Joni Askola Profile picture
Aug 23 4 tweets 2 min read Read on X
1/4 Putin wants you to forget this anniversary. You shouldn’t.

In 1939, the Soviet Union signed a pact with nazi Germany. Yes—it sided with Hitler.

They didn’t just agree to peace. They agreed to carve up Europe Image
2/4 The pact included a secret protocol: Eastern Europe was split into nazi and Soviet zones.

The USSR invaded Poland, annexed the Baltics, and began mass deportations.

Millions suffered under this deal. It wasn’t neutrality—it was collusion Image
3/4 Today, russia tries to rewrite this history.

They blame Poland, praise the pact, and deny the Soviet role in starting WWII.

But facts don’t bend to propaganda. Stalin helped launch the war—and Moscow wants you to forget it Image
4/4 The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a pact of predators.

It led to war, occupation, genocide, and betrayal.

Remember it. Because forgetting is exactly what the Kremlin wants Image

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More from @joni_askola

Aug 22
1/8 The F-35 vs Rafale debate keeps resurfacing—but let’s be clear: the F-35 is in a different league.

Rafale fans need to chill. Europe has no one to blame but itself for not developing a 5th-gen jet.

The Rafale is good—but it’s not the future Image
2/8 The Rafale is a very capable but costly 4th-gen fighter.

It’s not stealthy—and Dassault knows that it’s a problem. That’s why their next jet will be stealthy. If stealth didn’t matter, they wouldn’t bother.

The F-35 is built for the next era. Rafale is built for the last Image
3/8 The Rafale is better than russia’s best jets—but it’s not in a different league. The F-35 is.

Countries like Finland and Poland, bordering russia, don’t have the luxury to choose “Buy European” over a massive battlefield advantage Image
Read 8 tweets
Aug 22
1/5 russia’s war in Ukraine is a textbook case of genocide.

Look at the UN’s definition: genocide includes acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

russia’s actions fit this definition perfectly👇 Image
2/5 Putin launched the invasion with a speech denying Ukraine’s existence.

russia justifies the war with genocidal rhetoric—denying Ukrainian statehood, identity, history, and culture.

This isn’t vague. It’s explicit. And russia is acting on it Image
3/5 russia is abducting Ukrainian children and sending them to reeducation camps.

It’s mobilizing men in occupied areas to fight against their own country.
It’s forcibly russifying occupied territories.

These are documented, systematic acts Image
Read 5 tweets
Aug 21
1/6 Trumpism is a cheap copy of Putinism

Both are built on lies, spectacle, and manipulation. It’s not about truth—it’s about acting a lie so convincingly that it becomes reality.

It’s as if Vladislav Surkov were whispering in Trump’s earImage
2/6 Surkov, Putin’s former shadowy strategist, pioneered the idea:
“If you act it, it becomes real.”

Fake elections with fake opposition, but real ballots. Fake separatists with real guns.

A hybrid reality where lies are dressed up as truth Image
3/6 In Ukraine, russia staged separatist uprisings using paid actors, soldiers, and propaganda.

Emails, leaks, and confessions from Prigozhin and Girkin exposed the playbook.

The goal? Create a movement that didn’t exist—until the act made it real Image
Read 6 tweets
Aug 21
1/5 Putin is overplaying his hand—again.

Ironically, we are lucky Putin keeps making unrealistic, maximalist demands just to mock the West.

Because if he offered even a slightly compromised deal, our weak Western leaders might pressure Ukraine to accept itImage
2/5 Trump and many European leaders have been hoping the war would just fade away.

They are ready to appease Putin, make big compromises, and pressure Ukraine to settle.

But Putin’s arrogance keeps him from playing smart Image
3/5 russia is strategically losing the war.

It can’t achieve its goals and won’t.
Yet even a bad deal with a hint of compromise could bait Western leaders into pushing Ukraine to accept.

But Putin won’t do it—he’d rather humiliate than negotiateImage
Read 5 tweets
Aug 20
1/7 People often don’t grasp the scale of the war in Ukraine—especially when comparing it to Gaza.

This isn’t a moral comparison.

It’s about understanding the sheer magnitude of Ukraine’s suffering and displacement Image
2/7 Both conflicts are horrific and involve immense civilian suffering.

But Ukraine’s war is on a vastly larger scale—geographically, militarily, and in terms of casualties and displacement

Map: ISW Image
3/7 Mariupol alone saw 27k–88k deaths, mostly civilians (Uppsala Conflict Data Program).

Ukraine’s full-scale war has caused 1–2 million casualties. russia alone has over 1 million.

Gaza’s war has caused 200k–250k casualties—still massive, but far fewer Image
Read 7 tweets
Aug 20
1/5 russia and its backers need to learn one basic concept: reciprocity

They act like it doesn’t exist. It’s a russian specialty—demanding rights and privileges they deny to others.

The hypocrisy is endlessImage
2/5 russia says NATO expansion threatens its security. But CSTO expansion is fine.

russia can bomb Ukrainian cities—but Ukraine must not strike back.

russia wants one-way rules. No reciprocity. Just entitlement Image
3/5 russia uses north korean troops and mercenaries. But Ukraine shouldn’t host Western troops—even far from the front.

russia gets aid from iran, china, and north korea. But aid to Ukraine? That’s “provocative.”

See the pattern? Image
Read 5 tweets

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