Professor of Economics, Board Member, Founding Rector of American University Kyiv
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Apr 16 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
Pentagon officials have reached out to “an unspecified allied state,” urging them to halt their continued arms supplies to Ukraine. However, that country rejected the request.
Two comments here:
1/n 2/ First, this development was entirely predictable. The U.S. administration’s plan to pressure Ukraine into capitulation is clearly failing. While the U.S. has cut all aid, European countries have stepped up their support.
Apr 16 • 14 tweets • 2 min read
“Why are Ukrainians still dying?”
Elon Musk asked that haunting question. Many are echoing it.
They say Ukraine can’t win — so why keep fighting?
The answer is timeless: Because freedom is worth dying for.
1/n 2/ I first went to Ukraine just weeks after russian troops were pushed out of Kyiv.
The world expected Ukraine to fall in days.
Instead, civilians — teachers, baristas, students — stood and fought back.
And they won.
Apr 16 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
North Korea has supplied russia with up to 6 million artillery shells, without which Moscow could not have sustained such an intense war effort.
1/n 2/ Four russian cargo ships have been transporting containers filled with weapons, which are then delivered by train to ammunition depots near Ukraine. At least six shipments have been documented in 2025 alone.
Apr 14 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
These texts are from russian Telegram channels. Read how “good russians” comment on the news of dead Ukrainian civilians and children in Sumy. This is plain evil and it shows clearly why any negotiations with these people are meaningless.
1/n 2/ “Happy Palm Sunday, ukrofascists! Rejoice, crooked-toothed freaks, that the ukronazi children died in Sumy, grunting and choking on blood in front of their festering parents. This is not a pig farm, this is the cleansing of the world from shit!”
(Elena Alaverda)
Apr 9 • 23 tweets • 3 min read
The faint-hearted should not read this.
Three years ago, I translated the story of Christina Jolos, who fled Mariupol while it was surrounded by russian forces.
This is not easy to read. But please do. And share it.
The world must know what happened.
1/n 2/ “Yesterday, at our own risk, we left Mariupol under gunfire. We spent the night in a field in the gray zone. It was freezing.
Thank God we are alive.
We are alive to scream that everyone still in Mariupol needs help.”
Apr 7 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
People Are Scared to Speak Out
Recently, I learned about a Ukrainian woman who received an email from the Department of Homeland Security ordering her to leave the country within seven days or “the federal government will find you.”
1/n 2/ It turned out the email had been sent “in error” and that the U4U program had not been terminated. But the most shocking part was her quiet comment: “I don’t even have a parking ticket. I don’t post on social media.”
Apr 3 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
“Ruination Day”: The new Economist cover amid Trump’s tariff war.
Trump has launched a global trade war, calling it a “Liberation Day.” As an economist, I know a thing or two about tariffs. So here are some predictions of what we should expect if this tariff war continues.
1/n 2/ First, let’s clarify what tariffs will not do:
- Tariffs will not fix the U.S. trade deficit. That’s simply wishful thinking. Tariffs will reduce both exports and imports, leaving the overall balance of trade largely unchanged.
Apr 2 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
Here is a short summary of the misnamed Russian-American "peace process" regarding Ukraine from Timothy Snyder, Professor of History at Yale University.
1/n 2/ The US demands that Ukraine accept an immediate unconditional ceasefire. Ukraine agrees.
Apr 1 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
Why is today’s Trump so different from Trump in his first term?
A sobering explanation from Ukrainian journalist Nadia Palyvoda — and a warning.
It’s not that Trump changed. It’s that the people around him did.
Let’s unpack it.
1/n 2/ In his first term, Trump did things many pro-Ukraine people admired:
— Struck Wagner mercs in Syria
— Sent Javelins to Ukraine
— Sanctioned Nord Stream 2
— Declared Crimea would never be recognized as russian
But here’s the twist: none of that was really his idea.
Apr 1 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
A message from Pastor Mark Burns after his recent visit to Ukraine:
The war in Ukraine is bigger than Democrats or Republicans, the Left or the Right. Whether you dislike President Trump or President Zelensky, real people are dying here.
1/n 2/ 20,000 children have been kidnapped and stolen to Russia. 300 women were recently raped, as reported by multi-faith religious leaders.
Mar 23 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Why did the U.S. shift focus from Ukrainian elections to changing Ukraine’s Constitution?
