Episode Notes:

Anna Varfolomeeva joins the Insider to discuss her recent article, “While the War Continues in Ukraine, the Kremlin’s Real Battlefield is at Home,” where she argues that Russia’s objectives in the war in Ukraine shifted around 2023 and have ever since been more about buying time to set stricter control mechanisms at home to thwart dissent before it arises. This insightful conversation challenges assumptions about why Putin would continue to fight a war that’s costing him, badly.

Image: Office of the President of Russia via Wikimedia Commons