Mark Galeotti | Finland, Russian imperialism, NATO and the resilience of democracy

In this English language episode we had the pleasure of interviewing historian, writer and honorary professor of the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, Mark Galeotti. In this episode, we discuss Russia’s imperialist ambitions, Finland’s relations and history with Russia, the resilience of liberal democracies, the Western discourse about Russia, and much more.
---
▶️ Tilaa kanava: kzbin.info...
🍏 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/fi/podcast...
🎧 Spotify: spoti.fi/32scrMD
👂 Google Podcasts: bit.ly/3ma1Ayj
🌐 Futucast.com: www.futucast.com
🐦 Twitter: / futucast
🎶 Tiktok: / futucast
📸 Instagram: / futucast
👔 Linkedin: / futucast
🔵 Facebook: / futucast

[@G0ldfingers]

Interesting for us English speakers to hear the Finnish perspective as it is for Finnish to hear an English perspective.

[@sirrodneyffing1]

Europe could buy the 60billion of weapons from the US.

[@dereckbrannigan6195]

Hello Finland. Greetings from Downunder🇦🇺🌏🇦🇺

[@ralphhebgen7067]

Very good. Questions were concise and to the point. The only point of frustration is that your English is better than that of most English native speakers. 😅

[@MaryEspinoza-cx9wg]

Sadly yes 😢

[@Mattjki]

Lol -native English speaker

[@ronti2492]

What an excellent interview- and interviewer. So 'Finnish'= professional, quietly spoken, competent, well informed....not bombastic, self effacing: all about the topic and Galeotti and not the interviewer! Well done, really really excellent. Kiitos!

[@KA-jm2cz]

Puhuminen hopeaa Vaikeneminen kultaa Talk is silver Keeping silence is gold

[@geofthompson3844]

Mark is one of the very best people to hear from. He doesn't talk nonsense for an audience of like minds, he just shares fact and reality. And real world experiences. And he respects us enough to give us credit that we'll understand what he's saying. Without worrying about us potentially having a meltdown because we might not like what we heard in some parts.

[@johnm7267]

You obviously don’t know the difference between speculation and facts

[@geofthompson3844]

@@johnm7267 you obviously don't know how to read properly. My comment was clearly about his whole life and how he operates when talking about things on any given subject

[@666xurxo]

He does talk nonsense for an audience of like minds. That´s why he uses the term "Revolution of Dignity" to refer to the Maidan coup, which BTW was supported by the USA (something he fails to mention), and he paints it as an "democratic" exercise (perpetraed by Nazis?)

[@christinelapping7903]

And if you follow his podcast, In Moscow's Shadows, he is comfortable admitting what he doesn't know. Which makes a change from all those who claim to be totally prescient.

[@geofthompson3844]

@christinelapping7903 yeah exactly 💯. He's not claiming to be anything he's not. He just shares what he does know, gives his views, and shares his opinions. And, as new information is learnt he adapts what he say to incorporate the new data. That's why I respect him.

[@sailor67duilio27]

Thank you Futucast, more of these, i would like to hear more Finnish opinions on European events.

[@pierresaelen3097]

@Futucast, I would suggest that you make a playlist of your English language videos. This would make it easier for all those who don't understand Finnish. Good interview. Kind regards from Flanders.

[@JezzBowden]

Agreed, given that less than 1/1000 people speak Finnish, there's obviously a huge market to tap in non-Finnish speakers

[@sateentuoksu]

And they did it. Hopefully the link will come through.... i post it separately, so that this message won't be deleted, if the link will

[@sateentuoksu]

Here: English episodes kzbin.info/aero/PLxQt1MdchURvB2wGO09qN85M0h9xz6FWX&si=wgBqiS7MohIDY9um

[@pierresaelen3097]

@@sateentuoksu Thank you for playing safe by using two posts. And it worked: the link isn't censored by the algorithm, which isn't always the case.

[@robertbradshaw2449]

Lp ❤❤11q😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊j2k9😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊k8i

[@justincoleman2740]

Hello Finland! Wishing for you prosperity from Canada.

[@blackbird5634]

The spirit of Simo Hayha watches over Finland today.😉

[@tiitsaul9036]

Mark is such an intelligent communicator. Greetings from Estonia.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

Intelligent? Really? I prefer smart in a certain way.

[@ennediend2865]

Intelligent indeed 👍

[@peterlaurie1247]

Putin has seen an opportunity to take over Europe and has taken it. Making it sound like he just has a chip on his shoulder is misleading and dangerous.

[@tonyblitz1]

I really appreciate the English episodes, which I can listen to while at work. I First found the channel via your Dylan Burns interview. Very sharp questions and good dialogue, I think it's especially promising that you found a prior statement of your guest and asked him to clarify or iterate on it. I'll have to sit down and catch up on the subbed episodes at some point. Keep up the fantastic work!

[@marions7423]

kiev is start of russia ? really. and rom is start of romania. it is not russia but medieval rus. start of russia is moscow marshes and serving horde to repress other rus principalities on the horde behalf

[@marions7423]

i am sur stalin genocided a lot of finns before ww2 given his policy of sending to gulag any diaspora nationalitis being it korean geek or finn. no woneder finn might pay back to those people especially serving in nkvd .also there are a lot of finnish speaking minorities in northern russia who ar culturaly gnocided probably. no schools no books etc. i heard there is no single belorus language shool in belorus whta is it if not cultural genocide.

[@marions7423]

putin is doing that his grinding war with hundred thousands dead men as result , often most patriotic and ukrainian speaking is not genocidal?

[@marions7423]

he says nobody cared about donbass. i am not sure what ukaine could do different. they evacuated population near front lines unlike russians. did not bomb larg cities unlike russian with mariupol and payed pensions to populations under russian control which is bordering with treason to pay for russian occupation with ukrainian money

[@julianjdogg]

Lol is Dylan famous? I met him in Kharkov last May at a restaurant 😂

[@charlesbeaudry3263]

Fun fact: For the Swedes Viking is a verb, not a noun. It is what Swedes did when they went on their travels. They ended up crossing from the Baltic sea to the Black sea for commerce by travelling the Dinpro River, hence the origin of Kievan Russ. So Ukrainians have a more legitimate claim on Russian culture than Moscow.

