https://www.economist.com/insider/the-insider/the-man-who-would-change-russia
Jul 11, 2026
Editor: True to form Zanny Minton Beddoes does not provide a transcript! Hardley a surprise! This is Propganda!
Episode summary
Russia is under pressure. More than four years have passed since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the war is still not going to plan. Ukrainian attacks are reaching deep into Russia, disrupting fuel supplies and adding strain to the country’s economy. Ordinary Russians are feeling the pain.
Andrey Melnichenko, one of the country’s richest—and most understated—oligarchs, fears for Russia’s future. He has shared his vision for what must happen in an essay and nearly 60 hours of conversation with The Economist. It is a remarkable intervention from an insider living in Moscow who understands the risks of speaking out in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist’s editor-in-chief, and Edward Carr, deputy editor, discuss Mr Melnichenko’s manifesto with Arkady Ostrovsky, our Russia editor, and Oliver Carroll, our Ukraine correspondent.
HOST
Zanny Minton Beddoes
Editor-in-chief
HOST
Edward Carr
Deputy editor
GUEST
Arkady Ostrovsky
Russia editor
GUEST
Oliver Carroll
Ukraine correspondent
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