Maybe because they finally read it.
The original plan was simple:
Zelensky refuses to sign a capitulation? Fine. Replace him through elections — maybe with Zaluzhnyi or someone else.
1/n 2/ But here’s the twist:
Turns out none of the current political figures are willing to sign a capitulation.
Why?
Because it’s unconstitutional.
Mar 22 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
A sobering message from a history teacher:
I’ve spent years teaching American and international government — from strong democracies like the UK to authoritarian regimes like russia and China.
But lately, the most alarming lesson comes from home.
1/n 2/ One thing I always tell my students:
Democracy doesn’t collapse overnight.
There’s no moment where a leader says, “I’m a dictator now.”
The fall is gradual. Legal. Publicly tolerated. And often cheered on by millions.
Mar 21 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
There is no neutrality in the face of evil.
The russian war and genocide against Ukrainians have changed me.
They killed three of my friends.
They have raped, tortured, castrated, and beheaded thousands.
They’ve destroyed the livelihoods of millions.
1/n 2/ I used to be tolerant and open to different points of view.
But now, my vision is more black and white.
The war became personal.
The pain became personal.
Mar 20 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann responds to the White House press secretary’s attack after he suggested France should reclaim the Statue of Liberty:
“Dear Americans, since the White House press secretary is attacking me today, I wanted to tell you this:”
1/n 2/ “Our two peoples are intimately linked by history, by the blood we shed, and by our shared passion for freedom—symbolized by the Statue of Liberty, which France gifted to honor your glorious Revolution.”
Mar 20 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Please repost, translate, and spread this message. Share it with foreigners, journalists, and politicians. The world needs to know.
I am not a soldier. I never aspired to be one. I am a historian, a researcher, a museum worker, and a writer. But now, I am at war. 2/ Every day, we engage in artillery duels where one enemy shell can turn us into mincemeat.
We sleep in bags on crates, wash in warm water once a month (if we’re lucky), and eat when there’s a free moment—not when we’re hungry.
Mar 20 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
I’m tired of MAGA Christians telling me they support Trump but don’t endorse his character, tactics, or rhetoric. That he’s just an "imperfect vessel" chosen by God to make America Christian again.
Really? Let’s take a closer look. 1/n 2/ You support a regime that is the antithesis of the gospel.
In a country with almost a billion acres of prime farmland, you back policies that cut $40 billion in aid to starving people worldwide—while 18 million Americans struggle to eat.
Mar 14 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
Did the USA Collude with russia to Hand Over Kursk?
Last week, I suggested Ukraine’s loss in Kursk might have been part of a secret U.S.-russia deal—akin to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
Now, new evidence raises even more questions. 🧵 2/ Putin didn’t want to freeze the war without regaining lost russian territory. For “negotiations” to begin, Trump had to help russia retake Kursk.
Mar 13 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
Trump claims the U.S. has given $350 billion in aid to Ukraine. Is that true? Short answer: No. Trump lied. When asked for a source, the White House has stayed silent. Let’s break down the real numbers. 1/n 2/ The Kiel Institute, which tracks aid to Ukraine, reports that the U.S. has spent $119.7 billion between Jan 2022 and Dec 2024. Other independent estimates align closely with this figure.
Mar 12 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
1/ It looks like a betrayal of Ukraine by the U.S. administration.
Reports indicate that Ukrainian troops are retreating from Kursk (Forbes). Russians have been spotted raising their flags in Sudzha—the main city in Kursk previously captured by Ukrainian forces.
1/n 2/ The U.S. only restored arms supplies and vital intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Ukraine began retreating. That’s no coincidence.
Mar 11 • 13 tweets • 2 min read
To understand the civilizational battle confronting the world today, we need to discuss a little-known 1997 book by a russian neo-fascist named Alexandr Dugin—so closely linked to Putin’s ideology that he’s been called “Putin’s brain.”
1/n 2/ Dugin has spent his life denouncing liberalism and democracy, insisting that only russia could “save” humanity through the spread of Christian Russian Orthodox values.
Mar 10 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
The deal between the U.S. and russia could be a modern-day Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
It seems I was right about Trump helping russia recapture Kursk.
1/n 2/ Yesterday, I warned that Trump is deliberately crippling Ukraine to enable russia to retake Kursk. Once that happens, he will have set the stage for Ukraine’s capitulation under his so-called “peace deal.”