Decoding Geopolitics Podcast with Dominik Presl #80 Sergey Radchenko: What Really Drives Russia’s Foreign Policy – From the USSR to Putin
Sep 1, 2025
In this captivating discussion, historian Sergey Radchenko explores the intricate ties between Soviet foreign policy and contemporary Russian strategies. He shares insights from his extensive research on how Soviet leaders made decisions, linking Putin's worldview to the USSR's collapse. Radchenko delves into Russia's quest for great-power recognition, contrasting its military ambitions with economic limitations. He also examines the ongoing relevance of historical spheres of influence, revealing how past dynamics continue to shape current geopolitical tensions, especially in Ukraine.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Historical Continuity Explains Policy
- Historical continuity helps explain modern Russian foreign policy because institutions and people carried over from the Soviet era into the Russian state.
- Sergey Radchenko argues that studying Soviet motivations reveals drivers still active in today's Kremlin.
Putin's Politics Shaped By Humiliation
- Putin's formative years amid the USSR collapse shaped a sense of humiliation and desire to restore Russia's greatness.
- Radchenko links Putin's rhetoric about raising Russia from its knees to this personal and generational resentment.
Thirst For External Recognition
- Russia's hunger for Western recognition as a great power traces through Tsarist, Soviet and modern eras.
- Radchenko suggests this drive persists because generations still remember and transmit the imperial narrative.