“Because remember: Russia is a religious experience.” Those are the oft-repeated and well-said words by the host of The Eastern Border podcast, my good friend Kristaps Andrejsons. They are well-said because there are very few alternatives for explaining Russian actions, rhetoric, and political culture over the past near half-decade in its World War I-style conflict with Ukraine. The Russian religious experience, made emblematic by Kristaps’ and my favorite shared punching bag Aleksandr Dugin, is a phenomenon best understood as a more formalized and colossal version of what ISIS was ten years ago, and it helps explain why Kristaps believes the spiral of the Russian state as we currently know it is beginning in 2026.

In this episode, we discuss the potential for collapse and its consequences (including the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons), as well as the barriers of understanding between the West and East, the state of media coverage and perils of sponsorship, the use (and potentially misguided fear) of AI, and Kristaps’ new book that he is releasing serially on his Substack and Patreon. As is always the case with Kristaps, it was a wide-ranging, enlightening, and fun conversation, and I think it sheds a light on the history being made in his part of the world, as well as the motivations that lay behind it. Russia’s dark autumn (another Kristaps coinage) is almost here and having Kristaps as our Gonzo guide for that coming darkness is a blessing more of us should appreciate.

As mentioned in the episode, if you would like to donate to the Car4Ukraine Eastern Border Summer Campaign, please go here and make your donation.

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