2.51 The Pirate, the Piglet, and the Cartel

In this special 7,000+ word extended autopsy set to the aggressive thrash metal of golden-era Metallica, I dismantle the terminal rot, financial death spirals, and internal cartel wars tearing the Russian Federation apart.

From 20-kilometer hallucinations on Putin's desk maps and university trick-contracts sending medical students to the front, to 1,400km drone voids over Bashkortostan, the 6.5 trillion ruble deficit, and Tatiana Montyan's violent collision with her own FSB masters. We take an extensive deep-dive into the dynastic panic in Grozny, where Ramzan Kadyrov is hoarding a pristine 36,000-man Praetorian Guard for the upcoming North Caucasus war.

Finally, we bring the hammer down with an unvarnished tribute to Anna Politkovskaya and Boris Nemtsov—the journalists and visionaries who saw the dragon in the room long before the world woke up.

Car4Ukraine Eastern Border Summer Campaign! https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-trucks-2026-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/

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.