Call to action!
"It is our responsibility to show the international community a clear antiwar stance that we as Russian citizens, free from the claws of Putin's regime and propaganda machine, are taking"
message from @rusdemsoc
"We cannot allow ourselves to get used to this criminal war, let alone remain silent when Putin claims that it is being waged on our behalf and with our support." @rusdemsoc
These banners speak volumes (Prague, 26.3.2022)
It's been nearly a year since Putin has started an atrocious war against Ukraine
On Feb 24-26 there will be massive rallies & demonstrations held by Russians all over the world to protest against this terrible war
Russians living abroad, join them!
📷 Russians in 🇨🇿 (26.3.2022)
📢 Save the Date
📣 Russians all over the world protesting against this terrible war
🗓 When? February 24-26
Ukraine is dominating the Black Sea after crippling Russia's fleet.
But new US-brokered maritime deals could jeopardize that.
Here's why this isn't looking like the "second grain deal" everyone wanted: 👇
The US last week announced agreements with both Russia and Ukraine aimed at reducing tension in the Black Sea. The idea is to ensure safe navigation and prevent commercial ships from being used for military purposes.
There’s no trilateral deal, just two separate agreements. At best, this is the first step towards a binding trilateral agreement. And a closer look shows that Russia is walking away with the better end of the bargain
When talking to bandits, you must always show the club behind your back. Because if you don't, they think you have none.
🧵Read on to understand how he thinks
Promising 25% tariffs on those who buy Russian oil means imposing tariffs on China and India, with unpredictable consequences. The response may be surprising to Trump's team if there are no prior agreements.
Perhaps it's time to discuss, alongside new rare earth metals agreements, restoring Lend-Lease - providing Ukraine with $100 billion in weapons over the next 12 months.
As Putin proposes "external administration" for Ukraine, he's not seeking territory—he's measuring how far he can go while America contemplates its role in the conflict.
The current stage of peace talks is revealing more than it seems.
🧵Here are 3 things that stand out—and what they mean going forward.
1. Escalation is deliberate, not reactive
Putin's announcement about external administration of Ukraine says one thing – he is being traditional about testing the sharp rise of stakes. Judging by the rules presented to the US and Trump in that same speech, there's an expectation that the current US administration favors increased pressure on the Ukrainian authorities.
2. Ukraine is caught in an economic and diplomatic vice
This coincided with the emergence of a new, more stringent version of the agreement on "rare-Earth metals". Ukraine has been caught in a vice and easing the pressure with French and German help won't be easy. But the prospects are cloudy, and not only for Ukraine.
Russia's secret fleet: How "floating scrap" tankers are evading sanctions and creating an environmental time bomb.
🧵@dossier_center investigation exposes the dangerous shell game playing out in international waters
Dossier tracked one such vessel, the Morpheus, which is anchored off Cyprus. It never leaves the area. Instead, it receives Russian oil from inbound tankers and offloads it to others, masking its Russian origin through a series of transfers
On Feb 19, Dossier filmed the Voula, a tanker from Novorossiysk, transferring 30,000 tons of oil products to the Morpheus off Limassol. The operation took place in neutral waters —beyond the legal reach of Cyprus or the EU
The Soviet regime couldn't break him with forced psychiatry. Now Putin's Russia has sentenced 67-year-old Alexander Skobkov to 16 years.
Skobov was twice sentenced to three years of punitive psychiatry in 1978 and 1985 because of his activism against the Soviet dictatorship. Now, his continued resistance to tyranny has landed him in prison
He was convicted by a St Petersburg court of ‘justifying terrorism’ over his prior participation in the democratic Free Russia Forum, as well as a Telegram post he made about the explosion on the bridge linking Russia to occupied Crimea
In 2022, Putin bombed Mariupol theater where women and children sheltered.
Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko wrote about it on Telegram, got 6 years.
🧵 But even that wasn't enough. Now she's on the verge of killing herself because of mistreatment when in prison
Maria was imprisoned over Telegram posts about the air strike on the Mariupol Drama Theater in 2022 – you will have seen images of the building with the word “children” spelled out on the ground outside in a desperate bid to deter attacks apnews.com/article/russia…
During her most recent court hearing, Maria showed her lawyers a cut on her arm, where she had cut herself out of desperation after being mistreated by prison staff. She is also on a dry hunger strike