Peter Conradi: WHO LOST RUSSIA?

MARTIN STAUDINGER IN CONVERSATION WITH PETER CONRADI WHO LOST RUSSIA? From the Collapse of the USSR to Putin’s War on Ukraine Why did Vladimir Putin launch his devastating attack on Ukraine in February 2022? And is Western policy towards Russia to blame for the bloodiest war on European soil since 1945? These are the questions at the heart of Peter Conradi’s Who Lost Russia? From the Collapse of the USSR to Putin’s War on Ukraine. In this updated version of his critically acclaimed book, first published in 2017, he analyses the series of mistakes and misunderstandings on both sides since the end of the Soviet Union, examines the events leading to the invasion and sets out what the conflict will mean for the future of Europe. Martin Staudinger, former head of the foreign department of the weekly profil, meets Peter Conradi at the Kreisky Forum and tries to establish what went wrong between Russia and the West. Peter Conradi is the Europe editor of The Sunday Times. During his seven years as a foreign correspondent in Moscow, he witnessed the USSR’s collapse first-hand. His previous books include Hitler’s Piano Player and The King’s Speech, co-authored with Mark Logue, which tells the true story of events depicted in the Oscar-winning film. He lives in Paris. Martin Staudinger worked at Falter until 1998, then moved first to Format, then to profil, where he advanced to head of the foreign department and won the Riehl-Heyse Prize, one of Germany’s most prestigious journalism awards. He has been back at Falter since 2021 and heads the daily newsletter project . Recorded at Kreisky Forum, October 19, 2022