Few observations about reader preferences with Russia analysis. So, we @RiddleRussia @RidlRussia posted most read articles of the year with: #Riddletop10_2021 and #Riddle_топ_2021. We have about same amount of people reading us in English and in Russian.
Out of 10 most read
articles only two made it to both lists, Vladimir Gelman on #Sputnik "success story" ridl.io/en/sputnik-v-o… and Igor Gretskiy on Russia - NATO relations in 1990s ridl.io/en/could-the-w…;
Topics of most interest to English speaking readers: simply foreign policy - Russia and
Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, China, Central Asia, Libya and Russian military. Among a few exceptions is @fa_burkhardt's piece on PM Mishustin's ambitions ridl.io/en/foolproofin…;
For Russian speakers it is much more diverse list: elections (Smart Voting efficiency -
ridl.io/en/the-impact-…), passportization of Donbas (@OlgaRGulina' s ridl.io/en/passport-ex…), Russian youth (ridl.io/en/russia-s-ge…) and issues related to state governance like this @IvanTkachev1 piece on state efforts to limit access to information (ridl.io/en/the-x-files…)

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More from @ABarbashin

21 Dec
Seeing a lot of speculation about Russia's timing over escalation with Ukraine and NATO. Some have argued this is about Russia's domestic transition while others insist this is EU/US presumably "weak" moment that made Russia move. Few thoughts. THREAD 1/16
I don't buy the argument that Putin is about to leave office...in 2024 and thus he wants to close the page over Ukraine and secure Russia's western border for good, so he could retire and enjoy occasional mojito in his southern palace at Cape Idokopas. 2/16
I have strong doubts he will leave in 2024 and even if he does step down as president to become a "national leader" or some other fancy title to indeed supervise his own transit (like in KZ) this does not explain the seemingly unbearable urgency of the moment. 3/16
Read 16 tweets
19 Dec
Very interesting read by one of Russia's leading China experts (probably the main one on Chinese military) Vasily Kashin on #Lithuania - #China feud and its growing importance for international relations. Moscow is watching this space very close. Thread 1/7
Kashin asserts that Lithuania was purposefully aggravating its relationship with China in order to get US support.
Long story short: China decided to show its full strength and delisted LT in its customs records, de-facto prohibiting any imports of LT-produced goods 2/7
Beijing has also imposed de-facto corporate ban for companies working with LT: making it hard for international firms working with LT to work with China at the same time (kind of like secondary sanctions);
The goal is to tests China's arsenal of coercions and test EU 3/7
Read 8 tweets
15 Dec
Vladislav Inozemtsev here argues you can't defeat Putin, you can only outlive him. Why?
Thread 1/14
ridl.io/en/outliving-p…
Putin’s system is in some ways not a state in the traditional sense of the word. It lacks clear ideology; it has rather blurred and undefined boundaries; and, most importantly, it does not distinguish between the private and public spheres, treating both quite arbitrarily 2/14
It is hostile to legal culture as such, constantly changing the rules and passing vague laws that could victimise any of its subjects at any given time. The nature of this bizarre regime is set by the main goal of its beneficiaries: personal enrichment. 3/14
Read 14 tweets
14 Dec
Fresh @levada_ru about the ongoing escalation over Ukraine.
Only 4%(!) believe Russia is responsible
50% think it is NATO
16% - Ukraine
3% - DNR/LNR
Thread
75%(!!!) do not exclude it could lead to Russia - Ukraine war
Of them, 3% think it is inevitable, 36% - highly likely, 38% - least likely;
only 15% think it is impossible
What does it say?
1. Propaganda continues to work quite well when it come to foreign policy, Kremlin fully controls the narrative.
2. The language of "defense" appeal impeccably. See Olesya Zakharova on how it is constructed - ridl.io/en/the-languag…;
Read 5 tweets
13 Dec
Is it possible to make any sound conclusions about the state of US - Russia dialogue over Ukraine and NATO already today? Obviously there way too many variables but I've tried to outline there major developments. Thread 1/6
ridl.io/en/the-drumrol…
Isolation of Russia is over. We will have a lot more meetings, summits and various negotiation formats. And this is good. The half-isolations of the last 7 years proved to be pointless. For as long as Putin is ready to talk, it is cheaper to listen.
2/6
Russia-NATO status-quo is over. Something will have to change. Too soon to tell which way it would go - obviously Article 10 would not be altered but there are ambitious yet hard options that could be investigated. It is crucial to be open and keep in mind that Russia
3/6
Read 6 tweets
12 Dec
Was just reminded of this Kasparov quote:
"Russia's war with Ukraine is the final stage of historic confrontation of Kievan Rus and Byzantium/Golden Horde". He is juxtaposing "good" European civilization with a "bad" Asian one. A small thread.
1/5
I find it quite hilarious that Byzantine Empire's tradition is being framed as an Asian one.
Poor Eastern Roman Empire. Oh well.
But main problem with that comparison is that it is often used as a racist one - Ukrainians as white Europeans vs. Russians the Tatars/Ugrians
2/5
A final frontier of Europe vs. Barbarians of the East.
I get why it is attractive for some in Ukraine, especially on the right but it is embarrassing really.
Russia is Europe. And it is acting as a European power...of the 19th century.
3/5
Read 5 tweets

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