What's up with Russia? Podcast Recommendations

Podcasts to keep you informed on what's going on in Russia

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Podcast artwork for The Naked Pravda, Russia on the Record, Next Year in Moscow, Another Russia, and About a Boy: The Story of Vladimir Putin

Curated by:

👉🏽Aleksandr Sadikov (he/him)

Why this theme?

👉🏽Russia is in the news a lot. The war in Ukraine, Putin's re-elections and nuclear threats, the death of the Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Here're the shows that help you understand better what's going on with Russia right now and how it impacts the world.

Podcast Picks

The Naked Pravda podcast cover art

The Naked Pravda

This episode of The Naked Pravda from independent Russian media outlet Meduza spotlights the experiences of two comedians who emigrated in 2022. Their opposition to the invasion of Ukraine made it unsafe to continue their careers in Russia.

Russia on the Record podcast cover art

Russia on the Record

Sasha Talaver, a Ph.D. candidate in gender studies and a feminist activist, discusses the evolution of women's rights in Russia and the role of women in Russia's anti-war resistance — in a show by The Moscow Times.

Next Year in Moscow podcast cover art

Next Year in Moscow

Is there any hope left after Alexey Navalny was killed in prison? The Russian opposition in exile tries to rethink its life and future.

Another Russia podcast cover art

Another Russia

Why didn’t the “Beautiful Russia of Tomorrow” (the concept of democratic and free country) ever happened? Zhanna Nemtsova, daughter of Russian politician Boris Nemtsov who was murdered in 2015 near Kremlin, explains why.

About a Boy podcast cover art

About a Boy: The Story of Vladimir Putin

Puck journalist Julia Ioffe dives deep into Russian president Putin's biography to find out how he makes decisions and why Russia is becoming a totalitarian state.

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Community

🎤 This week in Podcast The Newsletter: Lauren Passell writes: “I was on WNYC’s All of It with Allison Stewart to talk about great podcasts you should listen to.”

🎧Serving Kult is a podcast dedicated to queer rave and hyperpop. The series will explore and platform the music, creatives, and community behind the growing scene, with a particular focus on female and LGBTQ+ voices. We're exploring the perspectives of artists, performers, influential voices, and the passion of those cultivating the scene, contrasting this with some of the challenges the culture faces.

🎙️Baby, Keke is back! In season two of Baby, This is Keke Palmer, Keke has questions for days about everything under the sun, and each episode is a journey down the rabbit hole on a topic that she cannot stop obsessing over. She’ll also get deep with special guests, trying to answer the questions that keep us up at night. We are getting INTO IT. Season two guests include Amy Poehler, Vivica A. Fox, Kel Mitchell, Skilla Baby, and more.

Podcast news from Podnews

  • Who uses what equipment to make their podcast? The Podcast Host has run their 2024 Podcaster Gear survey. The most popular microphone is a Blue Yeti; but those who have been podcasting more than five years gravitate to a Shure MV7, SM7B, or SM58.

  • Happy 100th birthday, WNYC. There is special programming throughout the month, and the station is looking for New York stories.

  • Podtrac released its ranker for June 2024. Each top 5 is unchanged, though almost everyone saw a drop in consumption. The New York Times is no longer listed as a US publisher, though The Daily remains the most listened-to podcast. The ranker measures participating publishers only.

Spotlight

Reckon True Stories podcast cover art

Reckon True Stories is a celebration of new and classic nonfiction – the essays, journalism, and memoirs that inspire us, that change the world, and help us connect with each other.

Join hosts Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon for in-depth discussions about the stories we tell and how they impact our culture. This season’s guests include writers Roxane Gay, Imani Perry, Alexander Chee, Minda Honey, Hanif Abdurraqib, and Samantha Irby. 

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