[@TTFerdinand]

So it actually should be called "vikinging" - a high-risk, high-profit venture that many were called upon when their jarl decided to go.

[@pietpiraat1353]

Dear Futucastcrew, could you please make a playlist of all the English spoken episodes on your channel? It would make the reach of your channel a lot bigger. Thank you for this fine episode and kind regards from the Netherlands, Piet

[@madeleinevangall1446]

YOU DONT NOW WHAT YOU TALK ABOUT CHAME. 😢

[@melvinjansen2338]

Yeah i Just got this one in my suggested video's and im pretty happy. Also Dutch

[@djnorth2020]

As a long time listener, I'm always happy about the quality of this podcast. This video opened a whole new appreciation for the high quality of language. Not the stereotype rally English I'm used to but genuinely good pronunciation and excellent vocabulary. Material has mostly been by Finns for Finns about Finland but I can see this one in particular having interest abroad.

[@danlindy9670]

“Naapurissa asuu karhu.” As an American whose Finnish grandfather died fighting the Russians in the Winter War, I appreciate being able to listen to these interviews in English. They help me to understand better what it was like for my grandfather, and what it is like now, for Finns to live with an such an unfriendly and aggressive neighbor always on the prowl.

[@NordicOpinion]

Your grandfather is s hero and protector of democracy - and many other values the Founding Fathers espoused. Kiitos💪

[@salvatoreventaglio3782]

So you know shit about your grandfather. He didn't fight against Russians,, but a Soviet Force that had an Ukrainian main compoment. Ignorance generates hatred and wars.

[@ilyaivanov7166]

What Finland was fighting for with Hitler during World War 2, was they alliance for democracy?))

[@henryseidel5469]

@@ilyaivanov7166 Indeed real history and after-made historiography are two totally different issues. Mannerheim marched eastward with Hitler and came back with Stalin...

[@ilyaivanov7166]

@@henryseidel5469 you mean Finland changed shoes during a conflict easily , where is a strong position of democratic country ?

[@tonisiro]

The Nato expension rhetoric is just a legend. When this sentence was supposed to be said, the Warshaw pact was still existing, so, how westerners could have known in advance ? It makes absolutely no sense. Just repeating this as an anecdote is already too much. There are more concrete documents that have been signed and that were violated blatantly by the Russians. The Budapsest memorendum is one of them. Why not talking about this rather then this anecdote that just feeds the Kremlin narrative.

[@proselytizingorthodoxpente8304]

Russia is very good at breaking existing international agreements, while demanding everyone else adhere to non existent agreements

[@gosiahajdo2584]

I really admire how smart and brave Finnland fought against the Soviet Union during the Winter War. Greetings from Germany

[@cosmos99ify]

Not surprising that Nazis supported Nazis. But the Russians taught them all a lesson. They will do it again. Germany and Finland have no chance.

[@Cao-Cao]

You know they lost it, right? So did Germany by the way.

[@gosiahajdo2584]

@@Cao-Cao yes I know. Did I write that I admired their glory? I am Polish living in Germany by the way.

[@EerikRed]

​@@Cao-Cao It don't matter to us, Finland kept it's independence which is more important. Ever heard what pyrrhic victory means? I didn't expect so..

[@Cao-Cao]

@@EerikRed What independence exactly? You follow orders from Brussels and Washington. Weak nation, weak leaders.

[@jovitapopovaite2092]

Very informative interview ❤ greetings from Lithuania 🇱🇹 regarding the refugees: we just pushed them back and the flow reduced to barelly few people a month trying to cross the boarder. Just stand your ground 🇫🇮

[@danglingondivineladders3994]

I love bringing this up to Trump supporters who assume that putin opposes illegal immigration. If those guys only knew...but they are adverse to foreign politics unfortunately and think everything is caused by American politics. But yeah Finland shut down a large border in three days I think.

[@Korpen_1979]

Great interview 👍 Thank you from Sweden 🇸🇪💛🇺🇦💙🇬🇧💛🇫🇮💙🇪🇺

[@user-fm4hd3zw3q]

I’m an Aussie but still have Polish citizenship so proudly a NATO citizen. Welcome Finland. I’m glad you joined. And that’s the whole point, we all joined. NATO didn’t go East. We ran West. I remember in 1989 when the first partially free elections took place in Poland. We were safe in Australia by then for a long time but the first thing I asked my father: “when are we joining NATO, when are we joining the EC?” It was pre Maastricht after all. And these were common conversations amongst the 100 million people in Eastern Europe. It’s not an accident all the former eastern bloc countries joined.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

Pride is not a good quality.

[@GeneralWinter9]

Pride comes before the fall polyak

[@kyyyni]

"Finally" was the word in my mind when Finland joined Nato. We could have joined already in the 1990s, but it took Russia's full-scale invasion on Ukraine to turn the popular opinion of Finns to (overwhelmingly) support joining Nato.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

@@kyyyni Maybe Finland and Sweden made a miscalculation to join NATO. Sweden in particular, because of its neutrality during 200 years. Why should it change a winning game? Being member of NATO is o.k. as long as it doesn't mean a threat for a country, among others Russia. It's terrifying that American military bases are now being built in those countries. That is a threat for Russia and in consequence for peace in the world.

[@user-fm4hd3zw3q]

Just to clarify, proud in this context is not meant as bluster. It simply reflects that the countries that joined NATO, did so willingly and for good historical reasons. And also that I reject the pejorative narrative some have of NATO. 😊 Collective security does not pose an objective threat to any country with thousands of nuclear weapons. It does limit that nuclear armed country’s ability to coerce the smaller countries. All the best to you all.

