KREMLIN FILE

Hosted by renowned researcher Olga Lautman and political activist Monique Camarra, KREMLIN FILE examines Putin’s war on liberal democracy and the rise of authoritarianism across the globe. Executive Produced by MeidasTouch and Bunker Crew Media.

RECENT EPISODES

1: Russia’s Brutal Failed War with David Kramer

Kremlin File kicks off season 3 with David Kramer as Mo and Olga discuss the state of Russia’s brutal failed war, where Ukraine’s allies stand, the signs of Russia’s collapse, Wagner’s failed coup, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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PODCAST PREVIEW: Who Killed Daphne?

When a car bomb kills Daphne Caruana Galizia on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Malta, the hunt for her killers exposes secrets with consequences that go far beyond its shores. In the aftermath of her death an international team of journalists comes together to continue her work. Along the way

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23: Russia’s Weaponization of Energy (Benjamin Schmitt)

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

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21: Why Ukraine Must Win (David Kramer)

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

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20: Russia’s failing military strategy (Alexander Vindman)

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

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19: Will Putin go Nuclear? (Joe Cirincione)

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

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18: The Threat to Russia’s NATO Neighbors (Daniel Fried)

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

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17: Why the war is bigger than Putin (Karine Orlova)

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

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16: Putin’s Purge (Andrei Soldatov)

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

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15: Governing during Wartime (Inna Sovsun, Ukraine MP)

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

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14: Ukraine’s Scarred History (Andrea Chalupa)

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

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13: Operation Cyber Front Z (Jack Bryan)

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

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10: Ukraine’s War on Disinformation (Yevhen Fedchenko)

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

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8: Day 14 into Putin’s Brutal Assault on Ukraine

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

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7: Dangers of Autocracy (w/ Ruth Ben-Ghiat)

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

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6: Russia invades Ukraine

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

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4: H.K. Roy’s KGB File on Agent Orange

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

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2: What Mueller Left Out (Craig Unger)

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,

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20: Russia & the Far Right

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

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19: The Italian Connection (Jacopo Iacoboni)

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 –

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16: NATO and the Accelerating European Crisis

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

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15: The American Militia Threat

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

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12: I Spy: Undercover in Putin’s Russia

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

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11: Homegrown Terror (Stephanie Hartell)

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

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HOSTS

OLGA LAUTMAN

Olga Lautman is a researcher-analyst on Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, and their effects on US national security and dangers posed to the West. An investigative researcher for best selling authors including Craig Unger’s “House of Trump,” “House of Putin,” “American Kompromat,” and Malcolm Nance’s “Plot to Betray America.” Founder of 9 Oaks LLC a research and consulting company focused on Russia and Eastern Europe. Daughter of Soviet political refugees, raised in Brighton Beach, and an expert on Russian organized crime.

MONIQUE CAMARRA

Monique Camarra is a researcher/analyst on international affairs and a language and communications specialist at the University of Siena in Italy. A lifelong political activist, Monique started paying closer attention to Russia’s global campaign when she saw the protesters gunned down in Kyiv.

PRODUCTION COMPANY

Bunker Crew Media’s 2018 feature-documentary, Active Measures, was heralded as the preeminent guide to Russian intervention in the 2016 election both in the press and by international institutions such as European Parliament and Yale Law School. Their most recent project, Qanon: The Search for Q, a docu-series released by Vice TV in 2021, was an instant hit and the network’s third-highest rated show of all time. The digital-first production outfit was born of these successes and prides itself on turning nuanced, complicated geopolitical events into tight and exciting political thrillers.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Meidas Media Network is led by Ben Meiselas, Brett Meiselas, and Jordy Meiselas. After the successful launch of their groundbreaking political action committee MeidasTouch PAC, the Meiselas brothers founded Meidas Media, a separate media entity, to counter disinformation echo chambers from the far right and to promote and celebrate democracy through all forms of media and content production. Meidas Media produces, directs, and distributes, and promotes some of the top pro-democracy content in the world today.