Meduza’s English-language podcast, The Naked Pravda highlights how our top reporting intersects with the wider research and expertise that exists about Russia. The broader context of Meduza’s in-depth, original journalism isn’t always clear, which is where this show comes in. Here you’ll hear from the world’s community of Russia experts, activists, and reporters about issues that are at the heart of Meduza’s stories and crucial to major events in and around Russia.

The Naked Pravda

On June 25, NATO leaders agreed at their annual summit on a goal of spending five percent of their gross domestic product on defense, more than doubling the old two-percent target. It’s unclear how many members will actually reach this goal. Even the target relies on some creative accounting: of the five percent, only 3.5 percent is pledged to what officials call “pure” defense spending, with the remainder going to security and defense-related “critical infrastructure.”
 Ahead of the NATO summit, The New Yorker published “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/30/how-donald-trump-got-nato-to-pay-up" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Collective Punishment: Why is Donald Trump upending America’s commitment to NATO?</a>” a story by contributing writer Joshua Yaffa, the author of the 2021 Orwell Prize-winning book “<a href="https://meduza.io/en/episodes/2020/05/22/moral-calculus-under-putin-joshua-yaffa-talks-about-his-new-book-between-two-fires" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia</a>.” In his new article, Yaffa describes how the looming threats of Russian aggression and American withdrawal are pressuring European leaders to reassess their approach to NATO and their broader defense strategies. He joined this episode of The Naked Pravda to discuss the story.<a href="https://meduza.io/feature/2023/07/12/uchimsya-ne-boyatsya-vmeste-s-vami">Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно</a>

On June 25, NATO leaders agreed at their annual summit on a goal of spending five percent of their gross domestic product on defense, more than doubling the old two-percent target. It’s unclear how many members will actually reach this goal. Even the target relies on some creative accounting: of the five percent, only 3.5 percent is pledged to what officials call “pure” defense spending, with the remainder going to security and defense-related “critical infrastructure.”
Ahead of the NATO summit, The New Yorker published “Collective Punishment: Why is Donald Trump upending America’s commitment to NATO?” a story by contributing writer Joshua Yaffa, the author of the 2021 Orwell Prize-winning book “Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia.” In his new article, Yaffa describes how the looming threats of Russian aggression and American withdrawal are pressuring European leaders to reassess their approach to NATO and their broader defense strategies. He joined this episode of The Naked Pravda to discuss the story.
Как поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

Journalist Joshua Yaffa discusses his June 2025 New Yorker article, “Collective Punishment: Why is Donald Trump upending America’s commitment to NATO?” and how the looming threats of Russian aggression and U.S. withdrawal pressure Europe.

Joshua Yaffa explains how Donald Trump got NATO to pay up

News &amp; Politics

Boris Goryachev

Meduza’s English-language podcast, The Naked Pravda highlights how our top reporting intersects with the wider research and expertise that exists about Russia.

Meduza’s English-language podcast, The Naked Pravda highlights how our top reporting intersects with the wider research and expertise that exists about Russia. The broader context of Meduza’s in-depth, original journalism isn’t always clear, which is where this show comes in. Here you’ll hear from the world’s community of Russia experts, activists, and reporters about issues that are at the heart of Meduza’s stories and crucial to major events in and around Russia.