Perun's video: Theories of Victory Russian Political Stability - Interviewing Anders Puck Nielsen

Usually on my channel we focus on questions of defence economics - elements like national resources, production, stockpiles and logistics that feed into the ability of a nation to carry on a war. But I also try to always flag the importance of political and social elements as well - the ways in which politics and the will to fight can complicate what would otherwise be a largely mathematical exercise. While those factors are important however, Russian politics is not my area of academic or professional focus. Today I'm releasing an interview recorded with Danish military analyst Anders Puck Nielsen at the Royal Danish Defence College. Anders has long had a focus on Russia and the Russian military, and so I was keen to get his thoughts on Russia's political and social divisions of power, attitudes towards the war, and how these might factor into Ukraine's theory of potential victory. All thoughts expressed are obviously his own personal ones (though all slide content was produced by me.) I hope you enjoy this deviation from the usual format, but you'll be back to hearing more of me next week. Anders YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndersPuckNielsen Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PerunAU Caveats and comments: As noted - Anders appears in a personal capacity and all views expressed are his own. In relation to my comments, all the very familiar usual caveats and comments usually attached similarly apply to this episode Timestamps: 00:00:00 — Theories Of Victory & Russian Political Stability 00:01:54 — What -Am I- Are We Talking About? 00:02:30 — Interviewing: Anders Puck Nielsen 00:03:02 — The War From A Russian Perspective 00:03:42 — Putin's War For Great Power Status 00:07:15 — How Can This War Be Existential For Russia? 00:09:21 — Does The War Undermine Russia's Power? 00:16:37 — Kick The Can Down The Road 00:23:17 — Limited But Existential 00:25:46 — A Ukrainian Theory Of Victory 00:26:55 — Ukrainian Resources 00:28:07 — Ukrainian Goals 00:29:47 — Taking Ground (The Hard Way) 00:34:36 — The Political Dimension 00:38:43 — The Russian Citizenry 00:39:24 — Liberal And/or Anti-war Russians 00:39:53 — Ultranationalists 00:40:35 — The Depoliticised Middle 00:43:31 — The Division Of Power 00:43:38 — Political Parties & Politicians 00:44:44 — The Technocrats 00:45:22 — The Siloviki 00:46:11 — Alliances & Relationships 00:47:03 — Putin & The Vertical Of Power 00:47:58 — Indications Of Destabilisation? 00:48:58 — Elections And Fears 00:52:58 — What Would A Breakdown Look Like 00:54:48 — Signals Of Instability 00:59:00 — What Can Ukraine Do? 01:05:06 — Conclusion 01:07:08 — Channel Update