What more can be said about Victory Day and how the Kremlin seeks to co-opt the myth and memory of the Great Patriotic War to its own purposes? I have a go. Also, Patron's questions answered, on China, cybercrime and the Paul Whelan affair.You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials right here. Support the show

Prime Minister Mishustin is self-isolating with COVID-19 symptoms, and Andrei Belousov is standing in for him, But how does the prime minister really matter in a hyper-presidential system like Putin's Russia. In this episode I explore the power of the majordomo at the court of the tsar, and compare that with what Sechin's capacity to be the perennial bull in the Russian china shop shows us about the power of being one of Putin's trusted mates.Support the show

The inaugural episode of the In Moscow's Shadows podcast, Mark Galeotti's rumination on all things Russia, past, present and future. This episode addresses the impact of COVID-19 and the federal government's unimpressive response, how this may affect the fortunes of Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin (and whether his trajectory may follow that of another Sergei), the social contract with the governors, and quite why Vladimir Putin has it in for Vladimir Lenin.You can also follow the IMS blog @ https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/, and Mark Galeotti on twitter (@MarkGaleotti) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/markgaleottionrussia/). You can get more content and support this podcast on its Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/InMoscowsShadows Support the show