This week on From Russia With News, Middle East expert Alexei Khlebnikov tells us why Russia hosted their former foes, the Taliban, in Moscow this week. And Bloomberg columnist Leonid Bershidsky talks about why Rosstat’s new economic prognosis looks too good to be true.
We’ll also hear from religious affairs commentator Roman Lunkin about what’s next for religious minorities in Russia after a Danish Jehovah’s Witness was handed a six-year sentence for extremism.
From Russia With News is hosted by Jonathan Brown and produced by Pjotr Sauer. The episode was recorded and edited at CM Records Studios in central Moscow. Stay tuned for a new episode every Thursday on our site or here. Also available on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other audio platforms.
Go deeper:
Read the backstory on the case against Dennis Christensen here: Russia’s Crackdown on Jehovah’s Witnesses Begins With a Foreigner
Read more about the Afghanistan talks in Moscow here: Russia Plays Power Broker as U.S.-Taliban Talks Gather Steam
Russia’s Economic Growth Seems Too Good to Be True (Op-ed), by Leonid Bershidsky
This week's Meanwhile in Russia story: Soviet Citizen Finally Gets Russian Passport After 28 Years
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