1/10 Venerable @CatherineBelton (author of Putin's People) wrote an interesting story for @washingtonpost not long ago. It focuses on American businessman Stephen Lynch, who wants to buy a Swiss company that operates the now defunct Nord Stream 2 gas washingtonpost.com/world/2024/11/… 2/10 pipeline. She points out that, according to the German MP (from Christian Democratic Union) Roderich Kiesewetter @RKiesewetter, who also happens to be a member of Bundestag's committee on foreign affairs, there is "a growing contingent in the German establishment

1/5 Adding insult to injury. So get this. Organizers of @la_Biennale are OK with showing pro-Russian "documentary" that portrays Putin's cannon fodder in sympathetic manner, but they do not allow the screening of Georgian film by @RusudanGlurjidz. Her film (The Antique) depicts 2/5 inhuman mass deportation of Georgians from Russia in 2006 (for which, by the way, European Court of Human Rights ordered Russia to pay €10 million to Georgia in 2019, but, of course, Moscow refused to pay). However, Venice film festival refused to agenda.ge/en/news/2019/1…

1/8 Azerbaijan's President Aliyev over the past weekend vowed to support pro-independence movements in French overseas territories "until they are free." It's not clear what exactly he meant by this, but it sounds like official Baku plans to up the ante. . reuters.com/world/azerbaij…
2/8 Due to geography & other factors there are many obstacles that Azeri government will have to overcome to render this assistance practically meaningful, though I speculate that financial assistance will be provided for sure, including by tacit means and via @bakuinitiative.

1/4 Earlier this month, @sanctionsgroup released 52-page report detailing Russia's continued efforts to procure "battlefield goods" (communications equipment, electronic components, or semiconductors for military use, among others) that are critical for its defense industry.





2/4 This report is a damning verdict of Biden administration's inability to enforce sanctions and export controls. It is a scathing collective indictment of @StateDept, @BISgov, @USTreasury, @CommerceGov. One key data point is the main takeaway: In January-October 2023,

1/4 Two years after anti-government protests shook Kazakhstan, President Tokayev finds courage to spill the beans about what happened. In an exclusive interview to Egemen Qazaqstan, he recalls a blunt conversation with former President Nazarbayev. egemen.kz/article/355466… 2/4 According to Tokayev, he told Elbasy that "political games of his [Nazarbayev's] closest supporters nearly tore the country apart." One way to interpret this remark is that the unrest was organized by Nazarbayev's loyalists, which is one of the often heard explanations.

1/6 NATO member France and Armenia, which is a member of Russia-led military alliance Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), reached an agreement on military-technical cooperation yesterday. According to the agreement, France (Thales) will sell Armenia 3 GM-200 radars. 2/6 In addition, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding according to which France will sell Armenia Mistral short-range air defense system sometime in the future. However, this development raises a number of questions. Chief among them is the fact that Armenia

1/4 This belatedly. On Tuesday, there was another episode of border skirmishes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This time it was near settlement of Tegh in Armenia's Syunik province, which borders Azerbaijan. Armenia says 4 soldiers died, 6 were wounded. tass.ru/mezhdunarodnay… 2/4 Azerbaijan says Armenian side opened fire with mortars & large-caliber weapons against Azeri positions in Lachin district, killing 3 soldiers. Naturally, both sides blame each other for provocations. I wonder what EU monitors in Armenia have to say. tass.ru/mezhdunarodnay…

1/6 @SimonOstrovsky does a great job investigating the largest manufacturer of computer numerical control (CNC) machines, US corporation @Haas_Automation, for its alleged sales to Russia. CNC machines are critical for weapons production in Russia because it cannot produce them. 2/6 Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU) collected evidence indicating that Haas continued sales of CNC machines to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 in violation of US sanctions. ESCU passed this information to @USTreasury so that the latter can take action.

A few words about upcoming snap elections for Mazhilis (lower chamber of Kazakhstan's bicameral legislature), which are scheduled for this Sunday, 19 March. A brief🧵1/6 Seven parties are allowed to compete. Only two are new: Party of Kazakhstan's Greens Baytak & Respublica. 2/6 Genuine opposition parties were denied registration, so they are banned from participating in elections. Exit polls are forbidden by law. Phone poll conducted by Demoscope indicates that 62.5% of respondents think that none of parties in elections represent their interests.