[@lomotil3370]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:17 🇫🇮 *The episode features an interview with historian Mark Galeotti discussing the historical connections between Finland, Russia, and NATO.* 01:23 🇷🇺 *The origin of the name "Russia" likely comes from the Finnish word for Sweden, highlighting historical connections shaped by war and invasion.* 03:41 🌍 *Mark Galeotti explains Putin's belief that he is defending Russia against a conspiratorial campaign by the West and how events since 2011 have shaped his worldview.* 09:29 🤝 *The discussion delves into the significance of NATO expansion and its impact on Russia's perception and geopolitical strategy.* 13:20 🇫🇮 *The conversation explores Finland's recent NATO membership, its historical relationship with Russia, and the nuances compared to Baltic states.* 23:14 🌐 *Putin's Russia supports divisive extremist movements globally to create tensions and hinder mobilization.* 25:29 🚧 *Russia orchestrated a refugee influx to Finland, causing a border dispute and political tension.* 27:18 🤝 *Finland faced a lose-lose situation in the border dispute, emphasizing the delicate balance in liberal democracies.* 30:18 🤔 *Resilience in liberal democracies involves compromises but must prioritize protecting core values.* 37:14 🌐 *Putin's concern for Russian minorities abroad is seen as rhetoric; leveraging their positive role could undermine his narrative.* 46:19 🌍 *Russia is seen as a potential security threat, but military establishments to repel an invasion are not being built, except by Poland.* 47:12 🤔 *Antagonistic relations with Russia are expected, with sanctions on technology and investment. Different countries have varying views on the level of danger.* 48:44 🌐 *Putin is waiting for Europe to split on the Ukraine question, using political challenges against itself. Short-term and long-term challenges to Europe's resilience are acknowledged.* 50:19 💬 *European actions depend on the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections. If Trump wins and reduces support for Ukraine, European countries may follow suit.* 54:59 💰 *Europe may not be able to replace U.S. assistance to Ukraine in case of a complete withdrawal. Building a war-oriented economy would take years.* Made with HARPA AI

[@Whistlewalk]

That was a very interesting discussion. Thanks!

[@candelas31]

Great work, excellent interview with the best expert

[@JonGabriel]

This is my first time on your channel and really appreciate the smart perspectives and conversation. Thanks for the English-language episode -- I'm a Finnish-American, but you speak English far better than I speak Finnish. Keep up the great work!

[@KA-jm2cz]

Ei se nyt niin vaikeeta ole. Pullo pontikkaa, niin jo luistaa leukaperät.

[@Feinman-di3ki]

Onpa hyvää englanninkieltä! Wau!

[@user-sh8mj1pn3u]

Ekat peukut irtos enkuks tehdystä jaksosta, jo ennen sen kuuntelemista 👍 lisää näitä

[@TheLastCrusader22]

I know it's not at all the point of the podcast, I'd just like to point out that "Garðaríki" does not mean Land of Towers, it means Land of Farms, or Land of Settlements, or Land of Village Houses/Farmhouses (there are some other meanings for garðr as well, it is for example the root of the English "yard"). It's cognate with the modern Scandinavian "gård" of the same meaning. It is also from where the Russian/Ukrainian word "grad", meaning town/city, comes from

[@user-fo5qx7xb7s]

I would like to assure you LastCrusader that there are other people in the world who find this discussion of language origins and similarities utterly fascinating. I studied Beowulf at university and have never lost this love of language. I was familiar with the term midgard but didn't know it related to the Russian grad. We are all related!! From Winnipeg Manitoba...

[@TheLastCrusader22]

​@@user-fo5qx7xb7s Yes, it truly is fascinating and especially for me as a Scandinavian, to see a word (or a local variant of it rather) I still use in my language today all over city names in Russia/Ukraine/the former USSR! It's interesting how so many words from the Old Norse language have changed so radically that I can no longer understand them, and yet a word like Garðaríki is so similar to the modern word (Gårdarike). And that is with my native language Swedish probably having the most loan words of the Scandinavian languages, especially from German. Window, for example, is still called vindu ("eye of the wind" and the cognate word for the English window) in Norwegian and vindue in Danish while it is "fönster" (from the German "fenster") in Swedish. The word "vindöga" exists in Swedish, but it is very archaic and certainly most people and especially not younger people would know what it is. I went on a rant there, oops! But yes, it's fascinating how big the Old Norse influence was on surrounding languages, especially for its time

[@cindypomerleau950]

Thank you for gathering all your English videos under your playlists. Much appreciated. Subscribed !😊

[@cproteus]

Thank you, algorithm.

[@achenarmyst2156]

Mark is really phenomenal, whatever topic you present to him, he is well-informed, deliberate, intellectually brilliant and witty. Undispensable for a rounded picture of present-day Russia.

[@matthewc4094]

Great discussion. I think that Mark is correct about Ukraine fatigue. However, what no one seems to talk about are the tens of thousands of Ukrainian property owners who have been dispossessed of their holdings by the Russian invasion. Not to mention the property owners in Free Ukraine who have had their buildings shelled and themselves or their relatives maimed by Russian bombs. If the West stops large scale military aid then the dispossessed will simply resort to undertake insurgencies either in the occupied areas of their country or Russia, until they get their land and buildings beck, plus recompense for other losses. It doesn’t matter therefore what the politicians say or what the peace treaty states - the fight to get back what’s yours will continue .. If any large scale take back of territory occurs then this will probably be terminal for Putin politically, and he will be handed over to the west for trial

[@brandonlyon8632]

Thank you for the video, and for recording in English. As an American it is so helpful to hear European perspectives on this war.

[@kenithandry5093]

Excellent discussion! Thanks.

[@crazypaulinquebec]

Very insightful and interesting questions by the Futucast interviewer and MG's answers were eye-opening. Many thanks from Canada!

[@Macbrother]

Phenomenal interview with one of the best. As an American, thanks for the English upload. Subbed.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

One of the best what?

