country Coastline length (km) Turkey 1,329km (NATO) Ukraine 2,782km (NATO partner ) Bulgaria 354km (NATO) Georgia 310km (NATO partner ) Romania 225km (NATO) And her is a thought .. if every neighbor you have is running to begging NATO to let them join NATO is it becouse you are such a nice and good neighbor? Or is it because you act like a bully and are aggressive and invade your neighbor lands sending in troops and tanks Hungary 1956, Czechoslovakia 1968, Poland 1980 Moldova 1990-91, Georgia 2008, Ukraine 2014 ++ And now all of Ukraine 2022+++ Russia eat eat eats its victims and then blames its victims for eating them !! ... Maybe if you act in a more nicer way, then your neighbors will liked you more and maybe your neighbors in your neighborhood will want to be around you as well ..

This really makes sense, it is said that Putin couldn't understand how it was possible that the S.U. gave up Eastern Germany in 1989 when he was in Dresden. Maybe he will now find out.

I think it helpful to remember where and when the phrase "banana republic' comes from in the first place.

Sounds like you're describing a British or American election.

As a Ukrainian American I appreciate this gentlemen's perspective however unless the United States unpauses it's military support my ancestral homeland is in dire straights. I am hopeful but also a realist.

great interview and insightful answers. thank you.

The man himself .

Putin is about to fall off his gold plated lavatory seat.

He never mentioned that the Green Goblin of Kiev, has banned all opposition parties against him. Double standards again.

😂😂😂 "CLINGS ON" TO POWER😂😂😂. CORRECTION : PUTIN REMAINS IN POWER.

During the first round of Russian mobilization lost almost a million of educated populace😮

Putin clings to power like a barnacle on the rotting hull of a sinking ship.

Interesting

It’s depressing how lacklustre ‘we’ the west have responded. It’s actually shameful and makes us look very weak. We are a pathetic liberal breed wishing for our own demise.

Sheeple 😂😂😂😂

I wonder why he didnt mention the oil link between India and RU, thats an obvious reason...

32:48 "...to reach out to the Russian people and say 'We know this is not your fault.'..." A fair percentage of them voted for him, some protested and the rest shrugged their shoulders. Since it is rightly against international law to interfere in the internal affairs of a country, we have to deal with it as it is. The inhabitants have to either depose the tyrant (with the risk to their health that involves), or accept the blame for what he does.

"Clings to power"? You mean "Putin seamlessly retains his unbroken iron grip on power".

Same thoughts apply to The United States electoral college the us vote is More factually a political Census only the electoral college insiders can cast president electing votes

