What is life really like for Russians right now?

About this episode

The episode explores the current state of life for Russians amidst ongoing economic challenges and the impact of the Ukraine conflict.

The predictions began soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: the collapse of the Russian economy was imminent. Four years later, it still hasn’t happened. And yet, the cracks are appearing: Ukrainian drones that are now capable of striking critical targets in Moscow; economic data that even the Kremlin can’t spin as positive. But what do these changes actually feel like for Russian citizens? This week, Wojciech calls people with friends and family in Moscow to find out. We’re also talking about why your bar of Milka is 10 grams lighter than it was. Oh, and we’re calling up the winner of the Microsoft Excel World Championships. No biggie. Check out Diarmuid Early’s YouTube videos here , including this one, which starts with an introduction to competitive spreadsheeting . This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are Aleksandar Vučić’s interview with The Rest Is Politics: Leading , and Francesco Pacifico’s essay in The Dial: Are You Enjoying Our Linguine? Resources for this episode: The Milka ruling from Bremen in full (German) “Russia blocks Telegram and cracks down on VPNs” – Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich, 17 April 2026 “Moscow bans publication of Ukrainian drone…

People in this episode

Hosts: Katy Lee, Dominic Kraemer

Guest: Wojciech

Topics covered

• Russian economy
• Ukrainian conflict
• Moscow drone strikes
• impact on citizens
• competitive spreadsheeting
• cultural insights

Keywords

• Russia
• Ukraine
• Moscow
• economy
• drone strikes
• Milka
• Excel World Championships
• Wojciech
• Diarmuid Early

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Microsoft, The Rest Is Politics, The Dial

Places: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine

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