Caolan Robertson

This week feels like the beginning of something genuinely different.

Just days after Russia’s deeply embarrassing Victory Day parade, where almost no major military hardware was shown, Moscow has now come under one of the biggest long-range attacks since the full-scale invasion began. One of Russia’s most protected oil refineries was hit at a time when the Kremlin is struggling more and more to convince its own people that this war is still a success.

That doesn’t mean the war is ending anytime soon. But it does mean something important: Russia suddenly looks weak, both inside and outside the country.

I just got back from Venice a few days ago, where Russians seemed desperate to project strength to the world through culture, influence, and propaganda. But after spending time around it all, what struck me most was that the messaging no longer feels aimed at the West. It feels aimed inward. The propaganda now seems focused on reassuring Russians themselves that everything is still under control.

This week, I spoke to Bill Browder about what he believes is happening inside Russia right now, why the Kremlin is becoming increasingly obsessed with controlling perception, and what that tells us about the state of Russian society today.

I hope you enjoy the report. If you do, please consider subscribing 🙏Most of my reporting focuses on the front lines in Ukraine and Russia’s wider propaganda war across Europe.

I’ll also be publishing a major documentary this week filmed in Nikopol, right beside Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, looking at how Russia has weaponized the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant during the war.

Thank you so much for watching.