The Eastern Border

In this short episode, I explain what our best enemy, Igor Girkin is and why he’s been arrested. If you’ve listened to this show for any period of time, you’ll understand why I just had to.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This started out as an investigation in some weirdness related to the Crimean bridge explosion. But, as it happens, when you go full research mode, and now I give you an episode that should outline the main societal disasters and  their potential causes and instigators that await Russia in the near future. And...sorry for the clickbaity title but it'll make sense in the end.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! This episode (a very long one) is our conversation about dictatorships, Putin and the war with out dear friend Andrew from Political Orphanage podcast. This was done on our discord, as will be some future episodes, so please join in! Also, a special Thanks goes out to Secret Police Podcast who did the editing! Enjoy!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was peacefully working on my article about Soviet/Russian army Hazing traditions, and was about to go to sleep...but then, I read news so weird that...well...just had to share them with you.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war in Ukraine. Girkin's getting into consipiracy theories, pro-war Z folks getting more dissappointed with Putin, criminalization of Russia increases.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "butthurt vatniks" edition. Seriously, today, somehow, all levels of Russians who can be seen in the public sphere, managed to cry and get hurt somehow. Official Kremlin, pro war Z-scumbags including Girkin and also the so called "liberal opposition" who made one of the worst PR decisions in their carreers. Link to German student's gofundme:https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-indipendant-journalism-for-ukraineORYou can go to https://theeasternborder.lv/ and click the donate button there. Thank You!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war - but as not that much has happened, I took some time to dig up the archives for some bit more philosophical articles and research on this war. There are nrumors out there again, about making some negotiations or a deal...and I wanted to dig up some arguments and show you why that's nearly impossible - and even if it would be, it's a much worse idea than just defeating Russia on the battlefield.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ve not only outlasted Wagner group, I’ve also outlasted Prigozhin’s troll farms. And…now there’s also nobody to feed students in Moscow schools. Oh, and….soryy about the sound here, my nose is completely clogged up. But, you know, Happiness is Mandatory!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As I had a day off, I had the time to answer some emails and also talk with people on discord. A few of these email questions were…hard hitting. Also, some plans about the future, thoughts about the war, and in general, issues related to the podcast. Obviously, patrons are not going to be charged for this episode. Please, come join us sometime:https://discord.gg/jwSJFAqKAnd:Help independent German journalists make a documentary about Ukraine. By doing so, you’re helping me, help them stay alive, as they’re going to be coming with me on the trip!https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-indipendant-journalism-for-ukraineSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everything is a mess in Russia. Both on the front lines and off them. Meanwhile, our friends in the Club of Angry Patriots make bold political statements!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! The "coup" delayed this for a bit, but here you go. Oz is a friend of ours, he was there on the ground from the very first day the war started, and he's also covered war in Syria. One of the most inspiring - and brave - people I've spoken to, a truly professional war journalist sharing his opinions and perspectives.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Because of how this ended up….we just recorded this on discord with Zack from When Diplomacy Fails and Alex from History Impossible…and I hope this ends up as an uneventful night.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prigozhin crisis analysis. Took some crazy effort, and we did crazy things on discord. Enjoy!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war, events in Russia and more. Ramzan "Don-don" Kadyrov's genius daugther, Wagner hiring their own military police, world wildlife fund declared terrorists.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Senile man pretending that he’s an actual competent leader talks in a supposedly international economics forum with his own propaganda machine, fails spectaculary.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a national rememberance day here in Latvia, and in all the Baltic states. Today we remember the tens of thousands of people, sent to die in Siberia, either in the wilderness or in the GULAG's by the Soviet Union, because Stalin said so. But we, in the Baltics, are ancient peoples that have endured. And now it's our duty to help our friends in Ukraine endure. May this winter be short and merciful.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! I'm working on a news episode as you're reading this, but I wanted a breather episode, so we had a nice talk about architecture and why it matters with David from https://www.livingprocess.net/ - he also was the very first person I ever collaborated with many years ago. This was one of the most interesting and relaxing episodes for me to record, and I hope you'll love it as much as I did - but be prepared to pause frequently and google stuff up. Enjoy!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war. Kahovka dam situation, Prigozhin's conflicts with Kadyrov and  Russian army and how the internal accounting of Wagner group works.