[@sixmillionaccountssilenced6721]

@@robertvanslooten9475 These idiots are lost in a bubble. That's why you NEVER see these "bests" debating anyone from the other side of the opinion like Mearsheimer, Sachs, Ritter, RFK etc. :DD

[@georgemcbride7857]

Ritter and the others of his same lunatic , autocratic delusional politics can only spout Putin propaganda that does not reflect any sense of reality and justice of moral responsibility.

[@danglingondivineladders3994]

​@@sixmillionaccountssilenced6721I've debated Mearsheimer. He isn't that knowledgeable. He gives answers his audience wants to hear. In reality his "hypothesis" makes zero sense. Finland proves him wrong but bots like you don't care and will whine and cry no matter the facts. Enjoy rg2.

[@user-di2sk2lk6c]

Thank you for an outstanding interview of Mark Galeotti. The rational views and suggestions are exactly what all Europeans need to hear AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT !!!!

[@nHautamaki]

I have heard the argument recently that one of if not Russia's biggest problem with NATO expansion is it is absolutely killing their arms industry because joining NATO means adopting NATO standard weaponry and abandoning Russian. Russia cannot fund a competitive arms industry without exporting massive amounts of arms to all its old Warsaw pact vassals. Now Russia is losing India too, and likely Vietnam, they lost China a while ago. The Russian arms industry was their second or third most profitable and important industry, behind only O&G and on par with food/fertilizer.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

Bla bla bla .....

[@JorgenRomeMojo]

​@@robertvanslooten9475 exellent argument, u stupid bot😂

[@anthonycook6613]

Look out, nHautamaki ... Robbie Bobby van Slooten is after you! You can't beat him with facts because he has the most intelligent comebacks the world has ever seen ;-)

[@anthonycook6613]

@@robertvanslooten9475 Did you know that "bla bla bla" is actually a word in Finland? The Finnish language has a very rich vocabulary, and it has a lot of words to describe very specific things, people and actions. You can also use Finnish verbs in different forms and voices, which makes them very versatile. For instance, the verb "blablablataan" is present and passive. It means "No argument can be presented here, because the participant is a dumbass". But you can also say "blablablahan", which gives the word a more active voice - it means the speaker is saying " *I* cannot present an argument here, because *I'm* a dumbass". I really recommend that you give this language a try - it seems like you've mastered a few basic words already, and you just need to get the endings right.

[@greeneyeswideopen774]

Excellent interview! Listened with great interest.

[@JurassicJX]

Peace and respect to Finland 🇫🇮 from Jurassic coast 🇬🇧

[@jeremyraine4942]

Just discovered ur channel..the English language version anyway.. In the process of listening to Mark Galleotti's analysis.. Struck by his point about " th ed situation " being psychological rather than geo-strategic... Have subscribed..will certainly keep an eye out for the EL version...thanks

[@anderslagerqvist2642]

Well, Finland joining Nato is a HUGE difference for Russia, the area of Kaleningrad and baltic countries. The baltic sea would be unsable for Russia in a conflict.

[@megawutt]

They can make it usable, lol. Do you really believe the US would exchange Helsinki for let's say Boston when Russia inevitably deals with Finland and the Baltic chihuahuas? Grow up!

[@kyyyni]

"Grow up", said the poster of so-called psychological warfare in the most adolescent tier. Was it the "bring your child to work" day at the troll farm?

[@megawutt]

@@kyyyni I know it's hard for you to accept it but that's the truth, man. If Russia attacks you, the US ain't coming to your rescue. You're screwed.

[@mm5478]

Wow! Loved this show! Very smart & in English. Thanks!!

[@eskoven]

While Russia was saying that Finland had started the war with Russia in 1939, it was finally stated by Boris Yeltsin in 1994 that the "seizure of Finnish Karelia" was an example of Stalin's totalitarian and aggressive politics. I think that you have to ask yourself the question, why would a tiny country like Finland (who was ill equipped to fight with a large opponent like Russia) even want to start such a war?

[@butterflies655]

Later Russia admitted that it started the winter war. Russia started shots fires of Mainila.

[@neilmarshall2315]

An excellent interview, thank you

[@petersaunders349]

Excellent interview very informative

[@medeology4660]

No, both the Finnish "Ruotsi" and "Rus" come from the swedish word "ro" which means "to row" (pronounced "roo" or "rue") The people who went viking down the Dnipro came from the coast north of today's Stockholm called Roslagen, Land of the rowers - or literally: "Rower's law", meaning the land where the rowing people make the laws.

[@stephenhill545]

Not so according to research. Roslagens population was too small to have had such an influence.

[@True000spirit]

The land was Roden in Finland known as Ruotsi. The people were ros and the territory was sometimes called as Roslagen mainly I suppose by the swedes. I dont believe the ro thing at all. Why would any tribe call themselves rowers? In Nestors chronicle it is very clearly said that the varangians were different tribes, swedes, rus etc

[@KA-jm2cz]

'Roslagen' is probably loan word for old Finnic 'ruotsi' word that comes from rowing sound and has mostly mean enemies that come with boats like Swedish many times did. Word is circulated all over Baltic sea and are now in Finnish words of Ruotsi and ryssä that is base of Rysland->Russia.

[@True000spirit]

@@KA-jm2cz Roslagen actually means Ros law as Danelagen means Danish Law, might also sometimes have refered to skeppslag ,shipteam. the Ros and Swedes were different tribes

[@medeology4660]

@@KA-jm2cz How would that happen, since Finnish speakers did not go west and settle in today's Sweden, while norse speakers went east? Did some norse speakers go to today's Finland, change what they called themselves and then everyone "at home" learned that exonym and start to use it about themselves? Has that ever happened anywhere?

[@MaryEspinoza-cx9wg]

Very informative episode, thank you. It's nice to be able to hear other countries' take on what is important and how people outside the States look at the world and it's foibles.

[@MAJOR-D]

What brand are your headphones please?

[@elizabethmorton4904]

Thank you for that wonderful, and enormously helpful interview. The questions were just great, and Galeotti is always great to hear on Russia. I'm in Canada, and all the questions resulted in responses that I found very helpful to my perspective on the issues from here in Canada.

