Oct 7, 2026 · 1h 28m
Listen from 35:46
Listen at 35:46
Gershkovich recounts survival inside Russia’s prison system
Russian Plague and Putin's Prisons
The episode connects a volatile international news cycle to one journalist’s account of detention, identity, and rebuilding life after imprisonment.
- 1Brazil’s right-wing gains, European unrest, and Quebec separatism reflect widening pressure on established political systems.
- 2The hosts weigh public-health and security risks surrounding Russia’s reported plague incident and a German espionage scandal.
- 3Evan Gershkovich describes prison survival, Russian-American identity, and recovering curiosity after release.
Don't miss
Evan Gershkovich describes replacing ordinary cravings with small routines and pleasures while imprisoned, then rebuilding curiosity after release.
The brief
Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes survey a turbulent cycle spanning Brazil’s election, unrest over housing and public services, German espionage, Russia’s reported plague incident, Iran tensions, and questions about Xi Jinping’s health.
The hosts trace a common pressure point across Brazil, Europe, and Quebec: economic strain and weakened public services are intensifying political backlash, while the left struggles to answer the right’s gains.
Russia’s reported pneumonic plague incident raises less concern about ordinary plague than about transparency and possible links to biological-weapons research; a German espionage scandal adds another counterintelligence warning.
Ben Rhodes interviews Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich about the sting operation behind his arrest, prison life, reporting from inside Russia’s system, and navigating his Russian-American identity.
Gershkovich explains how deprivation narrowed life to small routines and pleasures, then describes rebuilding curiosity after release and becoming more connected to his Russian identity in captivity.
Books & mentions
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