2.18 Everything Must Go

2.18 Everything Must Go

From The Eastern Border by Kristaps Andrejsons

March 20, 2026 · 44 min · Season 2 · Episode 19

About this episode

This episode explores the collapse of the Russian state, detailing economic losses and the return of punitive psychiatry.

The Russian state is no longer an empire; it is a bankrupt cartel running a terminal liquidation sale. In this episode, we wade into the absolute darkest corners of the Z-sphere to document the collapse. We break down the math behind Putin's $65 billion loss in gold reserves, the 3.5 trillion ruble budget hole, and the intentional destruction of the Russian middle class. But the clearance sale doesn't stop at the economy. We examine the military’s "disciplinary meat grinder," the slaughter of independent farmers' cattle, and finally, the pitch-black basement of the regime: The return of Soviet punitive psychiatry. Kremlin loyalist Ilya Remeslo defected, and instead of a trial, the state dragged him to Ward 16 of the Skvortsov-Stepanov hospital for a chemical lobotomy via haloperidol—while his former Z-patriot colleagues cheered. The empire is completely hollow. Happiness is Mandatory. Support the War Effort & The Show: The Eastern Border is an entirely independent, Gonzo journalism operation. If you want to help keep the lights on and keep this broadcast running, please consider supporting us: Patreon: https://patreon.com/theeasternborder Merch Store (Fourth Wall)…

People in this episode

Host: Kristaps Andrejsons

Topics covered

  • Russian economy
  • Putin
  • military
  • punitive psychiatry
  • collapse of the state
  • independent farmers

Keywords

  • Russia
  • Putin
  • gold reserves
  • budget hole
  • military
  • punitive psychiatry
  • Ilya Remeslo

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kremlin, Skvortsov-Stepanov hospital

Places: Russia, Soviet

More episodes of The Eastern Border

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Eastern Border podcast page.