This stories of spies and murderers is, even by Russian standards, totally wild. Moscow's behaviour in the West is so brazen and obscene it's astonishing we do very little to stop it. theins.press/en/politics/27…

Meanwhile in Russia: TV shows are promoting the return of punitive psychiatry. In a poll, most of the viewers agreed with State Duma member Vitaly Milonov, who says Democrats are psychos and wants to send drug users and cat people to psychiatric asylums.
youtu.be/doMwU-WukBQ

Two senior Ukrainian intel officials described Russia’s attacks along the frontline and missile strikes on Kharkiv as softening the battlefield before a major offensive. The officials expect Russia to launch a new large-scale assault in late May or June.
on.ft.com/4aXFbOc

An extremely dangerous speech that will chill anyone who cares about Georgia 🇬🇪 to the bone. There will be plenty of commentary but no summary can convey the full-on conspiracy-minded paranoia. Bidzina Ivanishvili seems to believe this stuff. Read in full civil.ge/archives/602348

CPAC-Hongarije en toespraak Wilders tonen dat de term 'populisme' tekortschiet. Er is sprake van een heuse contrarevolutie, gericht op de links-liberale erfenis van '68. Ik sprak de hoofdrolspelers; verdiepte me in hun ideeën. Zojuist 't manuscript ingeleverd, verschijnt in juni:

If 🇷🇺 conquers the 🇺🇦 town named Toretsk since 2016, they'll call it Dzerzhynsk again, after the name of the Cheka's founder, the ancestor of Putin's beloved KGB. Like calling a German town 'Himmler'. Hoping the operational prognosis of this pro-🇷🇺 site may be a tad over the top

Russland plant Extra-Propagandaunterricht in der besetzten Ukraine im Fach Geschichte. Der Historiker Artem Petryk aus Cherson betont, dass 'Geschichte' eine der wichtigsten Waffen Russlands sei, um seine imperialistischen Ziele zu erreichen. /1
khpg.org/en/1608813635

❗️AFU Commander-in-Chief Syrsky: situation at the frontlines has escalated. In an attempt to seize the strategic initiative and break through the front line, the enemy has focused its main efforts on several areas, creating a significant advantage in forces and equipment. The…

Russia in recent days. More arrests...more journalists:
* Sergei Mingazov (charge: allegedly spreading ‘false info’ about army)
* Konstantin Gabov (‘extremism’ charge)
* Sergey Karelin (‘extremism’ charge, reports AP)

Russian troops amass near Kharkiv, advancing towards Kupiansk. Despite Kharkiv being a longstanding military goal, even the most radical Russian strategists admit capturing the city seems improbable. Now, resorting to disinformation & 'grey zone' tactics to intimidate civilians

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky says the battlefield situation has 'worsened,' and Russia is 'trying to seize the strategic initiative and break through the frontline.' It has 'a significant advantage in forces and means' and is 'actively…

Good one from Polina Ivanova and max seddon on the recent arrest of Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, the shifting fortunes of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and the jockeying for power ahead of a possible Putin cabinet reshuffle. on.ft.com/49ZaeYi

Why Ramzan Kadyrov’s demise could plunge Putin into a new war
The talk of Chechnya's Kadyrov being seriously ill seems a lot more solid than the wishful thinking about Putin. My take for The Times and The Sunday Times on what this may mean
thetimes.co.uk/article/why-ra…

Quite a book. ⁦Илья Барабанов⁩ and korotkov, in their new history of Wagner, include documents penned by one of its founders and Prigozhin’s key lieutenant Dmitrii Utkin who addressed Prigozhin with a “Heil!” and signed himself with an SS. Denazifiers ffs!

Notable that Ukraine keeps hitting refineries in Russia despite the U.S. asking it not to. Kyiv’s sense is that it can stop Russian missile barrages only through establishing tit for tat deterrence — especially as the U.S., despite the unblocking of congressional funding, is not…

Alles wat je wilde weten over de ATACMS-raketten die Oekraïne heeft gekregen van de VS. Eerst alleen de uitvoering met een beperkt bereik en een cluster springkop, nu ook die met een bereik van 300 km en een unitaire springkop.

Today’s Russian missile attack targeted Ukraine’s energy system and its various facilities, including the power grid and the gas transit system, particularly the gas infrastructure that ensures the security of deliveries to the EU.

It is critical that such strikes do not become…

Some context for those who think Ru can keep up this intensity of assault forever.

⚡Slovak citizens raise $4 million for Czech ammunition initiative after government refuses to contribute.

kyivindependent.com/slovak-citizen…

Een gewaarschuwd mens telt voor twee. Slovakia's populist government to replace public broadcaster bbc.com/news/world-eur…