[@sannip7404]

Thank you, this was good analysis. Just wanted to note re: Russia's approach towards Finland vs the Baltic States - Finland does not have a large ethnic Russian population present, while in Latvia and Lithuania, already in early 1990s, right after those countries' re-gaining of independence, Russia made it's policy to use the Russian speakers to put pressure on those countries - this is called the Karaganov doctrine.

[@MrBallynally2]

And Latvia did it more or less right and incorporated russian culture and language into the state. Lithuania did it differently. And Ukraine did the worst, de-russify the Donbas and supporting nazi ideology.

[@GoDLiKeKakashi]

Lithuania didn't have a large Russian minority like Latvia and Estonia. The Poles have basically always been a bigger minority than Russians ever were and more troublesome since Russians are more spread out across the country thus making them less of a problem overall. Are you sure you didn't mean Latvia and Estonia?

[@markb3786]

@@MrBallynally2 Stop with the Putin nonsense.

[@romailto9299]

What's been missing from this probably not analysis, but rather perspective, is that Putin's decision to invade one of the Baltic states or Finland may not be morivated by the historical experiences or his idiosyncrasies but by the overarching aim of breaking up or at the minimum weakening NATO. Russia may not consider NATO as a threat in terms of them invading Russia, but as was rightly pointed out an obstacle to undermining the West and Russian domination. With this in mind it doesn't matter when the Baltic states or Finland were incorporated in the Russian or Soviet empire. It's about poking at a weak point

[@gt4viking789]

Great interview and a real treat to listen to the views of a proper Scholar like Mark Galeotti. Thank you 👍🏼

[@pen7759]

Well done ! Your questions was on point, and prof. Galeotti answered comprehensibly. One thing came up for me, this old political principle: Divide & Impera. russia, being not as strong as west follows this principle. This is a big concern in the long run. Thank you! More like this.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

More like this? Help!

[@jippoti2227]

Kannattaisiko tehdä enemmän englanninkielisiä haastattejuja? Potentiaalin yleisön määrä olisi silloin valtavasti suurempi. Ainakin minun korvaani englantisi on äidinkielen tasolla, joten jenkitkin jaksaisi kuunnella.

[@TechToWatch]

Do you maintain a list of links to the English language episodes?

[@voytekcyvr1936]

Very interesting interview with Mark, unfortunately I am not speaking Finnish. I will look for more of your English content. Kiitos

[@dso4594]

Great interview

[@talesofcanterbury42]

Fantastic interview thank you

[@ladoga]

Ruotsi comes from Roslagen. (Coastal area of Sweden that faces Finland.) Roslagen roughly means "rowing parish" (any Swedes correct if I'm wrong). So Ros/Rus might have been what rowers manning raiding and trading boats called thenselves. That's also where Varangians that founded the Kyivan Rus came from. Grand duchy of Moscow later adopted this old name for their emerging empire.

[@coomberaider]

Always a pleasure to hear Mark respondingvto thought provoking questions. I look forward to listening to some of your other Output in English . Glad I found you and Thank you!

[@ViggoHinrichsen]

Very good interview!

[@Possu81]

Fantastic interview.

[@SashavonTschin]

We should always support Finnland because they are good neighbors of the Baltics. Regards from Latvia

[@paulmurray8922]

Brilliant interview! He's outlined so much with which I agree (as if that matters😂), particularly about the West's response and the lack of a real Ukraine strategy because of an unwillingness to face and discuss differences within the bloc.

[@micksand4704]

Pragmatic and realistic thoughts by mr Galeotti. Russia is a limping self proclaimed giant. If you want to counter its actions you should recognise them for what they are, and then concentrate on the ones that really matter. Which is what Galeotti did.

[@dougbyrd1970]

The US has a lot of Russian immigrants and most of them have assimilated. Those that don't work and live on benefits are resented somewhat (as are all lazy immigrant groups) but I have not seen any signs of Russophobia here and neither has my wife of 22 years who is Russian. There is some curiosity of what Russians back home think of the US and the war but that is about it.

[@kirstinstrand6292]

"as are all lazy immigrant groups" ? Not in my Western state. They are hard workers. It's the Ukranine workers who are incapable of finishing their work assignment. Maybe they are too new and unskilled, unlike the Russians.

[@djnorth2020]

I have seen fear or intolerance towards Russians, but then again Finland lost wars and countless number of men, land and wealth. There's always suspicion towards certain groups that aren't based on current day.

[@akmoris]

Btw. I’m American, from Maryland. Love the English version!

[@henriikkak2091]

Forcibly transferring tens of thousands of children and Russifying them meets the conventional definition of genocide (UN). I don't understand why that point should be obscured.

[@RogueSecret]

Ask yourself how this took place, and why. Maybe be happy that Putin did not do like Isreal did in Gaza, 10.000+ children killed, and they got Zero sanctions against them, while Russia have between 7500 and 9000... And so far most of the news i have heard about Ukraine Russia war have been fake or proven to be lies. ----------------------------------- Putin did everything possible to avoid this war to start, USA did everything they could for this war to happend. Listen to JEFFREY SACHS (American economist and academic), he describe the full situation from the start. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ3Qn6aLhNSjldk And also Listen to Jens Stoltenbergs speak: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jens Stolteberg: Putin declared in the autumn of 2021, and actually sent a draft treaty that they wanted NATO to sign, to promise no more NATO enlargment, that was what he sent us. And that was a pre-condition for not invade Ukraine. Of course we didn't sign that... The opposite happened, He wanted us to sign a promise, never to enlarge NATO, He wanted us to remove our millitary infrastructure in all Allies that have joined NATO since 1997, meaning half of NATO, all the Central and Eastern Europe, we should remove NATO from that part of our Alliance, introducing some kind of "B" or second class membership. We rejected that. So he went to war to prevent NATO, more NATO, close to his borders, He has got the exact opposite. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXTJlKxvmtmVr9E&ab_channel=RichardMedhurst @bogard36 And btw, Ukraine is loosing this war badly... It's terrible, their loosing at all fronts... Here you find good cover of this war: www.youtube.com/@historylegends (So far his been accurate all the way) Here you find live battlemap: deepstatemap.live/en#6/49.438/32.053

[@Lesyenka]

I don't think Russification is a legitimate term here. Nearly all Ukrainian refugees from the East were already Russian-speaking. I don't think you'd find any Ukrainian-speaking children in Mariupol, for example. Condemn it as it gets, but Russification is not an accurate term here.

