Ilya Budraitskis

This time Eric chats with Ilya Budraitskis, a Russian historian, political activist, and author of “Dissidents among Dissidents: Ideology, Politics, and the Left in Post-Soviet Russia.” Ilya explains his decision to leave Russia in the days following the invasion of Ukraine, and provides an analysis of the early antiwar protests forcibly suppressed by the Kremlin. From there, Ilya provides an analysis of the Russian Left, including the reactionary Communist Party of Russia, and explains the various dynamics at play in Russia. The final portion of the discussion centers around the questions of Russian imperialism and the ideological war Putin has waged on the history and legacy of Lenin and the Bolshevik Revolution.