The Putin Files: Julia Ioffe

I'm a well-educated, 30 year old Russan citizen who was born in Moscow and lived my first 20 years there but my most recent 10 in the US. Julia has the best grasp on the modern Russian history, and Putin Era specifically, of pretty much anybody I have heard in the English-speaking media. She is honest, her reporting is very well-sourced, she is very "in the know" about Russian politics, and understands both sides of the US-Russia relations. Thanks PBS for interviewing her. It totally mirrors my personal experiences in Moscow, be it Bolotnaya protests or Medvedev's restart of relations with the West and the sense of optimism that was in the air then. I left in 2012 for the US to study for my doctorate, right after the HUGE wave of protests she talks about, and it was the best decision I've ever made, as I witness the corrosion of democracy and, more importantly, civil liberties, in Russia, where all my family still lives.

Holy crap... I stumbled upon an in-depth, intelligent interview with an informed and articulate interviewer/interviewee. I actually learned something. How the hell did that happen?

I return to this interview. I am amazed recently by how many people "discover" what Julia described 6 years ago.

Such an insightful interview. I wish I had found it sooner

PBS should be applauded for giving this the time and focus it deserved. Ioffe is an intense and impressive speaker & teacher and is so excellent at distilling this for the lay audience. Plus she’s relatable, just in how she speaks. Given what’s going on in the world, she deserves her own show. She deserved it before, but now? Now she deserves it and we collectively need it! If the major networks plus premium channels like HBO Max aren’t fighting over her then something is really wrong with this world. I mean they’ve got to be duking it out right now. I look forward to watching whatever show she and her team decide to create.

Julia captivated me as if I was watching a movie. She’s mesmerizingly brilliant and the clarity with which she speaks and explains is refreshing and leaves you wanting more. Thanks Julia, this was just fantastic!!!!!

Amazing interview. Spell binding.

Julia, you are a beast of a journalist

this is one of the best interviews i have ever listened to. Really intelligent and balanced person. Julia knows exactly whats going on. I wish alot of our mainstream media was as honest and open as Julia. well done

So incredibly well spoken with an awesome ability to recall so many events. Thank you Julia!

Julia Loffe is just fabulous,, she's brave, smart and highly intellectual when it comes to human rights and freedoms. She's got class, brilliance and a distinguished career as a reporter of current affairs.

Simply Brilliant! Julia Ioffe is just superb in every way. Her soft-spoken yet hard-hitting comprehensive exposition of Russia, her command of her material, her use of language, always simple and direct, her pronunciation of Russian names, her articulate descriptions and explanations, all of it hits the bull's eye perfectly. She lets the facts speak for themselves, without indulging in exaggerated rhetoric, that leads the listener through a logical analysis that's easy to follow and understand. Kudos and many thanks!

This reporter is brilliant in her ability to summarize a subject so well. What a fascinating report. We need more journalists like her.

Hands down one of the best in depth analysis I’ve watched in a long time AND not messed up by advertising . Someone at Google must have spared this one from ad revenue.

Excellent explanations and researched to the bone.

Such remarkable information by someone so well-informed---it is difficult to believe Ms. Ioffe has amassed such knowledge from Russia. I cannot imagine the strength, energy and self-assurance it took to gather this transformatively valuable information. This interview was so upsetting to listen to, that I had to keep stopping for a while to let my brain and heart recover from discovering what the Russian people are living through. So much worse than I ever imagined.

It's four years later: March, 2022...How about an update from this remarkably knowledgeable and prescient reporter?

Can we please have a 2019 update with Julia. So clear, intelligent, well spoken.

Julia certainly knows her subject! She puts it across brilliantly, no Umms! No Errs! ... Precise, well thought out delivery! Excellent!

Always great to listen to you!