{"podcast":{"title":"The Eastern Border","slug":"the-eastern-border-1102925","podcast_index_feed_id":1102925,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/cfd8aed5-6d63-4b2f-b325-46e4b5665583","website_url":"http://theeasternborder.lv/","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6100808131fd81f125b34da8/show-cover.jpg","author":"Kristaps Andrejsons","episode_count":742,"summary":"A podcast about the politics and the history of the eastern Europe - including, but not limited to the current state of Russia, politics of the EU, history of the USSR and the region in general. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-31T22:19:30.944993+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-eastern-border-1102925"},"episode":{"title":"2.11 System Failure: 4 years of Mafia State At War","slug":"2-11-system-failure-4-years-of-mafia-state-at-war","published_at":"2026-02-24T13:16:29+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-eastern-border-1102925/2-11-system-failure-4-years-of-mafia-state-at-war","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-eastern-border-1102925","url":"https://shows.acast.com/theeasternborder/episodes/211-system-failure-4-years-of-mafia-state-at-war","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/theeasternborder/e/699da4ade3f0d89ce21af921/media.mp3","summary":"Greetings, Comrades! Four years ago, the Russian military establishment thought they were going to hold a victory parade in Kyiv within 72 hours. Today, the Russian state is deploying OMON riot police into the snowy woods of Moscow to arrest citizens for eating pancakes in folk costumes. Welcome to the 4-year anniversary of the war. In today’s episode, we look at the total decay of the Russian mafia state. We dive into the Bakshevskaya Maslenitsa crackdown, the impending Telegram blockade, and why hardcore Z-propagandists are suddenly realizing that the Kremlin views them purely as livestock in a \"quiet, clean cowshed.\" We also break down the terrifying reality of Putin’s \"New Elite\"—a system where military contracts act as universal indulgences for pedophiles, murderers, and corrupt officials. Finally, we look at the financial collapse of the home front: from 700-ruble chicken to the dark comedy of Russian phone scammers giving up because the population literally has no money left to steal. The empire isn't expanding; it is devouring itself. Happiness is mandatory! Donate for trucks to the Ukrainian army: https://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaigns/christmas-tree-trucks-2025-the-eastern-border Become our patron: https://www.patreon.com/theeasternborder Merch store + another option for memberships: https://theeasternborder-shop.fourthwall.com/ Follow what's going on here in the very border of Eastern Europe: https://bsky.app/profile/theeasternborder.lv Download all episodes for free on our website; pictures accompanying certain episodes can be found there as well! http://theeasternborder.lv/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CXeibCRLL8Y Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Greetings, Comrades! Four years ago, the Russian military establishment thought they were going to hold a victory parade in Kyiv within 72 hours. Today, t…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3137,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-eastern-border-1102925/episodes/2-11-system-failure-4-years-of-mafia-state-at-war/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-eastern-border-1102925/2-11-system-failure-4-years-of-mafia-state-at-war.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}