Russian Roulette

Maria Snegovaya sits down with Pavel Talankin –– a Russian schoolteacher who became an unlikely lens into the Russian propaganda machine. His documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, captured two years of footage from inside a provincial Russian classroom as Putin's war transformed his students into instruments of the state. The film won the 2026 Oscar for Best Documentary. Talankin joins Russian Roulette's first episode recorded in Russian to discuss his inspiration, experience making the film, and what his story reveals about the depths of propaganda in Russia's education system today.

NOTE: This episode is in Russian. An English version of the audio (created using AI dubbing software and reviewed by native speakers) is available in the Russian Roulette podcast feed.

Mentioned:

Mr. Nobody Against Putin | Documentary film directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin

Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.

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Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile

NOTE: This interview was conducted in Russian. The English audio was created with AI dubbing software and reviewed by native speakers of both languages for accuracy.

Maria Snegovaya sits down with Pavel Talankin –– a Russian schoolteacher who became an unlikely lens into the Russian propaganda machine. His documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, captured two years of footage from inside a provincial Russian classroom as Putin's war transformed his students into instruments of the state. The film won the 2026 Oscar for Best Documentary. Talankin joins Russian Roulette to discuss what he witnessed, the process of making the film, and what his story reveals about the depths of propaganda in Russia's education system today.

Mentioned:

Mr. Nobody Against Putin | Documentary film directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin

Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.

If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile

Maria Snegovaya sits down with Nate Vance — a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the 2022 invasion — to discuss Ukrainian and Russian military tactics, life as an infantryman on the front lines, and the impact of Soviet legacies on military culture.

Vance spent three years with the Da Vinci Wolves, seeing action from Bakhmut to Pokrovsk, before leaving in early 2025 when his first cousin JD Vance's rise to the vice presidency made him a potential Russian target.



Mentioned:

Russian Blood and Treasure: The Ballooning Costs of Putin’s War: CSIS Publication by Seth Jones and Riley McCabe





Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.

If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile

Max Bergmann sits down with Maria Snegovaya and Jade McGlynn, senior associate (non-resident) with the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and senior research fellow / head of the Ukraine and Russia Program at King's College London, to discuss how Russians have responded to major shocks over the past four years, and whether polling data in Russia truly indicates shifting attitudes toward the war.

Mentioned:

Russian Attitudes Are Shifting as the War’s Effects Come Home, Maria Snegovaya and Jade McGlynn

Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.

If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile

Investigative journalist Tim Mak, who has been stationed in Ukraine since 2022, joins Max and Maria for a discussion about life in Kyiv, the processes and challenges driving innovation in Ukraine’s dynamic civilian defense combat hubs, and the impact of AI and information integration on the battlefield.

Mentioned:

The Counteroffensive by Tim Mak, Substack

The Arsenal, Tim Mak

Build Back Ukraine, Tim Mak

Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.

If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile