Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

---

Maria Snegovaya sits down with Nate Vance — a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the 2022 invasion — to discuss Ukrainian and Russian military tactics, life as an infantryman on the front lines, and the impact of Soviet legacies on military culture.  

Vance spent three years with the Da Vinci Wolves, seeing action from Bakhmut to Pokrovsk, before leaving in early 2025 when his first cousin JD Vance's rise to the vice presidency made him a potential Russian target. 

Mentioned: 
Russian Blood and Treasure: The Ballooning Costs of Putin’s War: (csis.org/analysis/russian-blood-and-treasure-ballooning-costs-putins-war) CSIS Publication by Seth Jones and Riley McCabe 

Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org. 

If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.  

Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile (csis.org/podcasts/eurofile)