Olga and Mo welcome back Edward Lucas to discuss how Vladimir Putin weaponizes food shortages and hunger to leverage support against Ukraine.

Olga and Mo are joined by Dr. Benjamin Schmitt to discuss the Kremlin’s weaponization of energy and the proper response from NATO.  Dr. Benjamin L. Schmitt is a former State Department official, Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), and Research Fellow at Harvard University. For years, Ben has

Originally aired September 2nd, 2021 Olga and Mo are joined by Paul Niland and Daria Kaleniuk to continue their exploration of hybrid warfare. They discuss how Ukraine became the testing ground for Putin’s campaign against the west, only to emerge as the standard-bearer in the fight against corruption.   Daria Kaleniuk

Olga and Mo are joined again by David Kramer as they consider the wider security and humanitarian implications should Russia’s war of aggression continue and expand to other areas of the region, including Moldova, Transnistria, and Georgia. David J. Kramer is the Bradford M. Freeman managing director for global policy at

Olga and Mo are joined by retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman to discuss Ukraine as the defenders of democracy and Russia’s failing military strategy. As a child, Vindman was born to Jewish parents in Ukraine (former Soviet Ukraine) before emigrating to Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach neighborhood. The former Director for European

Olga and Mo welcome on the pod a leading expert in nuclear conflict resolution, Joseph Cirincione. Most Americans have not thought much about doomsday weapons since the end of the Cold War, but now it’s time we all come to terms with the nuclear risks of Putin’s war in Ukraine. Joseph

Olga and Mo are joined by veteran diplomat and former ambassador of Poland, Daniel Fried, who currently serves as a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council.   In the course of his forty-year Foreign Service career, Ambassador Fried played a key role in designing and implementing American policy in Europe after the fall

What do Russians think about Putin’s war? Karine Orlova returns to Kremlin File to discuss the sentiment inside Russia against Putin’s latest war crimes campaign.  Karine Orlova is a Russian journalist in exile, former contributing writer for The American Interest magazine, former correspondent for Echo of Moscow, which was cut off

Olga and Mo are joined by Andrei Soldatov, an investigative journalist and watchdog of the Russian secret services’ activities. With Putin lashing out on the world stage and purging the ranks, Andrei shares his POV on Russia’s failure in Ukraine and who is to blame. Andrei Soldatov is a Russian

Inna Sovsun joins Olga and Mo to discuss how she and other MPs and Ukrainian citizens are facing the realities of Russia’s assault and war crimes. Inna is a Member of the Parliament of Ukraine, and she shares a very personal account from a position of leadership in a country under

Olga and Mo are joined by Andrea Chalupa – a journalist, filmmaker, and co-host of the excellent podcast GASLIT NATION. Andrea is also a founder of DigitalMaidan, an online movement that made the Ukrainian protests the #1 trending topic on Twitter worldwide at a time when the mainstream media was

Olga and Mo are joined by Kremlin File producer Jack Bryan to detail how Russia’s recently launched disinformation troll farm is targeting Ukraine and their place in Russian Hybrid warfare. For further reading, please check out co-host Olga Lautman’s substack article: https://olgalautman.substack.com/p/operation-cyber-front-z-russia-sets?s=r Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Olga and Mo are joined by Dr. Alina Polyakova of CEPA to discuss how the Transatlantic Alliance is standing up to Putin’s brutal assault on Ukraine. Dr. Polyakova heads up the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and is a recognized expert on transatlantic relations, European security, Russian foreign policy,

Olga and Mo are joined by retired Major General Paul Eaton who discusses Russia’s shift in military tactics as they continue their assault on Ukraine. Russia is taking heavy military losses and are now targeting civilians. Paul D. Eaton is the Director of VetVoiceFoundation and advisor to VoteVets. https://twitter.com/PaulDEaton52 Learn

Olga and Mo are joined by Yevhen Fedchenko – a Ukrainian pioneer in combating disinformation and co-founder of StopFake.org. Since 2014, StopFake has debunked over 4,000 Russian fake videos and news stories, and his team trains people from all over the world on debunking disinformation and investigating influence campaigns.  https://www.stopfake.org/  https://twitter.com/yevhenfedchenko

Maria Avdeeva, a Ukrainian disinformation and national security expert, joins us from the ground in Kharkiv where she’s documenting the truth about the Russian invasion. https://twitter.com/maria_avdv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Olga and Mo assess the evolving landscape of Ukraine’s battle for survival in the face of Putin’s brutal campaign.   Recommendations to send financial support: Support for the War Effort:  https://bank.gov.ua/en/about/support-the-armed-forces Support mental health with Lifeline Ukraine: https://lifelineukraine.com/en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Olga and Mo are joined by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an NYU professor and scholar on fascism and authoritarian leaders. Her articles are published in national and international media outlets with a column on CNN. Her latest book, “Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present,” examines how illiberal leaders use corruption, violence, propaganda, and machismo to stay

