Russia Decoded explains how the Kremlin shapes its narrative of current domestic and international events through tightly curated state news broadcasts. Co-hosts Andy Kuchins, a senior fellow at CFTNI and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS in Washington, and Chris Monday, a professor of economics at Dongseo University in Busan, South Korea, are veteran observers of Soviet and Russian media. Kuchins and Monday frame their discussions around the weekly Russian news round-up program Vesti Nedeli (“News of the Week”), broadcast on Russia’s Channel 2 on Sunday evenings. Viewed through the right lens, Vesti Nedeli offers a uniquely revealing perspective on how Vladimir Putin and Russian elites understand the world, and how they seek to influence it.
October 19, 2026: Ukraine’s Coming Winter of Discontent
Starshield, the military version of Starlink, has been deliberately throttled over Ukraine, slowing a critical service Kyiv relies on to coordinate its air defenses. The ongoing slowdown is a stark reminder that much of Ukraine’s ability to fight depends on a dial controlled in Washington. And it comes amid a string of other surprising news stories: President Donald Trump's new diesel deal with Russia, his attempt to bypass a newly-passed Russian sanctions bill, fresh doubts about Europe’s program for buying American weapons for Ukraine, and the White House's renewed calls for Ukraine to hold new elections. Taken together, these developments have Russian state media declaring that Vladimir Putin now holds “all the aces.” If Washington steps back, can Europe fill the gap? And what does Russia’s own “theory of victory” reveal about how the Kremlin plans to end the war?
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.
Have feedback? Email us at RussiaDecoded@cftni.org (mailto:RussiaDecoded@cftni.org).
23 Sept 2026
September 21, 2026: "Victory for All of Us"
Russians went to the polls on Sunday for the first nationwide elections since the launch of the "special military operation" in 2022, choosing a new parliament and regional and local officials, even as thousands of Ukrainian drones attacked across the country. On Vesti Nedeli, the Kremlin's talking heads celebrated the vote as a triumph of stability and a mandate for Putin's war. State television shows victory on every front: Germany's governing coalition continues to get battered at the polls and Kyiv is reeling from yet another corruption scandal. But what will "victory" really look like after years of war?
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.
Have feedback? Email us at RussiaDecoded@cftni.org (mailto:RussiaDecoded@cftni.org).
16 Sept 2026
September 14, 2026: The War Front and Center
When Vladimir Putin traveled to New Delhi for the annual BRICS summit, viewers of Russia's flagship Sunday news program might have expected lavish coverage of the president holding court with world leaders. Instead, Vesti Nedeli relegates Putin to second billing and places the war in Ukraine front and center. It's a curious choice given that Russia's parliamentary elections are just days away, but it sends a subtle message that Putin isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Throughout the broadcast, colonels and war correspondents take the spotlight and presenters keep returning to the same question: "Why are we fighting?"
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.
Have feedback? Email us at RussiaDecoded@cftni.org (mailto:RussiaDecoded@cftni.org).
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