I believe that the error that NATO has made with Russia in regard to Ukraine, has been in not being anywhere near aggressive enough. I believe that deterrence is very important. I think that great efforts should be made to either stop bad things from happening or to stop them from getting worse. I think that a major motivator for Putin's actions in regard to Ukraine starting with the 2014 invasion and annexation of Crimea, has been his belief that the West is indecisive and scared and that he could get away with doing pretty much anything that he wanted to. I believe that the primary reason for the inadequate reaction of NATO has been fear of a nuclear conflict. Basically, I believe that through nonsensical bluffs and the West's own independent fear, Putin and his cronies have succeeded in cowing the NATO alliance into allowing Russia to seize Crimea in 2014 and begin a new invasion in 2022 that could result in Ukraine's eventual defeat. I believe that the chances of Russia's using nuclear weapons in Ukraine is miniscule at best. If Putin/Russia used nuclear weapons, I am sure they realize that they could easily be "signing their own death warrant" which I very much doubt they have much interest in doing. I strongly believe that corrupt government officials and oligarchs who spend billions of dollars of stolen money on colossal yachts and mansions have very little interest in committing suicide in attempts to keep stolen lands in Ukraine. People who are very interested in worldly goods of great luxury, are expressing a strong desire to go on living. When Russia seized Crimea in 2014, I believe that the U.S. and the rest of NATO should have told Putin in "no uncertain terms", that if Russian forces did not immediately leave Crimea, they would send their military into Crimea and destroy the Russian forces that were present there. If Russia had not complied with that demand, then NATO should have made that threat a reality. These actions almost surely would have prevented the 2022 Ukraine war from happening and could have saved hundreds of thousands of Ukranian lives. In 2022 when U.S. intelligence predicted that Russia was about to invade Ukraine, the U.S. and the rest of NATO should have warned Putin/Russia, that if they go ahead with their invasion, then the combined NATO forces would enter Ukraine and destroy the Russian military that was present. Again, I think that that this action could have very possibly stopped the Russian invasion before it happened. I still believe that the U.S. and the rest of NATO should take direct and aggressive action now in the war in Ukraine. I believe that the combined NATO forces should send a very large military force into Ukraine and destroy the Russian military that is present there. Russia is no longer a super-power and has not been one since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia has demonstrated in Ukraine for all to see, that it does not have a great military. The Russians are well aware that they cannot successfully stand up to the U.S. alone or to the combined forces of NATO. The only real danger that Russia presents is a large nuclear arsenal that I would strongly suggest that they dare not use. Confronting Russia on a Ukrainian battlefield would in fact not create "World War III". - This is a myth. The 32 countries that make up NATO versus Russian forces that are present in Ukraine, is not a World War. It is the total destruction of those Russian forces that have invaded Ukraine. NATO needs to "grow a backbone". China, North Korea and Iran are not sending armies to Ukraine to fight "shoulder to shoulder" with Russia. - This is not going to happen. This threat of World War III is little more than nonsense that Russia would dearly love for the West to believe. Russia should be forced to give back to Ukraine, every inch of land that they have illegally seized including Crimea. After all Ukrainian lands have been returned, Russia should be compelled to pay backbreaking reparations to rebuild all of Ukraine that they have destroyed. A stern message needs to be sent to all aggressor nations that all they will receive for their actions is military defeat, isolation and economic collapse. Reply

Great interview, as always very instructive. I just wonder if the story of the innocence of the Russian population can be maintained forever. Russia was never held accountable for the crimes committed during Stalinism and the European occupation. Perhaps these tales of innocence, and that Russians are always victims and never perpetrators, are also a reason for the recurring circle of violence.

Russia as a Banana Republic? That made me smile too. Is there any way to spread that around?

How is the political scene in the UK with Rishi and the US and Biden. Now thats 2 countries with real political problems

'Late British intelligence' is dominated by failure as Mark Galeotti clings to credibility and relevance.

Putin is the best

🇺🇸🤝🫡🇺🇦.

Was Russia a better country under the Crars ? What were its positvve points ?

Always a great insight again from Mark and thoughtful questions from the lovely Kate. A very good conversational overview of Putin's strategy, and unfortunately, a disturbing view of the West's inertia and fragmented strategy for controlling Putin and support for the futile war. Good job Kate.

The election was not about selecting a president, but the votes matter. Putin is popular and he won the election but the critical question is by how much. Those forces in the Kremlin that do select the president are about to make changes. The vote count is a variable in determining when the best time is to make changes with the least disruption. If vote stuffing occurred it could easily be a smoke screen to mislead Putin and to bolster his confidence. It's Gorbachev time and decisions have to be made. He probably has 18 months left.

So does Biden, but media ignores that.

❤❤❤❤❤🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 ❤❤❤❤

19:32

Shocking amount of adds longer than

It is questionable as to whether the Russian population will ever be happier than when they are living under a tyranny such as wartime Russia has become under Putin. Perhaps it is not so much that Putin is clinging to power as realising that this is the only way to maintain power in Russia.

it seems to me that Putin is very sane when compared to other world leaders!!!

Where do these journalists get their information from its crazy how twisted people are.

if he has one honest vote stil more than most of his crtitques..

Wouldn't Putin trust Medvedev to succeed him?