Bloody Russia - pt 1 Hubris

29 Mar 2022 67 minutes

Recorded 24 March, Released 29 March

1. State of play 2. Should we have seen it coming 3. Can Russia win 4. Long term prospects for Putin and Russia 5. Prospects for Ukraine 6. Prospects for the West

Aggression and mendacity are shared characteristics of many Russian leaders and territorial expansion an on ongoing pastime. Ivan the Terrible sought to capture the Baltic region and eventually has to settle for Siberia, while Peter the Great shifted the centre of gravity of Russia towards Europe, and established the mighty capital of St Petersburg. Putin has similar pretension to power and glory, and his current invasion of Ukraine follows the same hubristic vein. Yet the modern Russian armed forces are not what they were. They have forgotten how to operate combine arms and rapid advance; and they are suffering from the deadly effect of handheld anti-tank weaponry.

This episode examines the calamitous Russian invasion of Ukraine today and looks for the reasons and the historic threads that led to this moment.

So it goes,

Tom Assheton & James Jackson

Reading reference:

Cold Cut by James Jackson read by Jo Pelissier

Bloody Russia - pt 1 Hubris

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