My piece on the dramatic changes inside Russian schools since 2022, with weapons training in the classroom and a push from kindergarten to prepare soldiers for future conflicts. “They are preparing kids ideologically & psychologically for war,” said @irgarner.bsky.social www.wsj.com/world/russia...

Talked to a woman in Russia, mother of two, who said "I am ashamed of what my country has done, & that there's little I can do." Her whole town is pro-war, except a few close friends. Always amazed such Russians exist, despite the crackdown & info blackout. But they're dwindling.

200 miles of antitank ditches & barbed wire cut through fields across Ukraine’s battle-scarred east - fortifications that Kyiv is trying to lay fast & far enough to halt Russia’s advance. But, it's proving to be like building an airplane while flying it. My latest www.wsj.com/world/europe...

Good piece by @nataliyavasilyeva.bsky.social. The Kremlin has tried hard to shield ordinary Russians from the war but that is now impossible. Regular internet shutdowns, texts warning of possible drone attacks, cyber attacks on airports - all have brought the war home www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/w...

We often hear Ukraine’s side of this war. But we rarely hear from Russian soldiers. I spent months on this piece about a young Russian man who abandoned a decent life in St. Petersburg to join Moscow’s brutal war machine. His story is hard to believe - but it’s true. www.wsj.com/world/europe...

My interview with Vladimir Medinsky, Putin's chief negotiator on Ukraine and a man who has spent decades cementing a Kremlin narrative on history that paved the way for the invasion of Ukraine. He said Russia is willing to fight as long as is necessary to win www.wsj.com/world/russia...

I spoke to fresh recruits to the Ukrainian army’s 18-24 program, which targets Gen Z with perks including an interest-free mortgage, trips abroad & a $24,000 sign-on bonus that exceeds many soldiers’ yearly pay. “Who is going to fight, if not us?” www.wsj.com/world/ukrain...

Among the war veterans who stood on Red Square today was Amyr Argamakov, part of a crop of Russian soldiers whom Putin is elevating to government positions to pacify dissent. He told me how he rose from service in Chechnya to a seat in Russia's parliament www.wsj.com/world/russia...

My piece on Ildar Dadin, an extraordinary Putin critic who spent a decade protesting inside Russia and then traveled to Ukraine to fight his own country in war. His battlefield death in October is a symbol of the challenge Russia's divided opposition faces www.wsj.com/world/russia...

Ben Macintyre on Gordievsky: “…I got to know Gordievsky well, spending more than 100 hours in his overheated living room. His neighbours had no idea that the bearded, diminutive man living next door, under an assumed name, had averted World War Three” www.thetimes.com/world/europe...

Putin’s response to a ceasefire offer: don military fatigues, head to embattled Kursk region and announce Russia will keep fighting till Ukraine is ousted from its land. Pretty clear message about what he thinks of Zelensky’s overture

Putin won’t be rushed into a quick peace deal of the sort Trump is advocating because he has spent decades calling for the kind of global reorganization that he thinks might now be finally emerging. My latest for @wsj.com www.wsj.com/world/russia...

💥 Former Stasi agent and close friend of Putin, Matthias Warnig has been engineering a deal with US investors to restart Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe, a once unthinkable move that shows the breadth of Donald Trump’s rapprochement with Moscow. www.ft.com/content/dc9c...

Russia says it proposed resuming direct flights with the U.S. at the two countries' talks in Istanbul on Thursday.

We spoke exclusively to the only two North Korean soldiers Ukraine has captured in battle. They were told they’d be fighting South Korean troops, and knew nothing about the war they were thrown into. Their ideological indoctrination did not stop even on the frontlines www.wsj.com/world/north-...