[@johnm7267]

Then what is the killing of 12,000 children in Gaza but no charge of genocide, plus the killing of 14,,000 ethnic Russians in Donbass by the Ukraine army described by the UN as ethnic cleansing. There is no comparison, but it suits you and ICC to discriminate

[@Awibrahor]

@@johnm7267 You’re wilfully spreading misinformation. There’s no ‘14,000 ethnic Russians’ killed in the Donbas. The figure you cite is the _total_ number of estimated deaths in the Donbas war from 2014 to 2021. This includes 6,500 pro-Russian separatist FIGHTERS, 4,400 *Ukrainian* FIGHTERS, and 3,404 civilians.

[@marcosiebert4548]

@@johnm7267 1. Gaza is not Ukraine and you cannot compare this. 2. There never were 14000 ethnic Russians killed in the Donbas, but 14000 Ukrainians, both Russian and Ukrainian speakers, killed by the Russian invasion 2014 and the subsequent occupation. 3. Ukraine was attacked by Russia, Israel was attacked by the Hamas. Ukraine and Israel are defending themselves rightfully. 4. The Hamas and the Russian regime are terrorist organisations that oppress their own people as much as they indiscriminately kill civilians abroad.

[@Arunamatata495]

Great interview. I personally think Alexander Stubb, if he's presid, will really have a big influence on getting the EU to wake up !

[@user-oc6dh2yp2w]

So would his competitor, no?

[@RawandCookedVegan]

Excellent interview. Thank you.

[@ralphhardie7492]

Excellent report Superb context picture Thanks for your work 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@davidjones5980]

An excellent interview!

[@jorisberteloot6893]

Mr. Galeotti is a very wise man.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

Is he?

[@ennediend2865]

​@@robertvanslooten9475 STOP TROLLING BOTSKY !!🤢🤮

[@dalepickelman7281]

seems to me like he's a british agitator to rally against their rival russia....too bad we listen to these colonial scum overlords, when uk is fast becoming irrelevant

[@ZiggyBoon]

One interesting example of the more pragmatic relationship the Finns have had with Russia that ended with the invasion is Jokerit Helsinki, the hockey team that had been playing in the KHL. The Russians invade Ukraine, Jokerit quits the KHL & Finland joins NATO.

[@kirstinstrand6292]

And now Finland feel safe. 😆

[@djnorth2020]

While there surely must have been some shady deals between Finland and Russia, I believe it is rather difficult and counterproductive not to have relations with a neighbouring country. Even before the current war, most people knew about the dangers of aligning with Russia. I can't outright blame Jokerit or other companies having business. Certainly there's been money exchanging hands under the table, but I'm not sure if there was enough valid reasons to isolate such a large nation.

[@khersonskiyarbuzkhersonski2460]

Now Finland has simply lost its independence and become a US colony, congratulations.@@djnorth2020

[@djnorth2020]

@@khersonskiyarbuzkhersonski2460 Yeah no. Just being part of a defense coalition doesn't make you a slave to a country half a world away. We had already had joint training operations, making systems match with other western nations. Of course best would be no need for strong military but that's utopia very few countries have lived. Luxembourg, Sweden... Even they need to prepare. One day Russia might be a companion not a threat but that unforeseen future.

[@khersonskiyarbuzkhersonski2460]

Look further into the situation, American troops will remain in Finland for a long time, and even after 50-100 years there will be no chance of withdrawing them. The short-sighted West is sponsoring a meat grinder, trying to justify Russia's alleged encroachment on NATO countries in the future. Russia was only concerned about Ukraine in Transnistria @@djnorth2020

[@concretejungle9608]

I feel like I’m listening to two people who are both less informed and less knowledgeable on this matter than me - I feel sorry for both of them and their delusion about russians .

[@madselmvig1457]

While Mr. Galeotti present interesting points, on some he is plain wrong. 1. On Genocide: Putin has officially stated that Russia's goal is to remove Ukraine and the Ukrainian nationality, which is according to the Geneva Convention the definition of Genocide. 2. Regarding "Russophobia", Mr. Galeotti should be old enough to know that one of the major cards in the Russian/Soviet war arsenal, is/was 5th Column troops, which are a real danger still, here in Denmark and also Germany has experienced Russian covert infiltration. Finally on immigration, it seems Mr. Galeotti does not understand why Russia sends immigrants to the EU border. It is 2 fold, 1 to burden economy within EU so we stop supporting Ukraine, 2 to send 5th column troops to conduct sabotage.

[@blueblubber6607]

Thumbs up, a very good and informative interview. This line of reasoning looks rather solid and compelling to me, although I admittedly still struggle to make up my mind between this and other (partly) differing opinions on this subject, like the one from Timothy Snyder or John Mearsheimer.

[@judithbradford9130]

I am overjoyed to subscribe, this is excellent content! Being a huge fan of Finnish webcomic creators led me to study Finnish culture and history, and admire your mythology and art. I felt enormous pride and gratification when Finland joined NATO, much to the benefit of the alliance, despite abhorring the Russian aggression against which said alliance exists to protect us all. In recent years we Americans have had few opportunities for genuine national pride (being ourselves conscious of the danger our nation poses to the world unless we defeat our current fascist movement) but for the nation of Finland to join us in security partnership presents a fine instance of our treasured national and civilizational idea, of free people cooperating to the benefit of all and lending each other our strength, at need, to protect against ruin by barbarism, either bandits or grifters or thugs. And that is to be celebrated, for the splendid achievement it is; honor is gained by both who extend trust and reward it, make oaths and keep them, rule themselves rather than be reigned over by another.