Olga and Mo discuss Putin’s escalating military and propaganda campaign against Ukraine and the implications for the Western world.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Olga and Mo begin to peel back the Russian layers behind January 6th. Sponsor Link: masterworks.art/kremlinfile  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Olga and Mo are joined by H.K. Roy, who was a staff CIA Operations Officer (aka Case Officer) for thirteen years, serving in Latin America and in all regions of the former Yugoslavia. Roy discusses his book, AMERICAN SPY: WRY REFLECTIONS ON MY LIFE IN THE CIA – a candid

In a special episode on Ukraine, Olga and Mo cut to the heart of Putin’s escalating threat to Ukraine.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Olga and Mo are joined by Craig Unger, New York Times best selling author of “American Kompromat.” Craig Unger is the author of five books on the Republican Party’s assault on democracy, including the New York Times bestsellers American Kompromat; House of Bush, House of Saud; and House of Trump,

Olga and Mo are joined by New York Times bestselling author and expert on extremism Malcolm Nance, who was one of the first to sound the alarm in 2016 on Russia’s attack on our election. We explore the 2016 election, why Russia chose Trump, the dangers posed to our law

Anton Shekhovtsov, author of “Tango Noir: Russia and Western Far Right,” talks with Olga and Mo about the birth of the far right and extremist parties in Europe from the ashes of the Second World War and how they have evolved to today. Whether it’s dealing with Europe or the

Mo and Olga are joined by Jacopo Iacoboni to explore the effects of Russian operations in Italy and what they can tell us about Putin’s global plans. A country whose former prime minister is one of Putin’s closest friends and where Steve Bannon wanted to run a right wing school –

David Pepper, the recent chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, joins Mo and Olga to talk about the greatest dangers to American democracy today and how everyone from elected officials to everyday citizens can fight back. David authored the 2021 best seller “Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake Up Call From

As tensions mount with Russia on European borders, Olga and Mo talk to former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and French Foreign Policy Expert Nicolas Tenzer to unpack what is happening and what the response should be to the blatant Kremlin aggression seen in Ukraine. Find our guests on Twitter:

Olga and Mo host an emergency episode to discuss the ongoing migrant crisis on the Belarus border. This orchestrated crisis created by Lukashenko and Putin is an attempt to destabilize Europe. Olga and Mo are joined by LTG (Ret.) Ben Hodges who served for 38 years in the U.S. Army

John Foley, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and career Intelligence Officer, joins Olga and Mo to discuss how the Kremlin has strategically targets the far-right “Patriot” Movement, a community with strong ties to the U.S. military. Foley explains how Russian cyber actors have used asymmetrical warfare tactics to destabilize

David Kramer, who served eight years in the U.S. Department of State during the George W. Bush administration, joins Olga and Mo to take a look back at our tumultuous relationship with Russia. Kramer gives his insight on how the Biden Administration can move forward with Russia. What will it

In celebration of Halloween (Putin’s least favorite holiday), each guest from Spooky October returns to share their spookiest spy story from life undercover in the CIA. From hiding in cow poop to KGB break-ins, buckle up with Olga and Mo for a haunted hay ride down memory lane with @burgessct, @StephChartell,

On our third episode of Spooky October, Olga and Mo talk with former intelligence officers Steven Hall and John Sipher. Both served long careers at the CIA, leading and managing intelligence operations abroad. Having served for years in Moscow, Steve and John give their unique perspective on US-Russia relations, covering

On our second episode of Spooky October, Olga and Mo interview Stephanie Hartell, the former Chief of CIA’s Counterterrorism Center’s Technical Targeting Group. Stephanie discusses the rise of extremism in America and the eerie similarities between January 6 and what she saw abroad serving in authoritarian countries.  Find our guest

This October, we will be exclusively interviewing spies to hear about their fascinating, and sometimes spooky lives as undercover agents. Our first guest is Christopher Burgess, the 30+ year veteran of the CIA, who was stationed in the Soviet Union during the Cold War at a time when spies on

We’ve touched on spies but never before have we discussed Kremlin spy operations like this. Edward Lucas joins Olga and Mo to discuss how and why Russian intelligence operations pose a unique danger to democracy.    Edward Lucas is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

Belarus has drawn international condemnation in recent months for President Lukashenko’s horrid human rights abuses and callous rule. Mo and Olga speak with expert journalist and CEPA fellow, Tadeusz Giczan, to discuss Lukashenko’s brutal regime, the recent events in Belarus, and Tadeusz’s experience on the ground fighting. Tadeusz’s Twitter: @TadeuszGiczan