30 MAG 2024 · In the early 1990s, Kyrgyzstan was often referred to as an “island of democracy” in Central Asia. Three distinguishing features of Kyrgyzstan include an active political opposition, a vibrant civil society, and independent media outlets. The current government is eliminating all three of those distinctions. On this episode of Report in Short, Aaron Schwartzbaum is joined by Bruce Pannier, a longtime journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and author of FPRI’s new report https://www.fpri.org/article/2024/04/kyrgyzstan-central-asias-island-of-democracy-sinks-into-authoritarianism/to discuss how the country reversed course to join the club of authoritarian governments in the region.  https://fpri.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=939db365f03b923a073fac2c3&id=51733ea977

11 APR 2024 · Russia’s war against Ukraine has revealed stories about the heroic resistance efforts of Ukrainian women: from a grandmother launching a pickle jar against a drone to volunteers with territorial defense units. However, comparable stories have been entirely lacking on Russia’s side: How come? Aaron Schwartzbaum is joined by Egle E. Murauskaite, author FPRI's new report https://www.fpri.org/article/2024/03/russian-women-in-the-face-of-war-against-ukraine/ to discuss the multifaceted role of Russian women in the conflict.  https://www.fpri.org/article/2024/03/russian-women-in-the-face-of-war-against-ukraine/

8 FEB 2024 · On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijani forces initiated a massive attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated and effectively self-governing region inside internationally recognized Azerbaijani territory. Within 24 hours, the Nagorno-Karabakh leadership gave in, and, for the first time, Baku could claim full control over the contested territory. Despite being portrayed in the West as a “frozen conflict,” there had long been a risk of renewed violence in Nagorno-Karabakh. In this episode of Report in Short, Walter Landgraf and Nareg Seferian join Aaron Schwartzbaum to discuss their recent report https://www.fpri.org/article/2024/01/a-frozen-conflict-boils-over-nagorno-karabakh-in-2023-and-future-implications/ https://www.fpri.org/article/2024/01/a-frozen-conflict-boils-over-nagorno-karabakh-in-2023-and-future-implications/

9 GEN 2024 · Since 2009, Russia has invested significant effort into developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAvs), or drones, for military purposes. However, after a year of war in Ukraine, the Russian military has lost the biggest part of its tactical reconnaissance and targeting UAVs. Pavel Luzin joins Aaron Schwartzbaum to discuss his latest report "Russian Military Drones: The Past, Present, and Future of the UAV Industry." https://www.fpri.org/article/2023/11/russian-military-drones-past-present-and-future-of-the-uav-industry/

13 GIU 2023 · How has Russia's (latest) invasion of Ukraine exacerbated issues in domestic governance and political economy? András Tóth-Czifra joins Aaron Schwartzbaum to discuss his latest report https://www.fpri.org/article/2023/05/war-as-an-accelerator/

4 MAG 2023 · What is Wagner Group, how does the Kremlin use it, and how has its role and regional footprint changed? Raphael Parens and Chrisopher Faulkner join Aaron Schwartzbaum to discuss their latest report. Read the full report https://www.fpri.org/article/2023/04/the-wagner-groups-expanding-global-footprint/