There has been a huge lack of the usual creepy robot content from SPIEF so far this year, which is why I was personally relieved to see this video featuring the Buranovskiye Babushki

@leohickman.carbonbrief.org Hi Leo, hope you’re doing well! Could you follow me back so I can send a quick DM?

👀Grinex, a cryptocurrency exchange closely affiliated with the ruble-backed stablecoin A7A5, says it's suspending operations after it was hacked, and 1 billion rubles ($13 million) stolen from user wallets. Grinex blames "foreign intelligence agencies." t.me/grinex_offic...

STICK IT ON A FIVE POUND NOTE

Can’t believe they’re trying to get AI to do the fun bit of journalism (the writing) and not the bit where you freeze on the street trying to convince people to do a vox pop

My fixed-term contract with the Associated Press has come to an end, which means I’m back to freelancing in 2026. If you’re looking for someone with a way with words who loves digging into global affairs, tech, or both at the same time, feel free to reach out ✨

I’ve been looking back at my old Russian newspaper reviews. They highlight how much Russia has changed - and signs of what lay ahead. #ReadingRussia

Intervision, Russia's answer to Eurovision, arrived on Saturday evening- and if you weren't watching, it was a whole lot: apnews.com/article/russ...

"Rather than welcoming laborers, Russian officials are fomenting anti-migrant sentiment and increasing restrictions on immigrants, which the government says number 6.1 million, but is probably higher," writes @katiemariedavies.bsky.social at AP. www.washingtonpost.com/national/202...

Four journalists were killed by an Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital today, including Mariam Dagga, a freelancer with the @apnews.com. She has a 12-year-old son, who was evacuated from Gaza earlier in the war. She was a true hero, like all of our Palestinian colleagues in Gaza. tinyurl.com/3cn5c9vb

this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like

When the press secretary says the talks could last seven hours.

Our friend @alecluhn.bsky.social is missing in Norway's Folgefonna National Park after a backpacking trip to the glacier there. Please share if you're in the area or know people who might be. Come home safe, buddy www.facebook.com/share/p/18xA...

Seemingly not one to be left out of a cultural moment, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan evokes the Astronomer CEO of Coldplay concert fame in his latest posts against the Armenian church:

From SPIEF 2025: fear the Lavrov Labubu.

At a time when its funding is increasingly in doubt, the British Council has been named an "undesirable organisation" in Russia, making involvement with the group a criminal offense. The British Council ceased operations in Russia back in 2018. epp.genproc.gov.ru/web/gprf/mas...

I’m moving to a full-time role at the Associated Press! I’m joining the Moscow desk, where I’ll be reporting on Russia, Belarus, Central Asia and the South Caucasus until the end of 2025. Here's to sunny skies (and a new chapter) ☀️

Today, my feed has been made up of pictures of the dead bodies strewn across the street after a Russian rocket strike on Sumy- and posts from the Russian state media, which has been sharing clips of Dmitry Peskov ice dancing

The Soviet eco-movement created a new generation of activists- but was constantly overlooked and underestimated by the authorities. I dug into their legacy for @unbiasthenews.bsky.social - and looked at why Putin won’t make the same mistake

I first thought it was Dominic Cumming’s sticking his head through one of those face in the hole boards

Niche #journorequest: I'm looking to speak to someone about Estonia's Phosphorite War for an article on eco-activism — preferably someone who took part in the movement themselves. If you know someone who fits the bill, drop me a line to receive my eternal gratitude 🌳

With Belarus' elections less than a week away, I wrote for @theneweuropean.bsky.social on the legacy of the country's 2020 protests — and why they shouldn't be forgotten. www.theneweuropean.co.uk/belarus-the-...

Lately i've been thinking about how many of the processes traditional media has used to build trust (an editorial bureaucracy, lots of editing, making work more concise, and hiding a lot of that work & presenting a polished finished product) now read to audiences as inauthentic & less trustworthy

If the mass move from X to Bluesky has taught me anything, it's that I am terrified of being digitally perceived and actually quite liked shouting into the engagement-less Twitter void

Of the many pieces I've seen on the Georgian elections, my favourite is this one: "This is not a story of a rigged post-Soviet election, but rather the story of a larger, systemic game that has been rigged against us all." www.codastory.com/disinformati...

