The Beet newsletter will be pausing publication in 2026, but there’s no shortage of adventures in its archive. Here, you’ll find The Beet’s top five dispatches of 2025. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed a revised draft peace plan, developed with the United States, to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

While Putin talks up a “multipolar world,” pro-Kremlin pundits are pushing another concept to justify Russia’s war against Ukraine. Political analyst @abarbashin.bsky.social breaks down “Chaos Theory” for Meduza. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Sadly, with The Calvert Journal gone and @meduza.io’s The Beet pausing its work in 2026, the space to cover underreported and unusual stories about Central Asia has shrunk to essentially nothing. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to work with @eilishhart.bsky.social. Support independent journalism!

I couldn’t be prouder of the reporting The Beet has produced. That’s why I’m sorry to say that the newsletter will be pausing publication. Read my letter to subscribers here: mailchi.mp/meduza.io/le...

“Enough Ukrainians decided they were willing to risk their lives to overthrow tyranny, and that’s what they expect from the Russians.” My conversation with @marcishore.bsky.social about the promise of Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution & the nihilism of Russia’s war. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

What made the Maidan a revolution? Meduza talks to historian @marcishore.bsky.social about Ukraine’s “existential transformation” and the “systemic nihilism” of Russia’s war. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

“Enough Ukrainians decided they were willing to risk their lives to overthrow tyranny, and that’s what they expect from the Russians.” My conversation with @marcishore.bsky.social about the promise of Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution & the nihilism of Russia’s war. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

Russia has outlawed @pussyriot.bsky.social as an “extremist organization,” putting anyone associated with the movement at risk of criminal prosecution. “Pussy Riot [members] have essentially become those-who-must-not-be-named in Russia,” Nadya Tolokonnikova told @theins.press theins.ru/news/287745?

Back in November, veteran Belarusian opposition politician Andrei Sannikov told me that the West needs to pressure Lukashenko to release *all* political prisoners, lest he continue to use them as bargaining chips. His insights are well worth a listen.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to give up on demands for Nato membership in exchange for security guarantees from the US and Europe, in a move aimed at advancing peace talks in Berlin on Sunday. on.ft.com/4iSMzii

#Belarus First interview with Maria Kalesnikava after her release and deportation to #Ukraine. It always strikes me how every released political prisoner mentions those still in jail - this is our Belarusian solidarity. Our Masha is free, and it's such a relief and joy.

BREAKING: Belarus has released 123 prisoners, including opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava and Nobel Peace Prize-winning rights activist Ales Bialiatski, in a deal brokered by the U.S. Read more: www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/13/b...

Excellent episode here from @sambreazeale.bsky.social 👇

⚡️ Peace deal, security guarantees, reconstruction — Zelensky unveils 3-track plan as talks intensify. The three texts cover a framework peace agreement, security guarantees, and Ukraine's reconstruction, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Human rights monitors have published new findings on the treatment of Ukrainian captives held in Russia and occupied territories, detailing torture, degrading conditions, and a regime of coercion that extends far beyond the front lines. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

As the Trump admin eases sanctions on Belarus, Lukashenko is arresting more political prisoners than he frees, warns veteran opposition politician Andrei Sannikov. Listen to our full conversation on @meduza.io’s podcast now! meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Our latest update puts the verified death toll for Russian soldiers at 153,171 names. - 48,676 volunteers - 19,208 prisoners - 6,103 officers Volunteers remain the largest category of confirmed losses en.zona.media/article/2025...

Read my latest story for Meduza’s the Beet about the paradoxes of Poland’s migration debate meduza.io/en/feature/2...

In Poland, officials are pushing tough migration policies and even harsher rhetoric, even as Ukrainians give the country an economic boost and contain Russia on the battlefield next door. Read The Beet’s last feature story of 2025, courtesy of @aga-pik.bsky.social! meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Poland’s open-arms policy for Ukrainian refugees has given way to a roiling migration debate deeply entangled with domestic and foreign policy issues. The Beet’s latest, from journalist @aga-pik.bsky.social. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

U.S. envoys left Moscow without a breakthrough after hours of talks at the Kremlin, underscoring how far apart Washington and Moscow remain on key terms of a possible settlement to the war in Ukraine. meduza.io/en/news/2025...

Putin falls back on one of his recurring strategies in these talks: trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and European allies by painting Europe as the obstacle to peace. As long as the Trump admin believes Russia is not the problem, the negotiations will just drag on.

According to a BBC investigation, the Georgian Dream regime used a WWI-era chemical agent called “camite” during last year’s protests. This finally explains the symptoms many of us experienced both on the night of the crackdown and in the following months. www.bbc.com/news/article...

How does the Kremlin see Steve Witkoff? “Witkoff sometimes works like a broken telephone,” the source close to the Kremlin said. “He doesn’t like being precise. He gets upset when people try to write down what he says.” My latest. puck.news/jared-kushne...

⚡️Zelensky announces the resignation of Andriy Yermak, his long-time chief of staff and head peace negotiator. hromadske.ua/personaliyi/...

