During the interview, Batsman and Maksakova discussed:
- rumors about the health of illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as topics of experimental medicine and his attempts to prolong life;
- increased security at Putin's residences and fears of possible attacks from Ukrainian ballistics;
- versions that close business and political groups, in particular the so-called Kovalchuk, Russian businessmen and influential figures, can have real influence in the system around Putin;
- possible internal purges of the Russian elite and increased pressure on security officials, including former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu;
- the use of public media figures as an information distraction, in particular the Russian blogger Victoria Boni;
- behind-the-scenes stories of the Russian elite and scandals surrounding public figures, in particular Russian propagandist Ksenia Sobchak;
- mentions of the Russian gymnast and Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva in the context of her personal life and elite connections.
Maksakova was born in 1977 in Munich (Germany). Her mother is Russian actress Lyudmila Maksakova, her father is German businessman Peter Igenbergs. Her maternal grandmother is also a singer, People's Artist of the USSR Maria Maksakova.
Maksakova made her debut on the big stage as an opera singer in 2000. She has performed at the Russian theaters “New Opera”, “Helikon-Opera”, Bolshoi Theater of Russia, Mariinsky Theater, Primorsky Opera and Ballet Theater.
Since 2016, Maksakova has lived in Ukraine, which she has not left since the full-scale Russian invasion, which began in February 2022. Maksakova’s husband, ex-deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Denis Voronenkov, was killed by a killer in the center of Kyiv in March 2017.
On September 30, it became known that a Moscow court sentenced Maksakova in absentia to four years and six months of imprisonment in a general regime colony. The sentence was imposed on charges of calling for activities against state security and violating the law on “foreign agents.”
