# Russia's Biggest FEAR | Prof. Alastair Renfrew

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/neutrality-studies-7179578/russia-s-biggest-fear-prof-alastair-renfrew
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/neutrality-studies-7179578/russia-s-biggest-fear-prof-alastair-renfrew.md
Podcast: [Neutrality Studies](https://stenobird.com/podcast/neutrality-studies-7179578)
Published: 2026-07-20T01:12:22+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/neutrality-studies/episodes/Russias-Biggest-FEAR--Prof--Alastair-Renfrew-e3m9nrr
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/fe578920/podcast/play/123051323/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-6-20%2Fb5476fc3-aee8-8d28-8949-69111c126555.m4a
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/neutrality-studies-7179578/episodes/russia-s-biggest-fear-prof-alastair-renfrew
Duration seconds: 3300

## Resource

They keep portraying Russia as a power-hungry mad-dog. But the truth is that whoever the leadership in Moscow (or St. Petersburg) was, the one thing all leaders wanted above all, was security. Security from centuries of invasion. Just how to communicate that to a West that is hell-bend on claiming the Kremlin is an expansionist power?Professor Alistair Renfrew of Durham University discusses the West’s long-running misunderstanding of Russian security policy. He examines Russian fears of invasion, the civil war intervention, NATO expansion, Georgia, Ukraine, the Minsk process, failed peace talks, and Europe’s rearmament. Renfrew argues that Russia’s policy is mainly defensive and warns that Europe is taking risks without a clear path to peace.Find Alastair on Substack: @alessandrodelguado &Alastair’s Novel: www.faktionbooks.comSupport us here:Neutrality Studies substack: https://pascallottaz.substack.com Merch: https://neutralitystudies.com/shop Donation: https://neutralitystudies.com/donate Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:54 Why Russia Is Misunderstood 00:04:53 Soviet Fears and Foreign Intervention 00:09:50 Allied Intervention in 1918–22 00:13:16 The Lasting Impact of World War II 00:17:15 Why Russia’s Message Is Ignored 00:26:55 Georgia and the Provocation Trap 00:31:17 Minsk, Donbas and the 2022 Talks 00:35:11 Who Gains From the War? 00:42:59 Why Europe Is Rearming 00:49:58 Can Russia Avoid a Wider War? 00:53:42 Where to Follow Alistair Renfrew

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