Trying to access Truth Social from Kyiv

The line about Zelensky’s illegitimacy has been a core element of Putin’s narrative on Ukraine for months

Having flashbacks to when Boris Johnson said this about the war-torn Libyan city of Sirte “There’s a group of UK business people who have got a brilliant vision to turn it into the next Dubai. The only thing they have got to do is clear the dead bodies away.” www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Read my WSJ profile of the Kremlin’s chief propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov, who gave me a two-hour interview for this piece. “In the West they’ll curse and denounce me,” he said. In Russia, “I’ll be fondly remembered for giving my people support in difficult times.” www.wsj.com/world/russia...

A bombing at a luxury apartment complex in Moscow today; authorities say appears to be assassination attempt, targeting Armen Sarkisian, and his bodyguard. Sarkisian created a militia/battalion that fought in Ukraine alongside separatists. (source: t.me/sledcom_press)

“This is kind of classic in our industry... The pioneers are not the ones who end up being the victors.” Amazing quote from our deep-dive on DeepSeek today www.wsj.com/finance/stoc...

How does history impact Putin's decision-making? What are the sources of Russia's insecurity? What is all the fuss about NATO's expansion? These and other important themes are delved into in this riveting discussion between Ejaz Haider and @radchenko.bsky.social. youtu.be/5n6Sz32ol6o?...

Putin today says Trump had the 2020 election stolen from him, in effect denying the legitimacy of Biden’s presidency. An effort to curry favor with Trump as Putin angles for a summit to hash out a Ukraine deal on Moscow’s terms t.me/zarubinrepor...

Vladimir Putin “believes key war goals have already been met,” a source familiar with Kremlin thinking told Reuters. The Russian president is also reportedly “increasingly concerned about distortions in Russia’s wartime economy.”

I'm reading Karaganov/Trenin book. It's quite something, I must say. Very deeply confused. I'll try to write more, but right now, enjoy this gem of recommendation: "Sending the last warning signal by carrying out a ground test of an ultra-high-yield nuclear warhead (of over 50 megatons)"

"China recently displaced Russia as the largest arms exporter to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Beijing has captured a 10% share of an arms market that is increasingly crowded & competitive...Approximately 70% of all African armies now operate Chinese armoured vehicles" (IISS)

Ukrainian troops are taking risks to capture North Koreans on the battlefield to prove their involvement, but Russian and North Korean troops are doing everything possible to hide and eliminate wounded North Korean soldiers www.wsj.com/world/inside...

On Friday, a Russian court sentenced 3 former lawyers of Alexey Navalny, convicting the attorneys of participation in the late opposition leader’s “extremist organization.” Meduza asked four lawyers what they think Friday’s verdict means for the future of their profession.

A heavy night in Kyiv with at least four dead following combined drone and ballistic missile attacks early in the morning. One of the targets appears to have been a defence facility. But much more - water pipes, McDonalds etc - hit besides.

“What makes me happy the most is that I will finally be able to buy proper food for my toddler,” said Haddad. “He really struggled this year, and we’ve had to feed him animal feed at points.” www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Happy to present my translation of Kristina Safonova’s investigation into the Russian book publishing industry — namely, how wartime censorship and other pressures have influenced sales and reading habits. Fans of Russian literature should check out this story. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Good conversation on Russian economy. The most interesting part of the russian economy is the last part of this conversation. Basically, with the steady cash flow from natural resources (especially oil) is enough to fund the for a significant amount of time.

“Mr. Musk’s employees from his various businesses have also been integrally involved in the transition, vetting prospective candidates for senior administration jobs, in interviews at the Trump transition headquarters in West Palm Beach.” www.nytimes.com/2024/12/30/u...

The Jimmy Carter canon has grown substantially as historians found new reasons to explore his troubled administration and energetic post-presidency. Here is a selection of some of the most interesting books on his life and times. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/29/b...

1st BlueSky post Been wanting for ages to write about Russia’s quixotic quest to repatriate the bones of famed WWII spy Nikolai Kuznetsov - a story that says so much about Putin’s historical narrative underpinning this war. Some light Christmas reading for all and sundry www.wsj.com/world/russia...