[@kyyyni]

@judithbradford9130 Thank you from 🇫🇮! Couldn't agree more with you. Keep defending the truth, keep defending democracy!

[@Ultranationalist987]

My first time to watched you channel, very interesting discussion, i like English-speaking episodes because, I'm Somali and likes to get stay informed in these Global conflicts, i don't speak other than my mother tongue Somali and English language, So make for the audience English speaking channel to follow-up the recently event's in global politics and crisis, thank you these great discussions.

[@Julianjulipo]

Somali; this is a false narrative. NATO expansion to the Russian borders is the reason why Russia; not Putin is destroying Ukraine regime.

[@Julianjulipo]

Check NATO Bukharest decision. Read the RAND report etc. there is a Mountain of evidence to see that NATO wanted to provoke Russia; destroy it and fragment it into little mini states for easy economic exploitation by these imperialist powers.

[@victorrodgerivynelson4238]

Thank you for making english language content. Subscribed and will hope for more in the future!

[@KristapsRoze]

Hello from Latvia! I would disagree on Marks comments that Balts are just ungrateful to Russia...Finland fought for their freedom losing men and territory! We were not given a chance...had to live by Soviet rules and be occupied for more than 50 years ! Who knows were we would be now if we stayed independent!

[@JayDeeChannel]

It’s difficult to fully understand how stupid Putins decision to invade has been.

[@PedroFerreira-ze5yp]

I think it´s easy. It was very very VERY stupid! Simple...

[@mikaveekoo]

​​​​​​​@@PedroFerreira-ze5yp His main agenda is to prevent Nato taking Ukraine too. Looking at the map you understand why. The eastern border of Nato woud be in the suburbs of Moscow. Of course this is the wet dream of Neocons. Nato cancer has contaminated Europe. Now Finland too. Greetings from from Finland. A worried man. 😖

[@jackmatthis]

2 years later and people are still clueless. For 800 years the Moscovites either infiltrate, terrorize and russify OR conquer, exterminate and russify. That was also the modern case for Belatus and Ukraine. In Belarus it worked and today 30 years later in public schools russian went from 45% to 95%. Belarusian is extinct. The job is progressing well. In Ukraine that did not work, so they switched to conquest, extermination mode. How difficult is to see such a plain open fact.

[@stephenhill545]

​@@PedroFerreira-ze5ypprobably did it to solidify support at home.

[@0nFoot]

He thought it would be a cake walk. As did the vast majority of observers/experts

[@eskoven]

Just like Stalin who thought he could take Finland in a few weeks when he attacked Finland on Nov 30, 1939, Putin thought he could take Ukraine easily. I'm still rooting for Ukraine and hope that the western countries keep supporting Ukraine. It's too bad that no Hollywood film has ever been made of the WW2 conflicts between Finland and Russia. Finland learned a difficult lesson during that time, that you have to be self reliant and not depend on help from others. Sweden was neutral and refused to give any assistance to Finland. While France and England had offered military aid to Finland, the supplies would have had to have come through Sweden. Sweden would not allow the transport of military equipment to Finland. Not many people are even aware of the conflict between Finland and Russia during WW2.

[@Nordic619]

It's not true that sweden refused to give help. They sent equipment, food,some men, thousands of children and women fled to swe etc..

[@eskoven]

@@Nordic619 You are correct that Sweden did give some assistance like food and accepting evacuees. My point was that Finland desperately needed military supplies which would have had to come through Sweden. But since Sweden was neutral in WW2 it refused to allow the passage of military supplies through it's territory. Finland was largely equipped with outdated WW1 equipment at the start of the winter war.

[@Nordic619]

@@eskoven You know better than me. But that "Sweden refused to give any assistance" sounded wrong from what i've heard. Maybe fin and swe is more united these days compared those times

[@davidlally592]

Excellent Soumi..!! From an Irishman (we in recent history, have many parallels).

[@nicholasrckent8609]

This rattle and break game is going on everywhere. Individually harmless the collective velocity is beyond dangerous.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

You're right.

[@catsnads01]

Excellent, thank you!

[@shaiaheyes2c41]

Indeed, the Viking Rus were not Russians but Scandinavians, mostly from Sweden. This used to be common knowledge until the Communists erased history, like KGB still are doing today.

[@marions7423]

what russian there was no russian back then. kiev the capital is in ukraine, novgorod was destroyd in 15 century by moscow horde

[@shaiaheyes2c41]

@@marions7423 No, it wasn't called Russia ofcourse, but the land was there and there were people living along the rivers the Vikings row down.

[@4uvak666]

Literally the same reads in russian wkipedia. So how this fact is erased by communists?

[@stephenhill545]

​@shaiaheyes2c41 they colonised it of course, and sold anyone they could find into slavery, on the arab slave market.

[@bobbie2005]

There was No Ukraine then...​@@marions7423

[@EmmettHenderson-hf1zm]

Thank you ever so much. From Idaho, USA.

[@SimonParker-hv6uu]

The Baltic states aren't a homogeneous group. Estonian language is very similar to Finnish. Lithuania about 5% are native Russian speakers. In Latvia however about 50% of the population is ethnic Russian. You can't really speak of them as the Baltic states as if they're all the same.

[@henrikmanitski1061]

You overestimated the percentage of ethnic Russians in Latvia by 2 times - the actual number is around 25%. In Estonia, the number of Russians has dropped from the height of 475000 (>30%) in 1989 to 306000 in 2023 (23%). The trend is downward.

[@leekovalskyj9218]

My understanding of the root of the word Russia, is that it came from what had long ago been referred to as 'the Rus' - that being the homeland of the core population of the Slavic people (in and around Kiev). Largely due to the Mongol invasions (c. 1100?) a significant portion of the people of the Rus fled to the north to settle in the region in and around what is now Moscow. Since they had come from the Rus, they came to refer to themselves as what we translate as Russian.

