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Latest Russia Contingency is out. I’m joined by Alexandra Prokopenko and Richard Connolly to talk about the state of the Russian economy. We look at oil prices, sanctions, and discuss different scenarios for the coming months. War on the Rocks warontherocks.com/episode/therus…

Re-upping my essay from 2020. Asia is too complex for either bipolarity or hegemony. "Nearly every government in Asia deeply mistrusts Beijing. Yet none of them, even those most ambivalent about Chinese power, have embraced a U.S.-dictated future." carnegieendowment.org/posts/2020/09/…

Big announcement here. Congrats to Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens & Johanna Inness for taking this forward over the last year.

New data from Russia's federal budget suggests that around 400,000 men signed a contract with the Russian military in 2024. The fourth quarter was particularly strong, with an estimated 1,700 new contracts signed each day.

As the person whose article was wrongly titled "Putin's Brain" about Dugin while the piece argued no such things, this thread is a must

Zelenskyy in Vilnius: — Our operation “Web” that hit Russia proves tech matters; our joint investments are making Europe stronger — If Russia undermines Istanbul talks, pressure must rise—sanctions and oil limits — Russia must gain nothing from this war 0/

Straight from the depths of Ukrainian Twitter: "At the next round of negotiations in Istanbul, we should send SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk. He wouldn’t have to say a word — just sit off to the side, calmly watching the Russians while quietly jotting things down in a little notebook

How NOT to win friends and influence people in India.

So honored to see this lovely ⁦The New York Times⁩ ⁦Li Yuan袁莉⁩ article about my new biography of Xi Zhongxun, father of Xi Jinping, on the publication day of my book: “deeply researched” and “contributes greatly to our understand of China.” nytimes.com/2025/06/03/bus…

📢 British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Oxford School of Global & Area Studies invites Expressions of Interest for the @britishacademy_ Postdoc Fellowship scheme. Open to early-career researchers aiming to pursue independent research. More info and how to apply: area-studies.ox.ac.uk/early-career-o…

In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll talk about Finland and how pro-Kremlin propagandists have become more active in the Finnish political space since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For the first time since 2022, they’ve gained some political power in Finland. 1/16

1/ A Russian military doctor has spoken frankly in an interview about the atrocious state of Russian military medicine and the lack of medical training given to soldiers. Most of the wounded die, he says, and doctors themselves are treated as 'slaves' by the Russian military. ⬇️

The Economist: Taiwan no longer counts on America to defend it. For decades, Taiwan’s plan was simple: survive 1 month of Chinese attacks until U.S. forces arrive. Now, after Trump’s stance on Ukraine, Taiwan is planning for a lonelier, longer war. 1/

Reports indicate that Israeli strikes have killed Iran’s Chief of General Staff Mohammad Bagheri, along with nuclear scientists Fereydoon Abbasi and Mohammad Tehranchi. According to The Times of Israel, the IDF carried out around 100 strikes on targets across Iran.

1/ Iran's rapid military collapse is being blamed by Russian warbloggers on rampant corruption under the country's notionally Islamist regime. Everything is for sale like in "the late USSR", they say, which has allowed the Israelis to infiltrate Iran with ease. ⬇️

The memes have started.

Same here….😊

I signed it too -66 of us at the last count !

Наш фильм «Катькин сад» о самых грязных операциях КГБ и его преемников получил премию «Редколлегия». Посмотрите наш фильм на YouTube, если вы еще не сделали этого: youtu.be/P-TwKpqJ9qo

I believe this jacket is from Dobell, a company that produces their tailoring in Turkey. I'll show you some telltale signs of quality and where you can buy a tailored jacket made in Britain. 🧵