Kyiv did not sleep once again last night. On the last weekend of the year, the capital should have smelled of mulled wine, cinnamon, chocolate and joy. Instead, our city was filled with smoke, gunpowder, explosions, screams, and curses. The Russian attack lasted twelve hours.

Have yourself a wonderful Turkish boxing day with simit and Iznik christmas tree decorations 😍

It's an unusual form of isolationism...

Merry Christmas to all who mark it today ❤️🙏

The US has sanctioned European researchers and policymakers studying misinformation, framing independent inquiry as a free speech violation. The Trump admin's refusal to allow regulation of platforms is US tech policy by other means—now being enforced through sanctions. Scholars must pay attention.

Who says British public is not ready for war? We are shopping and planning insane amount with great energy just for shops being closed for two days..

Definitive proof that in Sadiq Khan's London, Christmas has been cancelled altogether www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Just did a Substack Live with Ukrainian General Volodomyr Havrylov. He gave a fascinating overview of the changes in the war. For instance, now Ukraine is close to inflicting 50% of the casualties on the Russians using only 10% of the Ukr military. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

"Belgian politicians and senior finance executives have been subject to a campaign of intimidation orchestrated by Russian intelligence aimed at persuading the country to block the use of €185bn assets for Ukraine, according to European intelligence agencies." www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Horrendous news from Australia.. Prayers with all the victims and their families.. And may we all learn to be as brave as this man when the time calls for it.. Worst of humanity meet the best!!

Much of the current debate surrounding immigration continues to be based on misinformation. As our trustee, @nandosigona.bsky.social and Laurence Lessard-Phillips show in this new report, people significantly overestimate the number of irregular migrants in the UK. i-claim.eu/project/publ...

Nothing says "smash the political establishment" quite like begging the Prime Minister to put your mates in the unelected House of Lords.

🎙️In the latest Global Security Briefing episode, Dr Burcu Ozcelik and Nicholas Hopton join host Neil Melvin to discuss key insights from the Doha Forum and the shifting Middle East security landscape. Listen here: https://bit.ly/4rQaTW6

"In most cases, the drone operators cannot be identified. Authorities, however, increasingly suspect that there could be potential foreign involvement by hostile powers in some cases, though inexperienced hobbyists are often to blame." DW p.dw.com/p/54tpw

Is US, a NATO ally, turning away from the West?

Highly recommend analysis

The commander of the German Army, Christian Freuding, said in an interview with The Atlantic that the Pentagon has cut off communication with the German Defense Ministry, including coordination of military aid to Ukraine. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...

Great culture can save lives. Literally. Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷

I'm not a big fan of the Munich analogy, but this is real Munich stuff -- probably worse. www.ft.com/content/f411...

Exclusive: The U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika, nooses and the Confederate flag as hate symbols. The military service drafted a new policy that classifies them as “potentially divisive.”

This does feel like a major crossing of the Rubicon – the world's best-funded and in many ways most powerful public health agency is now actively pushing disinformation. I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.

Kash Patel eliminated a crucial "Five Eyes" position in London after lying about doing it, compromising an intelligence-sharing agreement between that had held strong since 1938. “It was a jarring introduction to Mr. Patel’s leadership style for British officials.” www.rawstory.com/kash-patel-2...

We shall remember them.. Today and always, those who sacrifice their lives so that we can be safe, yesterday, today and tomorrow. With an image of one of the most impactful installations I have ever seen to honour them.. It took 300 people a year to make 888,246 flowers and install them

Agree

#BBCNews - South Africans trapped in Donbas after joining Russia-Ukraine war, Ramaphosa says www.bbc.com/news/article... #UkraineWar

The Russian president has ordered his officials to draft proposals, saying: ‘If the US . . . conducts such tests, then Russia must also take appropriate retaliatory steps’ on.ft.com/3JMGJSA

A few reached out asking about my silence on social media.. I have decided to take a step back in life to reflect and use my free time and few years ahead to restore this old walled garden on Rathlin island and re-open it as a vibrant haven.. On left garden now, on right an inspiration from Scotland

Turkey-Syria defense cooperation in effect: “One source said around 300 Syrians, mostly soldiers, but also some police officers, are currently being trained at two bases in central and eastern Turkey.” www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-...

In other words, the coalition of the willing is unwilling to help until Ukraine doesn't need its help. Surely at some point someone has to realise that this approach just incentivises Putin to keep the war going?

Outstanding news that should be shared.

Hi All, Book deals on both sides of the Atlantic for War and Power: Who Wins Wars and Why--my latest book. If you want to buy a signed first edition from the UK bookseller Toppings, you can order it from this link. www.toppingbooks.co.uk/books/philli...

📣 I'm actively looking for new journalism assignments, writing or editing gigs, or other work that uses my communications skills, ideally to make positive social, cultural, or environmental impact. Check out what I do and hit me up if you have projects that might be a match! www.jenniferhattam.com

Strangely reassuring

Wow! I have found that Musk's support of Advance UK and Operation Raise the Colours (the flags campaign) has skewed the X algorithm so that Tommy Robinson posts now have greater reach than those of Nigel Farage. Statistics in this thread.

Elon Musk, one of the world’s most powerful and richest men is posting far right ideology. Remigration is commonly seen as a far right concept of ethnic cleansing. To deport migrants and their descendants to their place of racial ancestry. That would include me. Why are we not talking about this?

The EU is weighing legal ways to bypass unanimity in foreign policy, Bloomberg reports. A group of 12 countries backs shifting to qualified majority voting to speed up decisions on Ukraine and Russia, often blocked by Hungary. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The first ever successful & impactful cyber-physical attack on European critical infrastructure outside of Ukraine? “Russian hackers took control of a Norwegian dam this year, opening a floodgate and allowing water to flow unnoticed for four hours, Norway’s intelligence service has said.”

The disappearance of U.S. aid in Nigeria's northeast has threatened a school that supports children who are victims of Boko Haram extremists.

Key question:

What it’s like to be a Middle East Studies Professor in fall 2025 - my new post surveys the field, and my colleagues. Basically it sucks and it’s getting worse. But we haven’t given up. abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/what-its-lik...

“Europe is risking its political soul. It has put itself in a situation in which leaders cannot say publicly what they are actually trying to do. That is a recipe for distrust and a poison for democracy” on.ft.com/3HH41Ze

Conversation with Paul Krugman appeared just a little while ago. We discuss the war in Ukraine, and the appalling state of military analysis, the power of groupthink, etc. We also delve into my new book, War and Power. Enjoy. open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

With the recent flurry of diplomatic activity this past week, there has been renewed interest in the proposed 'Multinational Force Ukraine'. I write here on the proposed structure of this Reassurance Force, its pros, cons, and the question over its strategic utility.

Trump unpromptedly shows reporters a photo of Putin and himself, who he says may be a guest at next year's World Cup in the US: "I'm going to sign this for him... I thought it was a nice picture of him." Putin bombed an American non-military factory in Ukraine yesterday.

Agree

BREAKING: A Ukrainian citizen suspected of participating in the undersea explosions in 2022 that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany has been arrested, German prosecutors said.

I have not heard anything at all from government ministers nor the opposition nor many media outlets about the dangers of this epidemic of sweeping casual racism. It is sometimes seen as comical - as with Rupert Lowe and the rowers - but it is dangerous and dehumanising