[@pasileino315]

The real origin of Russia: The name Russia/Rus comes from the original Viking name Roslagen - a geographical area north of Stockholm. (Vikings are also known as Varangians) The Danish and Norwegian Vikings went Southwest and West, but the Swedish Vikings headed east using the river systems to reach deep into Russia and down to the Black Sea. They pushed their relatively light ships over land on logs from one river to another. At that time Russia was a collection of small ragtag cities fighting with each other and so were easy targets for sudden raids by the aggressive and well armed Swedes. This fact is difficult for the Russians to admit. Bonus fact: For some reason, Finland has the largest collection of Viking swords and more are still found from the ground -an interesting fact as Finnish Vikings are not much spoken about. Check out a fantastic book with great images and information ”Viking Swords in Finland” by Mikko Moilanen. It looks like there’s a hidden and forgotten history of Finnish Vikings. Enjoy!

[@LT_ytb]

Ні, Росія має таке відношення до Русі, як Румунія до Риму. Те що ви говорите, схоже на імперський міф і пропаганду Путіна. Русь не поширювалась на північ, як і не було в часи Русі, навіть після приходу монголів, великого переселення слов'ян в межиріччя Оки і Волги. Там переважали фіно-угорські племена. І навіть з приходом монголів це не змінилось. Західні землі, такі як Волинь вже входили в Русь перед приходом монголів, а землі північніше Чернігова - ніколи. Володимир, Суздаль, Новгород були недовго під впливом Русі, але до них, як пишуть у літописах, приїздили князі з Русі, а потім повертались назад в Русь. Московське князівство, хоч Москва й заснована Київським князем, до Русі ніколи не входило і лише після зникнення Русі, просуваючись у завоюваннях, іноді з повним знищенням населення і заселенням своїм, сусідніх князівств, Новгорода й інших земель в бік земель колишньої Русі, взяли собі церковну слов'янську мову, потім в титулатуру царів (бо майже всі європейські князі й королі мали в родоводі когось з князів Русі , та лише московські цим скористались) дописали їм землі Русі, що входили на той час до Литовського князівства, а згодом змінили назву на грецький варіант написання Русі, щоб прив'язати себе до Русі, а через неї й до Візантії.

[@thehighwayman78]

I didn't understand the answer to the initial question regarding the etymological links between "Russia" and "Ruotsi". Anyone got this?

[@kyyyni]

I don't think he really delved into that; maybe it was discussed off camera. Anyway, for what I know, the Finnish name for Sweden, "Ruotsi" originates from the name "Roslagen" (historically the name of the coastal areas belonging to Svealand); that in turn is derived from the word "rodslag", meaning a rowing crew of warrior oarsmen. And that's also the origin* of the name Rus' and Russia, etc., as it was the origin of the Rus' people too. (* I don't know if the word rus' was borrowed to Russian via the Balto-Finnic loanword - something I read seem to point to at least a possibility - but at least the ultimate root of the word is in the old Swedish.)

[@nervechews6781]

As an American who genuinely bought into the conception of my country as an idea rather than an ethnic entity, I find it impossible to understand ethnic-based imperialism, a la Ukraine or Taiwan. I just cannot wrap my head 'round it.

[@charleslloyd7762]

Your excellent English reaffirms my belief that Finns are some of the greatest people in the world. Your uncompromising love of freedom is an example to the whole world.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

What you wrote is bullshit.

[@richmondpattonprehn4383]

Excellent interview and discussion. I’ll monitor this channel for future content in English.

[@Ergilion]

I couldn't agree more with Mark on the subject of Europe having to give an honest answer of why Ukraine matters to them. And I would go as far as to say - even though to many Ukraine might not matter, Russia does matter to all. And the honest answer is if Russia wins in Ukraine it will solidify the current political state of Russia for decades even beyond Putin. It will mean a rise of a rouge nuclear armed state on Europe's doorstep hell bent on undermining the western world. Look at how much damage Iran does in the Middle East. Well if Russia goes this way it will be ten times worse than Iran. Many speak of a risk of nuclear proliferation in the event of Russia loosing the war and becoming politically unstable. But these risks have to be balanced against risk of nuclear proliferation and nuclear threats when Russia turns itself into European Iran.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

😮😮😮😂😂😂

[@stephenhill545]

The Czechs didn't matter to us, and that went well.

[@sferix]

Great conversation!

[@davidc284]

Slavia Ukraine! 🇺🇦 🇺🇲

[@Retsler54]

Are you Ukranian? You may go the the front already today and shout that as much as you would like to.

[@user-wy8nm6ms4v]

Excellent - thank you Mark for your insight and clarity.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

He is clair to me in another way than you meant.

[@gmw3083]

​​​@@robertvanslooten9475He didn't waste any time getting into falsehoods. 3:40 He claims that putin wrongly believes there's some sort of western agenda to harm Russia. Lloyd Austin, Lindsay Graham and Biden have said as much numerous times. There are other examples. For those who think it's all post SMO rhetoric, John McCain was saying similar things on visits to Keeve during Obamas reign....

[@anthonycook6613]

@@gmw3083 Quotations?

[@gmw3083]

@@anthonycook6613 I don't do spoon feeding. Find them yourself. Or stay lost.

[@anthonycook6613]

​@@gmw3083 Wow, that was a little defensive! Almost as though, if you had to dig up any actual quotes, they wouldn't really back up your claim. I mean, that's fine ... but I hope you'll be ok with my new KZbin channel called "GMW says he has sex with vegetables". You did say that, right? True, I don't have any actual *quotes* of you saying it, but that's not MY problem. You can always find the quotes yourself ... can't you?

[@emdpls]

Brilliant conversation

[@ladoga]

Btw. Vladimir and Volodymyr seem to derive from Old Norse name Valdamarr. I read it's a combination of words for power and rule. I don't speak Old Norse so take it with a grain of salt.

[@wlhjr77]

This was a interesting discussion, I learned alot about russia relations, thank you.

[@robertvanslooten9475]

Be careful!

[@wlhjr77]

@@robertvanslooten9475 care to elaborate?