August 31, 2026: The Law of the Jungle

At a Moscow university on Saturday, Vladimir Putin told a room of educators and students that packs of orcas sometimes hunt and kill polar bears. “Children should be told about this,” he explained, “so that they understand what kind of world we live in and why we are conducting the special military operation.” State media parrots this “law of the jungle” narrative, depicting Russia as both prey and predator: Britain sponsors Ukrainian deep strikes into Russia and Finland dreams of conquering the Urals, while simultaneously, Europe’s leaders face electoral defeat and Ukraine’s military is on the verge of collapse.

At home, Russia is seemingly continuing its transition from a soft to hard authoritarianism. Dmitry Kiselyov, the charismatic and long-time host of Vesti Nedeli, has been sidelined from the Kremlin’s flagship weekly news program. Why did Kiselyov’s trademark style become a liability, and what kind of voice does the Kremlin want in his place?

In this episode, Andy Kuchins and Chris Monday unpack how Vladimir Putin and Russian elites understand the world, and how they seek to influence it.

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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