Meet Nikolai Patrushev: Putin's Most Influential Adviser | Mark Galeotti

This episode of The IR thinker examines the role of Nikolai Patrushev inside the Kremlin, focusing on his position within Russia’s Security Council, his long relationship with Vladimir Putin and his influence over the country’s security and foreign policy. The conversation explores Patrushev’s FSB legacy, his rivalry and cooperation with figures such as Sergey Naryshkin, his anti Western worldview and conspiracy narratives, and the vulnerabilities that accompany his power. Content 00:00 Introduction 02:11 An Overview of Russia's Security Council 05:01 How Transparent is the Security Council? 06:19 The Patrushev-Putin Connection 09:52 Russia's Triad of Power Sources 13:04 Patrushev's Sons 15:00 Tracing Patrushev's Legacy in the FSB 17:42 Diving into Patrushev's Security Acumen 19:45 The Dynamics between Patrushev and Sergey Naryshkin 22:24 Is There a Challenger to Patrushev's Influence? 26:48 Navigating Patrushev's Role in Russian Foreign Policy 31:15 Has Lavrov Stepped Back for Patrushev to Lead? 33:17 Decoding Patrushev's Anti-Western Stance 38:46 Unravelling Patrushev's Conspiracy Narratives 41:40 Patrushev's Counter-strategies against the West: A Look at Public Intelligence 47:21 Exploring Patrushev's Vulnerabilities 50:52 Patrushev's Diplomatic Outreach: Can He Forge Alliances for Russia? Mark Galeotti is a British historian, lecturer and writer who specialises in transnational crime and Russian security affairs. He is director of the consultancy Mayak Intelligence, honorary professor at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and an associate fellow in Euro Atlantic geopolitics at the Council on Geostrategy. His commentary has appeared in outlets such as The Spectator, The Moscow Times and Foreign Affairs. Profile https://scholar.google.com/citations?... https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/ Publications Putin's Wars - From Chechnya to Ukraine https://www.ospreypublishing.com/uk/p... The Vory - Russia's Super Mafia https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/97803... Nikolai Patrushev, the man dripping poison into Putin’s ear https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/n... Podcast https://inmoscowsshadows.buzzsprout.com/ About the Host: Martin Zubko, creator and host of 'The IR thinker', is passionate about exploring global issues in international relations through in-depth discussions with leading experts. Follow & Further Resources Substack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/ LinkedIn:   / ir-thinker   X: https://x.com/irthinker_ Instagram:   / theirthinker   Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker... Facebook:   / irthinkerfb   Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/3wYz... Amazon Music https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/a... DISCLAIMER At ‘The IR thinker’, we foster respectful and inclusive discussion. We do not permit hate speech, discrimination (including racism, antisemitism, sexism, homophobia or xenophobia), personal attacks or harassment in comments. Opinions expressed by guests, contributors and commenters are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of ‘The IR thinker’ or of its host, Martin Zubko. We welcome constructive feedback to improve our content. Comments that violate these guidelines may be removed and users may be banned. All content is provided for general information only, does not constitute professional advice, and remains the intellectual property of ‘The IR thinker’. MUSIC CREDIT Infraction - No Copyright Music    / @infraction   Epic Heroic Trailer by Infraction [No Copyright Music] / New Hero    • Epic Heroic Trailer by Infraction [No Copy...   #Patrushev #Kremlin #RussianSecurity #MarkGaleotti #theIRthinker