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! I'm honored to present you an interview recorded yesterday on 05.06 with our newly elected president. We spoke about Latvian internal issues, diaspora problems, cooperation with our NATO allies and Ukraine, how to communicate our issues to the west - and how to deal with the postsoviet mentality that sadly so many of us still have.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war in Ukraine. "Meanwhile in Russia" edition, in the weirdest way possible. Prigozhin's conflict with Kadyrov and other things that prove that Russian government is simply insane. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war in Ukraine. Wagner buys mobilized, new peace conditions by Russia. Also, Latvian Hockey team made history today!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everything that I know so far about the events in Belogorsk oblast, and the reaction to them and what we should look out for. Will keep You updated, please, follow me on Twitter for real-time stuff. @torquemadastarkSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As I'm making a news episode about the events in Belgorod oblast, I'd like to give you this interview with a  colleague of mine, Dylan Burns - American journalist and streamer, who's in Ukraine currently and doing a great job there. Everyone should   also check out his homepage, if You haven't already! https://www.dylanburns.tv/Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! I was busy with my Foreign Policy Magazine article (which can be found here: https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/05/16/russia-prisons-wagner-group-ukraine-crime-culture/ ) last week, so I didn't have enough time to focus fully on the podcast news. But a major event is about to happen in my home country of Latvia and I really wanted to cover that. So, I invited Juris Kaža, who's been on the show multiple times by now to help me with that. Enjoy! Oh, and check out the article too - especially if you've listened to my Prison Culture 101 episode.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war. Prigozhin's angering Kremlin, Zakhar Prilepin's not telling us the truth  about his explosion and yet more counterattack rumors.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today is an extremely sad day for me. However. No matter what, Happiness is Mandatory. I bring you the news from Ukraine. Until the war ends. Information about the Ukraine counteroffensive from Prigozhin, Dmitry Medvedev and his nonsense, and new guidelines for Kremlin's propaganda machine. Happiness is Mandatory.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalists from Вёрстка have created and finalized an in-depth investigation about how Putin first decided that he had issues with Ukraine and how this ties into with Viktor Medvedchuk…which, by the way, is often called “Putin’s Godfather”, and his childhood buddy with whom they did organised crime together. Also, his favorite Philosophers and everything. And I, of course, once again, did not sleep to make sure you get the English version first. Enjoy!Prigozhin and his personal weirdness coming in the next episode.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! In this episode, we are joined by Zack from When Diplomacy Fails podcast, to talk about how Girkin did (or did not) start the whole mess, make some predictions about the future, and discuss Irish politics a bit, because, they too - technically - are on the Eastern Border of the EU.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm hated by the Russian opposition, phone conversations that you have while the phone is tapped are considered public and everyone's on the edge about the counterattack.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war. Info about the situation on the front, Putin and Zelensky visit the front, more prisoner recruitment, Girkin has published the manifesto of his rag-tag angry patriot group, and an even more insane message from an even more rag-tag angry patriots.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I tried to make a basic overview of the post-Soviet prison culture, and how Putin relates to it and why you can't really be an expert of Russia if you don't understand it. It ended up being very long, chaotic and...well, I hope, entertaining. Cat decided to go utterly crazy today, and trying to compress a subject as deep and complex as this into a single episode also wasn't optimal. But hey, this isn't a news episode, this is just an in-between extra, so I don't really feel that bad about it.Also, links to my previous, more in-depth prison culture episodes.Part 1 - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/zaharchenko-and-prisons/id1070996136?i=1000419135897On apple podcasts, because the link on my homepage does not work, probably because of the cyberattacks the page experienced in 2020. Will try to get a homepage link working soon as well.Part 2 - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3GVDUAAoZ7Ha9yjt9ENg5bBecause again, I'm not sure if the homepage will work. I hadn't realized how old these episodes actually were.News coming out tomorrow. Happiness is mandatory!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm back on twitter! And people are helping me grow again! My tag is @torquemadastark, please join and tell others. About the news - in this episode, I look at the blatantly fascist, bordering on totalitarianism new conscription laws that Russia has adopted. There's also quite a lot of introductionary things aimed at my new listeners and also information about how Russia has constantly lied about the draft. Oh, and Girkin's finally getting into trouble.