Show Notes
James C Pearce, Jeremy Morris and Jonny Tickle examine the sudden mobile internet outages across central Moscow and what they reveal about how a hyper-digital city functions when connectivity breaks down. They discuss the practical consequences, from payments and taxis to everyday routines that now depend entirely on mobile data, and why even short disruptions expose deeper vulnerabilities in a system built on constant connectivity. The conversation explores competing explanations, from security measures and infrastructure testing to a broader pattern of increasing control over digital space. They look at the logic behind restricting access not just to platforms but to the internet itself, and how this fits into a wider trend of tightening oversight during wartime. They also turn to the future of messaging in Russia, including the push toward domestic alternatives like Max, the resilience of Telegram, and the growing arms race between regulation and workarounds such as VPNs and alternative apps. Along the way, they discuss fraud, digital dependence, and whether Russia is moving toward a more controlled, self-contained internet model. This podcast is an independent project and does not represent the views of our employers or affiliated institutions.
More from Russia Unfiltered
This week on Russia Unfiltered, Jonny Tickle, Jeremy Morris, and James Pearce are joined by their first ever guest: Dr. Jeff Hawn, research fellow in international history at the London School of Economics. Together, they dive deep into the political chaos of the 1990s and ask one of the biggest questions in modern Russian history: was Putin’s Russia inevitable?
This week on Russia Unfiltered, Jonny Tickle, Jeremy Morris and James Pearce take a closer look at the state of Russia-focused academia in the West.
This week on Russia Unfiltered, Jonny Tickle, Jeremy Morris and James C Pearce take a deep dive into Mr. Nobody Against Putin — the Oscar-winning documentary that’s now been banned in Russia.
Jonny Tickle is joined in person by Jeremy Morris for a rare walk-and-talk episode recorded in Moscow at the end of his research trip. They discuss first impressions from Moscow, Penza and St Petersburg, focusing on the small, everyday details that are easy to miss but reveal deeper economic and social shifts. The conversation explores churn in the hospitality sector, labour shortages, changing migration patterns and the uneven realities of the war economy, from packed holiday weekends to empty midweek cafés. They compare Moscow with the regions, asking what you can only learn by being there, and why conversations in kitchens, bars and on the street often tell a different story from polling and media narratives. They also discuss shifting expectations about the future, from postponed life plans to a broader sense of pessimism, alongside the resilience of small businesses and the lingering legacy of Soviet-era infrastructure. The episode ends with a wider reflection on fieldwork, access and the limits of studying Russia from a distance. This podcast is an independent project and does not represent the views of our employers or affiliated institutions.
Jonny Tickle, Jeremy Morris and James C Pearce discuss two major developments shaping Russia in 2026: the sustainability of the wartime economy and the potential shutdown of Telegram. The first half of the episode examines a recent Economist article arguing that Russia’s economy has entered a “death zone,” where military spending sustains headline growth while gradually eroding long-term productive capacity. The trio debate whether the war economy is merely stagnant or structurally self-destructive, touching on oil revenues, investment shortages, high interest rates, mortgage growth, consumer confidence, savings disparities, and the limits of fiscal resilience. They also ask what a post-war Russian economy might look like and whether Western policymakers are prepared for that scenario. The second half turns to the possible throttling or banning of Telegram. The discussion explores how central the platform has become for news, commentary, commerce, and everyday communication, and whether blocking it would strengthen state control or unintentionally drive more Russians toward VPNs and alternative information spaces. They consider comparisons with China’s internet controls, Russia’s attempts to promote the state-backed app Max, and the broader question of how information control intersects with economic stress. This podcast is an independent project and does not represent the views of our employers or affiliated institutions.