Just as Winston Churchill called Russia “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”, in 2018, the country continues to defy prediction. So what’s next for a country with a history full of contradiction?

Mr Kyle Wilson, former Australian diplomat and Australia National University fellow at the Centre for European Studies, spoke with AIIA WA’s Flavia Bellieni Zimmermann on his experience during his posting to Russia and current perspectives in Russian politics.

Kyle Wilson is a former intelligence analyst and diplomat. He has also served as the official Russian interpreter for Australian heads of state, prime ministers, federal ministers and state premiers. Since retiring he has been a Visiting Fellow at the ANU’s Centre for European Studies.

Interview by Flavia Bellieni Zimmermann

Video and Editing by Nancye Miles-Tweedie