1/4 This is great. @EUinGeorgia, @usingeo, @StateDept make a note of this. Anti-Western conspiracy theorist, one nutcase by the name of Alexander Kochiashvili sent his "masterpiece" entitled Unmasking Lucifer (see cover, it's self-explanatory) to members of Georgian parliament.

https://twitter.com/RezoBear/status/1635957550393827329

2/4 It should be noted that the library of Georgian parliament includes at least four other "masterpieces" of this gentleman (nom de plume: Alkochari). Their titles are as follows: Biblical conspiracy of Jews, Threats! (2019), Geostrategy of "conspirers" and Armenia (2021),

1/4 Staffed with foreign judges court at Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) ruled in favor of Kazakhstan's state holding Baiterek, ordering to seize assets belonging to Russia's state-owned Ground Space Infrastructure Operation Center (GSIOC) at Baykonur space complex. 2/4 The said order stems from commercial dispute between Baiterek and GSIOC. Baiterek claims that GSIOC owes $26.6 million for environmental impact assessment related to planned Russian rocket Soyuz-5. Kazakhstan's minister of digital development Bagdat Musin commented on this.

1/4 This somewhat belatedly and for those, who know Georgian. Thorough examination of 1924 anti-Soviet insurrection in Georgia (known as August Uprising) in four parts. Soviet version spoke only of 800 people executed by Soviets in retaliation. Part I: radiotavisupleba.ge/a/%E1%83%90%E1… 2/4 In reality, Soviet authorities executed 5,000-6,000 people. My paternal grandmother's father was shot in front of his family as a local Bolshevik snitch ratted him out for supporting Georgian guerillas led by Kakutsa Cholokashvili. Part II: radiotavisupleba.ge/a/%E1%83%90%E1…

1/5 Despite ongoing Russian military invasion, Ukraine managed to sow 69% of land with main crops. So out of 14.4 million hectares planned for this year to be sown, 9.9 million hectares have been sown, according to Ukraine's agriculture ministry. Attention, @AlexKokcharov. 2/5 As of 12 May, land sown under sunflower occupied 3.29 million hectares (66% out of planned 4.93 million hectares). Land sown under corn - 3.24 million hectares (67% out of 4.85 million hectares). Spring barley - 918,800 hectares (89.7%/1.02 million hectares).

1/4 This is why US congressional oversight is so important. Pentagon's top brass spills beans during hearings this week. Defense secretary @SecDef reveals that apparently there are 143 US-trained ex-Afghan Air Force pilots at a mountainous resort near Dushanbe, Tajikistan. 2/4 So Uzbekistan was not the only country to host ex-AAF pilots, who fled Afghanistan as Taliban was taking over. He chides @StateDept for being slow when it comes to processing their applications to presumably bring them to US or third countries. reuters.com/world/us/biden…

1/4 I'd like to sincerely thank French education minister @jmblanquer for having such an informative and insightful textbook (2019 edition) on geography and geopolitics for lycée students in public schools and specifically for those enrolled in seconde (2de, age cohort: 15-16). 2/4 I glanced over the section that focuses on the breakup of the USSR and what followed and it is quite good. Lots of facts are packed here in a condensed and accessible manner, including info graphics (such as what Russia exported in 2017, for instance).

🚨Thread 1/16 @novaya_gazeta did a terrific job compiling list of Putin's useful idiots from West brought to annexed Crimea to validate constitutional referendum to extend Putin's rule in 2020. There were 70 of them. French contingent was largest by far. novayagazeta.ru/articles/2021/… 2/16 So who were they? Here's the complete list as per above info graphic: (1) David Kainrath (SPÖ party activist, Austria), (2) Christian Danzmayr (psychotherapist from Vienna), (3) Giedrius Grabauskas (co-chairman of Socialist Front of Lithuania), (4) Aram Hakobyan (Armenia).

1/4 On 26 May (Independence Day) 2021, Tbilisi's sacred Mtatsminda Pantheon will receive the remains of one the most distinguished Georgian military leaders, General Giorgi Kvinitadze. He will be re-buried next to the leader of 1924 revolt Kakutsa Cholokashvili. 2/4 According to Jean Chardin Académie Géorgienne-Française, public will have a chance to pay respect to Kvinitadze's remains at Tbilisi's Holy Trinity cathedral on 24-25 May. Kvinitadze & Prime Minister of First Republic Noe Zhordania did not get along. facebook.com/permalink.php?…

1/4 #Ederer's note to EU diplomats is not just an example of #Germany dominating European #diplomacy. It sheds light on how quickly German foreign ministry adopted transactional diplomacy a la Trump. @Mikepeeljourno does a great job recapping Ederer's memo. Everything is here. 2/4 Ederer penned this memo ahead of EU-Asia forum in Brussels on 27 September. In his attempt to revive Ostpolitik, the German diplomat argues that European companies (Nokia and Ericsson) should consider entering telecom market in Russia to forestall Chinese competition.