"Happiness is mandatory"
— Sign-off at the end of every episode
The Eastern Border
is a History Podcast hosted by Latvian journalist Kristaps Andrejsons. Started around 2015, the focus of each episode varies but subjects are mostly the Soviet Union and Russia.
What has shaped current Russia, its government, and its ideologies? Each episode describes an aspect of the USSR: the history of Soviet rule, its laws, culture and the everyday life of Soviet citizens. What did they see? How did they get by? What did they go through? And what is left after the collapse of USSR?
Interleaved with the "history" episodes, the podcast features "War in Ukraine" episodes focused on the full-scale invasion that began on Feb 24, 2022. Kristaps has stated this series will continue until the war ends.
Notable episodes
This podcast contains examples of
- Arch-Enemy: Kristaps nemesis is Igor Girkin (the ex-leader of Donbass separatists who started whole mess back in 2014). He's using him as source for lot of war episodes as someone who has insight to some structures in Russia.
- Breather Episode: From time to time there is relaxing episode usually with some guest. For example: Fantastic Buildings and Where to Find Them ft. David Getzin
- Glorious Mother Russia: Kristaps often uses Soviet pop culture references and jokes. He also often uses sarcasm, because some of the stories from the Soviet Union are so unbelievable that you can't tell it with a straight face.
- Gonzo Journalism: For Kristaps, the war in Ukraine and everything that happens around it is personal. He himself has suffered many losses because of Russia and its activities. He describes himself as Gonzo journalist.
- The Ghost: Kristaps often talks about the editor of his longer episodes. You can only hear her in the mid-rolls of episodes.
- The New Russia: Some episodes also concern Russia after the fall of communism. They explain the mentality of the Russians and their ruling class, the mafia-like state structure and the fascisation of society. Kristaps was the first to point out that Vladimir Putin has doppelgangers, which brought unwanted attention to the Russian troll farms owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin.
- Shout-Out: Kristaps's sign-off "happiness is mandatory" comes from Paranoia, a tabletop RPG that resonates with the podcast's tone and subject matter.
- Soviet Union: Most of the historical episodes concern the Soviet Union. From the rise of Communism in Russia to its fall.
