Steve Gutterman

As Russia's war against Ukraine grinds on and the Kremlin casts it as a defensive struggle against the West, a name change in Moscow reflects how the state wants citizens to see the direction the country has taken, gradually and suddenly, under President Vladimir Putin.

Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an expert on Russian military issues, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the battlefield situation in Ukraine, manpower problems, and the talk about efforts to end the fighting.

Russia, the United States, and several other countries have undertaken the largest prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War, with 16 people -- including RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan -- being released from Russian prisons after being convicted on charges all three vehemently denied, while eight Russians will return home.

Here’s a look at what may have been Russian President Vladimir Putin’s motives in releasing several Western prisoners and Russians who had been jailed in their own country in a major exchange on August 1.

How big a deal is Kyiv's incursion into the Kursk region? What are Ukraine's goals? And what are the ramifications for Russia? This week, host Steve Gutterman discusses these issues with Oleg Ignatov, a senior analyst for Russia at the International Crisis Group.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy took his "victory plan" to Biden, Harris, and Trump in a U.S. visit that also included UN speeches. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued yet another nuclear threat.

Russian forces push forward in the Donbas, diplomatic pressure on Kyiv increases, and the U.S. election looms. It's all adding up to one of the toughest points for Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

As Moscow's forces press forward and Ukraine holds onto part of Russia's Kursk region, there are new "mutterings" in the West about the prospects for an end to the fighting. Ruth Deyermond from King's College London joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the situation.

Struggling to increase manpower at the front as Russian forces advance and concerns about the future of Western support mount, Ukrainian recruiters have raided concerts, clubs, and cafes looking for men who may be avoiding military service. It’s widening rifts in society at a sensitive time.

As it focuses on its war against Ukraine, Russia is also seeking to leverage violence in the Middle East to improve its global standing and condemn the West. Hanna Notte, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies joins host Steve Gutterman this week to discuss.