Bloody Russia

<p>1. State of play 2. Should we have seen it coming  3.  Can Russia win    4. Long term prospects for Putin and Russia  5. Prospects for Ukraine   6. Prospects for the West</p><p>Aggression and mendacity are shared characteristics of many Russian leaders and territorial expansion an on ongoing pastime.  Ivan the Terrible sought to capture the Baltic region and eventually has to settle for Siberia, while Peter the Great shifted the centre of gravity of Russia towards Europe, and established the mighty capital of St Petersburg.  Putin has similar pretension to power and glory, and his current invasion of Ukraine follows the same hubristic vein.  Yet the modern Russian armed forces are not what they were.  They have forgotten how to operate combine arms and rapid advance and the suffer the deadly effect of handheld anti-tank weaponry.  </p><p>This episode examines the calamitous Russian invasion of Ukraine today and looks for the reasons and the historic threads that led to this moment.</p><p>So it goes,</p><p>Tom Assheton & James Jackson</p><p> </p><p>Reading reference:</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cold-Cut-James-H-Jackson-ebook/dp/B008K5TRF6">Cold Cut</a> by James Jackson read by Jo Pelissier</p><p> </p><p>See also:</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0CKO7rYspbkCUvdwNV4fEw" target="_blank">YouTube: BloodyViolentHistory</a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.com">https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.com</a></p><p><a href="https://www.tomtom.co.uk" target="_blank">https://www.tomtom.co.uk</a></p><p> </p><p><i>If you enjoy the podcast, would you please leave <strong>a short review </strong>on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcast App? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really helps to spread the word</i></p><p>See <a href="https://simplecast.com/privacy/" target="_blank">https://simplecast.com/privacy/</a> for privacy information</p>