'Looks like a toy, but it's real': @sarahrainsfordbbc.bsky.social examines a downed Russian drone www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/... We on #TheGlobalJigsaw too looked into how drones changed warfare www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w... #UkraineWar

#BBCNews - Beaten and held in Russia for three years - but never charged with a crime www.bbc.com/news/article... By @sarahrainsfordbbc.bsky.social #UkraineWar

Putin gives Trump just enough to claim progress on Ukraine peace - but the ‘very horrible war’ goes on www.bbc.com/news/article...

The Oval Office spectacle brings so much into sharp focus Putin’s Russia is not only at war with Ukraine, it’s at war with the West - including Trump - & right now, Putin is winning I tried to explain who he is & what he does in my book - now on special offer on Amazon @ £4.39! amzn.eu/d/dtuuZwC

This is how Russia has been speaking of Ukraine for years. It’s really important to remember this context, when imagining ‘deals’ with Moscow

On the day Kier Starmer meets Trump - what signal does this send? The Tates also face charges in the UK … www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c7...

Donald Trump has moved from declaring he’d end the war in Ukraine in a day to conceding Moscow’s key demands & now blaming Ukraine itself for Russia’s invasion ‘You should never have started it…it’s the (Ukraine) leadership that allowed the war to go on’ That was some phone call he had with Putin

‘This was not a defeated Russia, forced to the negotiating table. It was more like the US inviting the aggressor to set out its terms.’ Some first thoughts on today’s extraordinary events in Riyadh… 👇🏼 Moscow back at the table - and appearing to call the shots www.bbc.com/news/article...

How Russia negotiates: Lavrov: "The US suggested a moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure. We explained that we never endangered the civilian energy supply, & only target what directly serves Ukraine's military" My pic: Kharkiv civilian power plant, April 2024

Persecuted, imprisoned, poisoned: it’s the toughest of tough times for those who want a different Russia They’re trying to keep the dream alive…but did it die with Navalny? Here’s some of my thoughts www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Sometimes it feels like the world has moved on, stopped caring. But Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine has destroyed lives in so many ways. The disappearance of civilians is just one of them. This is Lyudmila’s story, which I hope people might read It’s still happening www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Moments ago, the Sundance Film Festival bestowed its Directing Award for World Cinema Documentary to Mstyslav Chernov for “2000 Meters to Andriivka." Read film critic Elena Smolina's review here at Meduza.

In 2023 in occupied Melitopol, the Russians detained Lyudmila’s parents After 4 months with no news, her mum was dumped at a hospital in a coma & later died. Her father, Oleh, has never been found So what happened? And where is Oleh? Russian officials have no answer www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Belarusians in Warsaw today sing their defiance

Belarus holds an ‘election’ with no choice today, very different to 2020 with its sudden huge hope of change I’ve been speaking to some of the women who protested & were arrested - about their feelings then & now The mood? Depression www.bbc.com/news/article...

Russian officials & state media are now actively referring to ‘the country which is now called #Ukraine’, taking a cue from #Putin who launched this invasion after an essay denying Ukraine’s existence as a nation It’s a very noticeable renewed accent, as the US contemplates brokering peace talks

Woken by a loud explosion in Kyiv this morning, right before the air raid sounded. Something clearly made it through the air defences. The last alert had only just ended City officials report 4 dead so far, fire & a flooded street #kyiv #ukraine

‘Viktor Babaryko is alive’ - his team posted, after this photo of the imprisoned Belarusian opposition politician suddenly appeared He’s been held incommunicado for more than 630 days, as extra punishment. No calls, no letters, no visits This photo comes ahead of ‘elections’ in Belarus this month

Ukraine hails a historic day, as it stops the transit of Russian gas via its territory. It means stopping the flow of funds back to Moscow - to pay for missiles and bombs For Moldova, though, the move is problematic - and it looks like Moscow is making the most of that www.bbc.com/news/article...

The very great Michael Palin picked my book as his choice to gift people this Christmas. Just in case anyone was stuck for ideas ))) Goodbye to Russia: A Personal Reckoning from the Ruins of War amzn.eu/d/aulmds8

Big thanks to the Daily Mail for picking my Goodbye to Russia for its politics books of the year hit list! Brilliant to see the impact it’s having, from @financialtimes.com politics books of 2024, @prospectmagazine.co.uk and then Michael Palin’s Xmas pick in @theguardian.com Thanks to all

“We dodged a bullet” That’s how one man described a Russian attempt to sway Romania’s presidential elex But voters bombarded with content on TikTok actually liked what it said. The grievances Russia plays on have not gone away My piece about a crazy week in #Romania www.bbc.com/news/article...

The amazing Michael Palin suggests my book, Goodbye to Russia, as a top pick for a Christmas gift. Huge thanks ))

Bucharest this morning, as a supporter of Calin #Georgescu joined a small crowd to greet him at a polling station - which was closed, as the election has been cancelled Georgescu told me he hadn’t come to call people out in protest. He’d come “to pray” Interpret that however you like… #romania

I’m in Bucharest, where politics is the top topic right now - since a far right candidate came from nowhere - promoted only on TikTok - to reach the second round of voting for President … and is currently tipped to win Lots of people are shocked & actually scared…

The moment we learned that Romania’s presidential election result wouldn’t be annulled: instead, it’s off to a second round on Sunday. Far right vs a reformist…people here are nervous/animated/exhausted by the past couple of weeks in politics #romania

Smudge Saturdays at the citadel… #warsaw #spanielsarethebest

Sobering stuff from Dmytro Kuleba, who sat down to talk Ukraine with @gideonrachman.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/6137...

Thank you, Waterstones! @waterstones.bsky.social

Putin’s claim that Russia’s latest massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine is a ‘response’ to anything is deliberately misleading 👇🏼 www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4...

Hello This looks familiar, just minus all the followers… Let’s see how it works!