For decades, Russia was the "big brother" — the country that built Mongolia's industry, schooled its elites, and shaped a century of its history. China gets the headlines now. But Russia never left, and the war in Ukraine has dragged the relationship back into the light.

Social and cultural anthropologist Dr. Marissa J. Smith joins us to map where Mongolia stands with Russia in 2026. Holding degrees in anthropology and Russian from Princeton University and Beloit College, her research traces where post-socialist and Western communities of practice meet in rural space — exactly the terrain where Russia's hold on Mongolia is most tangible. We dig into what still binds the two countries: the 2016 Erdenet takeover and Mongolrostvetmet, fuel dependence, geography, and the long shadow of shared history.

Then we turn to the present. How has the invasion of Ukraine narrowed Mongolia's room to maneuver? What was Putin's visit — staged under an ICC arrest warrant — really meant to signal, and to whom? Is the Mongolian public, and especially its younger generation, growing more critical of Russia than its government dares to be? And is Power of Siberia 2 the game-changer it's sold as, or a project still waiting on someone who needs it badly enough?

Russia is still a counterbalance to China — but for how much longer, as the two neighbors draw closer?

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Three Universals: The Big Brother

• The big brother helps us.
• The big brother tells us what to do.
• The big brother is still watching.

Pocketcast | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Hosts: Anand, Dolgion, Julian

Guest: Dr. Marissa J. Smith

Keywords: Mongolia | Russia | Ukraine war | Putin | Power of Siberia 2 | foreign policy | China | post-socialism