🧵I am starting my journey today with an American & Ukrainian aid worker to deliver supplies to those most vulnerable/affected along the eastern and southern front lines in #Ukraine. Please follow along for updates throughout the week.

Started in Kyiv this morning, got on a 4-hour train to meet people I didn’t know in a different city, jumped into their black van, drove 12 hours across the entire country and will be sleeping 18 miles from the Russian border.

Helluva day.

Stopped at the site of a former cafeteria in Izium. The city was under Russian occupation & was the site of horrific war crimes. It was liberated in September. So far, one mass grave has been found in the city containing at least 440 bodies, some w/ hands tied behind their backs.

Read 8 tweets

Andrew Kimmel

@andrewkimmel

Feb 28, 2023

https://twitter.com/maria_drutska/status/1630606455177895937

Russia. Will. Not. Stop. With. Ukraine.

https://twitter.com/maria_drutska/status/1630606455177895937

For those that don't know, Moldova is situated in a strategic position for Russia. One long sliver of Moldova borders E Ukraine (called Transnistria), which is under military occupation of Russia. There are 1500 Russian troops there + the largest ammo depot in Eastern Europe.

Russia has started the groundwork of destabilizing the country. Last Tuesday, Putin revoked a 2012 foreign policy decree that in part recognized Moldova’s independence. Russia’s MoD then accused Ukraine of “preparing an armed provocation” against Transnistria, w/o any evidence.

Read 6 tweets

Andrew Kimmel

@andrewkimmel

Feb 21, 2023

@McFaul

I came across this powerful post by Michael @McFaul, a Professor of Political Science at Stanford University & former US Ambassador to Russia. I recommend subscribing to his substack, but I will include his post about Ukraine in the thread below... open.substack.com/pub/michaelmcf…

"I just got back from the Munich Security Conference last night. It’s one of my favorite conferences as it allows me to see many people from across the European continent and the world in just one long weekend..."

"...Until Putin invaded Ukraine, it was also one of the only places in the world that I could meet with Russians – diplomats, MPs, think-tankers, and businesspeople (aka “oligarchs”) – since I have been on Putin’s sanctions list since 2014..."

Read 22 tweets

Andrew Kimmel

@andrewkimmel

Feb 21, 2023

The center of Warsaw is preparing for President Biden’s motorcade.

Ukrainians have put up a banner stating, “Mr. Biden, send F-16 to Ukraine” across from where the President is staying. I could hear these chants in my hotel a distance away, so I can only imagine this can be heard within his hotel.