“What sustains these protests is a clear sense among Georgians that they won’t accept a Russian-controlled autocracy.” Meduza talks to former defense minister and diplomat Vasil Sikharulidze about Georgia’s year-long political crisis. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Ukraine’s top anti-corruption authorities searched the home of Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s powerful chief of staff and lead negotiator in peace talks with Washington, as corruption probes widen among the president’s inner circle. www.ft.com/content/4f48...

As the Trump admin fine tunes its peace plan, Putin sets out his own ceasefire terms for Ukraine: “Ukrainian forces will withdraw from the territories they occupy... If they don’t, we will achieve this by military means.” meduza.io/en/feature/2...

🇬🇪Tomorrow, Georgia will mark day 365 of anti-government protests in the face of an ongoing crackdown. What keeps protesters in the streets? “A broad national understanding that Georgia cannot survive or prosper as an autocracy,” former diplomat Vasil Sikharulidze told me. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

“As long as Zelensky is president, no one should count on us giving up territory. He will not sign away territory,” says 🇺🇦 chief negotiator Andriy Yermak. “Nobody can do that unless they want to go against the Ukrainian constitution and the Ukrainian people.” www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

🇬🇪Tomorrow, Georgia will mark day 365 of anti-government protests in the face of an ongoing crackdown. What keeps protesters in the streets? “A broad national understanding that Georgia cannot survive or prosper as an autocracy,” former diplomat Vasil Sikharulidze told me. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

A U.S. delegation is set to go to Moscow next week for talks on Trump’s “peace plan,” Putin told reporters. meduza.io/en/news/2025...

“I told the president that the Russian Federation has always wanted a peace deal. That’s my belief. [...] And I believe the issue is is that we have two nations that are having a hard time coming to a compromise,” Witkoff told Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

Looks like Yermak spoke to Axios too soon. Trump says he’s sending Steve Witkoff to meet with Putin and Dan Driscoll to meet with the Ukrainians. And that he’ll only meet with Zelensky *and* Putin “when the deal to end this war is final or in its final stages.”

“People who work with Putin know that the main thing for him is always his image, and that in an effort to save face, he — the leader of a nuclear power — won’t stop at anything,” journalist @faridaily.bsky.social tells Meduza. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Scoop @financialtimes.com: Under the US-Ukraine deal, Kyiv agreed to cap the size of its army at 800,000, according to senior officials who say they're pleased with the plan. Points left are territorial matters and security guarantees, which are TBD by Zelensky and Trump. www.ft.com/content/b0d9...

🚑🕊️ The Red Cross stands for “neutrality” and “impartiality”. Our investigation shows Russia’s branch trains children in military skills, works with Kremlin linked groups, and operates in occupied Ukraine while still receiving millions from a system funded by EU governments. Full story below:

⚡️ Ukraine reiterates its 'red lines' amid speculations about military size, territory. Ukraine will not recognize the Russian occupation or accept restrictions on its army size or alliances, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said.

Important tidbit from my Q&A with @faridaily.bsky.social in the context of the current peace talks. Kremlin insiders believe that Putin will not stop the war against Ukraine unless there’s “a substantial rethinking of the global security system.” Read more here👇 meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Exclusive: First interview with negotiator in the room in Geneva. Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya tells me the US and Ukraine drafted a new peace deal but left the most politically sensitive elements to be decided by the countries’ presidents. www.ft.com/content/883e...

Lots of insights here from former Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev. Too many to quote, in fact. Just read it!

“Every dictator will think that they can attack anybody, hold on long enough, and then the world will reward them. This is not a peace plan.” My conversation with Natalia Arno of the Free Russia Foundation on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Update: Talks in Geneva have produced an “refined peace framework” with issues concerning Europe removed and toned down language about Ukraine joining NATO, according to @politico.eu www.politico.eu/article/dona...

For @meduza.io’s podcast, I talked to the excellent @faridaily.bsky.social about how Putin’s war effort has changed the rules for Russia’s “old elites” and made them fear the prospect of peace. Listen now! meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Authorities in St. Petersburg released street musicians Diana Loginova and Alexander Orlov Sunday after a month in custody. According to radio station Ekho Moskvy, Loginova has reportedly fled Russia to an unnamed destination.

Rival European peace plan leaked to @telegraph.co.uk calls for a full unconditional ceasefire, plus no restrictions on the size of Ukraine’s army, its path to NATO, or stationing of “friendly forces” on its territory. www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...

“Every dictator will think that they can attack anybody, hold on long enough, and then the world will reward them. This is not a peace plan.” My conversation with Natalia Arno of the Free Russia Foundation on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

“I cannot call it a peace plan. It’s a reward to an aggressor, a reward to a dictator.” Pro-democracy activist Natalia Arno of the Free Russia Foundation weighs in on what Putin stands to gain from the latest peace proposal on the table. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Trump’s back to the rhetoric of the Oval Office meeting in February, claiming Ukraine’s leadership “has expressed zero gratitude for our efforts.”