https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/fcb2bf33-da48-4c9d-8987-a2f868b1a66e In the American mind, Russia is associated with the Soviet Union — the red menace — and long standing Russophobia clearly echoes in the coverage of Putin today. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) officially received 19 percent of the vote, but the KPRF claims their vote totals were suppressed. What explains the recent election results, does Putin remain popular, and how does American interference influence Russian politics? Rania Khalek was joined by Russian leftist, journalist and activist Alexey Sakhnin, whose work has appeared at Jacobin and New Left Review. You can listen to every episode of Rania Khalek Dispatches anywhere you get podcasts. Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3za9DRK Apple: https://apple.co/3zeYpeW TIME CODES 0:00 Intro 1:01 Elections and how the West sabotaged Russia’s ‘democracy’ from the outset 10:19 Is there robust public debate in Russia? Actually, yes.’ 13:30 How Russia learned some of its worst tendencies from the U.S. 15:18 Is Putin popular? Who is his base? 20:56 The U.S.-backed psychological and social trauma of the 1990s 21:38 The benefits of Soviet socialism erased by neoliberalism 27:26 Why U.S.-style “democracy” and “liberalism” have a bad rap in Russia 29:07 Putin’s symbolic compromise 35:27 Alexei Navalny: From right-wing nationalist to liberal hero? 48:47 The U.S. wants a weak Putin and backs anti-democratic civil society groups 55:24 Conflict in Ukraine: Western imperialists started it, supporting a coup, fascists & Nazis 1:03:49 Why the uprising in Belarus failed 1:20:17 Russia’s COVID policy and the missteps that led to vaccine hesitancy 1:31:03 Alexey Sakhin’s view of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation today » Become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/BreakThroughNews» Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BTnewsroom » Tweet us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BTnewsroom » Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btnewsroom/ At Breakthrough News we believe in the power of independent media. Five mega-corporations dominate the media landscape — controlling 90% of what we read, watch and listen to. They control the news cycle, to which social media and even most “alternative” media is forced to respond. We are breaking through that cycle. We tell the untold stories of resistance from poor and working-class communities — because out of these stories we will construct a different narrative of the world, as it is and in real time. People’s movements in every corner of the globe are changing history and shifting consciousness. But these movements barely receive any coverage from the corporate media. They need visibility. They need amplification. They need a media arm to break through. We can be that media arm, but only with your help. Become a Patron and join us on the front lines in the battle of ideas. Subscribe and follow us! https://www.youtube.com/breakthroughnews @BTNewsroom #Russia #RussianElections #Putin #BreakThroughNews #BTnews #socialistnews #socialist #raniakhalek #eugenepuryear Wed, 08 Apr 2026 23:49:16 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://tankie.tube https://tankie.tube/lazy-static/avatars/3ba3ff73-a8b6-49c9-add8-9653ef090c7f.webp https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/fcb2bf33-da48-4c9d-8987-a2f868b1a66e All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://tankie.tube/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.