1/ This is what it looks like on Europe-wide Gallup polls. Greenland is absolutely the thing that has destroyed approval of Trump, and the US, in Europe. Note that Denmark, formerly one of the most US countries in Europe, is now the most anti-US.
2/ If you plot the YouGov approval ratings for the big Western European countries over time, it's very clear that Trump's approval in Europe collapsed during the Greenland crisis in December-January 2026 and has continued falling since.
3/ This is why the European far right is now scrambling to distance itself from Trump in every country where he had previously been seen by them as an ally; he's now far too unpopular for this to work any more.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
1/ A new Russian anti-drug law is leading to drug warnings being added to classic works of Russian literature by Gogol, Pushkin, Bulgakov and other classic authors, due to mentions of drug use. It's a sign of how censorship is reaching increasingly deeply into Russian life. ⬇️
2/ Verstka reports that Russian online bookshops are adding warnings to both the text and audiobook versions of classic works such as Gogol's stories "The Nose" and "Viy," children's stories by Tolstoy, and works by Bulgakov such as "The Master and Margarita".
3/ It comes after the introduction into effect on 1 March 2026 of a new law banning "drug propaganda" in literature, film, media, and the Internet.
1/ Growing discontent about Russian government policies is reflected in an increasing willingness by Russian commentators to directly attack Vladimir Putin – still a very risky move. Warblogger Egor Guzenko calls Putin a liar over Internet shutdowns. ⬇️
2/ Writing on his channel 'Thirteenth', Guzenko – a veteran Russian nationalist who has been fighting in Ukraine from 2014 onwards – ignores the ever-present threat of the FSB and gives Putin both barrels:
3/ "You'll have to forgive me, but you know, Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, what you're saying now is a blatant lie."
1/ The developers of the Russian heavy bomber drone 'Kukushka' have been sent to their deaths en masse, according to the father of one of the men. He says they were deliberately killed as they were regarded as 'inconveniences' by their commanders. ⬇️
2/ Alexander Igorevich Anorin has recorded a video accusing commanders in the 102nd Motorised Rifle Regiment (military unit 91706) of sending a group of UAV developers to their deaths in assaults against Ukrainian positions.
3/ He says the commander of the regiment's 2nd Batallion, Boris Borisovich Kravchenko, call sign "Azak," and the regiment's deputy political officer, Samvel Karapetyan, sent the drone developers to die in an assault near Poltavka in the Zaporizhzhia region in July 2025.
1/ Recent satellite images showing dozens of Iranian fast boats in formation in the Strait of Hormuz illustrate Iran's ability to lay naval mines in the strait. An Iranian export catalogue highlights its many indigenously produced mine types. ⬇️
2/ Iran is said to possess a huge stockpile of naval mines, potentially as many as 5,000-6,000. It has systematically made preparations over decades to mine the Strait of Hormuz, which it can do using small boats, aircraft, or even rockets.
3/ Iran has hundreds of small-displacement combat boats, many of which can be used for anti-shipping attacks and mine-laying, some at very high speeds. For example, the recently developed Haidar 110 can reach speeds of up to 110 knots (126 mph / 203 km/h).
1/ Russia's growing economic and social problems, exacerbated by the government's own policies, are causing even loyal pro-Putin commentators to warn of a looming crisis. Yuri Baranchik warns that people are increasingly blaming the government for making their lives worse. ⬇️
2/ Baranchik comments in an analysis on his Telegram channel that "the system is increasingly struggling to cope with its own weight", and says that Russians are increasingly unhappy that growing state repression is now affecting them personally.
3/ "Since there is no shortage of analysis of the symptoms of the processes unfolding within the system ... I will attempt to describe the basis of this phenomenon.
1/ Complaints about Internet blocks from Russian Instagram celebrities are obscuring a host of other problems, many caused by the Ukraine war, argues journalist Anastasia Kashevarova. Her long list highlights the increasingly severe difficulties faced by Russia's population. ⬇️
2/ Kashevarova writes:
"About the women's rebellion. I am against gender rebellions and any others, since they are destructive and distract from solving real problems towards confrontation between the sexes, redistribution of spheres of influence, struggle of individuals."
3/ "Here there is no longer any smell of protection of human rights, there is a draining of the painful things and presenting the people's pain in the light of some kind of stupidity and foolishness.