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! As I'm recoding my news episode  now - and that's a difficult one - I'd like to present you our discussion with our friend Andrew Heaton from the Political Orphanage podcast and our recurring sidetracking expert, and current Mad Baron of California, Alex from History Impossible. We tried to understand what Socialism really is, what it means in the west and in my side of the planet - and in the end, why do we keep calling new phenomenon using 19th century terms and what is says about us.Also, note that this is the first episode with our new theme song! I hope you like it, because...you know, a year in the war, it just felt wrong to keep using a Soviet army song, as kitch and ironic as it is. We're not throwing that one away, it's just that we have a new one, composed to us by a talented Estonian music writer Kristjan Thomas Haaristo.Enjoy!News coming soon - I'm using  the fact that  Anete just finished editing this to buy me some time for a better episode!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conflicts errupt in Russia among radical pro-war groups - Ramzan Kadyrov's Chechen thugs are in an open conflict with Girkin's buddies, the Russian ultranationalists. Normally, that would be the news - as it is big and important. This week, however, we learned that a FGS defector - an officer of Russian Secret Service - has defected and escaped to the west. And he's given an interview.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russian "war correspondent" has been blown up in St. Petersburg cafe, and who did it actually kind of doesn't matter. How it was done, and what such events mean for the country, now that's the important part. Oh, and Russian science has found a new low to fall down to. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings! Our guest in this episode was a businesswoman, philantropist, writer and Ukraine war volunteer, Mitzi Perdue - who is now organising a charity  drive to ensure a landmine-free childhood for Ukraine. Enjoy!Link to where you too can support the removal of landmines from Ukrainian fields:https://donorsee.com/UkraineSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we finally have hard, documented proofs about how Russian propaganda creates fakes and I take a look at why exactly wagner group is more effective than the rest of the Russian army.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is about war crimes. Italian newspaper, La Repubblica posted the materials, given to the inernational criminal court, by Italian investigators. I read those materials - and then the UN reports, that have been published previously and...well, on one hand, you'll learn what's behind the more polite descriptions of events that mainstream press use. On the other, please, do take the trigger warnings in the beginning seriously. Because what I read...yeah, that was hard even for me.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings, Comrades! This time, I bring you an interview with one of Latvia's most prominent journalist and one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ commune people in Latvia, where we talk about the stupid side of Latvian politics, war, his experiences being a Latvian and growing up in Chicago and what he things about republicans. I enjoyed this interview thoroughly, even if I wouldn't be so aggressive about some of the political stuff as he was. Enjoy!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News related to the war. Putin now has an arrest warrant on his head! And, apparently, his own propagandist wants to nuke him!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war. This time, a bit of philosophical musings about the end goals of the war, as I see them and an update about the most recent situation on the front lines.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war. Death of Timofey Shadura, Ramzan Kadyrov's apparently ill but still loves horses, and seems  that there has been a  change of plans for Ukraine in Bakhmut. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war in Ukraine. Today we go to the border town of Bryansk, and deal with the story…whatever it actually was. Concerning one of the very few actual nazis on the Ukrainian side, who’s actually a Russian and travels abroad with a Jewish passport apparently. It’s that kind of a story. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war in Ukraine! More pointless meatgrinder on the Russian side, Russia also damages their own education system and just a SPLENDID and GLORIOUS sabotage action by Belarussian partisans.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So, it’s been a year now. Every other news source will tell you about the tragic parts and all that, come, join me as I sit down (in massive amounts of pain tho) with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and talk about hope and light and the inspirational stuff. Sometimes you need that too. I even say a few good things about Biden on this one.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war in Ukraine. Prigozhin's causing a major rift inside of Russia, while a "famine of ammunition" causes massive damage to any offensive attempts of Putin's army.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News about the war in Ukraine. Biden visits Kyiv, Girkin's showing some political ambition.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You'll laugh, of course, but we have another "fell out of a window". Also, Putin's plans for the "heroes of Russia" - namely the anniversary of the war have been leaked. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Situation on the front with Girkin’s view about the future – and news from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, post-Soviet countries with traditionally close ties to Russia, who are now experiencing difficulties. Uzbekistan – because Russia can’t (or won’t) help them anymore, Kazakhstan – because they’ve chosen to turn to China as their strategic partner, to get away from Russia, and that brings it’s own set of problems.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Things are getting hot on the front lines again, and Russian offense looks even worse than expected. Meanwhile, hackers leak the official list of words, which Putin finds offensive.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.