There is no evergreen piece quite like an article about Russia's divided opposition.

The UK's general election saw Labour win 64% of all seats in Parliament — even though it only won 34% of the ballot. With UK voters showing support for a wider range of parties than ever before, is it time for electoral reform? Looking into the numbers for @csmonitor.bsky.social:

Once, it was all but given that Labour would win the votes of working-class, industrial towns. But can the party now win back the voters that left them in 2019? I went canvassing for @csmonitor.bsky.social:

If you were watching Putin's inauguration today, you may have noticed a particularly sickly-looking Ramzan Kadyrov. Most experts don't doubt reports that the warlord is seriously ill — but what does that actually mean for Chechnya? My piece for @kyivindependent.com 👇🏻

One of those incredibly depressing days where I prepare a feature pitch, list news outlets where it would be a great fit, then realise most of said outlets have shut down

Much of Kazakhstan's contemporary art is purchased abroad, putting it out of reach for future generations. Kazakhstan needs more domestic collectors. But how do you convince a country to start buying art? I'm back on the art beat thanks to Observer 🍎

In a digital world, print is still special. Thank you to the New Humanist 🌅

Several Russian government sources saying that Navalny is dead. His team say they still have no confirmation- given the location of his prison colony, this is unsurprising. Navalny was/is being held in Kharp. It is very, very remote.

Russian Telegram channel Mash reports that authorities are investigating the infamous Skibidi Toilet on the grounds that it promotes alcohol and gambling to children. Poor Gen Alpha. t.me/breakingmash...

This is also your sporadic reminder that I am available to write commercial copy and sponsored content, and if you'd like to hire me to do that, you very much can ✨

It's not just multinationals that can benefit from generative AI. But are enough SMEs taking the steps they need to seize the moment on next-gen tech? I'm writing all things digital transformation in the Financial Times:

I’m just a writer, standing here, asking you to please read the fucking article before you feel the need to comment

Twelve days on, have we finally reached the end of the backlash against the Almost Naked party (now infamous enough for its own Wikipedia entry?) A Moscow court ruled today that it won't be blocking Nastya Ivleeva's YouTube account.

When it's almost the end of your shift and Russia's Foreign Ministry drops a new statement

When most people think about Russia, they think about oil and gas. What might not come to mind is Ukraine's own vast mineral wealth — and how Moscow wants to control it.

You know the scene in Lord of the Rings where Gollum is screaming and throwing himself against the rocks? I’m trying to update my LinkedIn right now and that’s pretty much how it feels

The Russian government has long championed "traditional family values" (and lamented the country's low birth rate.) But in recent months, an avalanche of new restrictions has started to eat away at women's abortion rights. I wrote about it for Al-Jazeera:

Raids on queer bars and clubs in Moscow last night following the Russian Supreme Court's decision to outlaw the hazily-defined "global LGBTQ+ movement" as an "extremist organisation." Grim.

POV: You are on a press trip

Changes are happening in the New Year, which means I have space for a new regular copy/writing client ☀️ If you're an organization that needs words (and even better, words that do things), reach out!

A little late on the share, but I wrote about Putin's visit to Kazakhstan for Kyiv Independent, the news outlet you can depend on to not write "Putin's backyard" in the headline (IYKYK)

Currently reading through a brief for a freelance writing job that has a specific "no generative AI" clause. We live in interesting times.

Hello, BlueSky 👋 Let’s try a thread. We need to talk about UK graduate wages, and the idea that Britain sends too many people to university. American readers should stick around for the UK/US comparisons 👀 First up: the UK graduate wage premium has fallen substantially over the last 25 years

A question: is there anything that people have decided to do differently as they move from Twitter to other platforms? Will you be following more people? Different people? Posting less? I know I'm a nerd, but the idea that we all get to rebuild our digital communities fascinates me

If you speak Russian and like internet culture, please may I recommend this piece from Novaya Gazeta Europe on fighting lizards in ancient Rus: novayagazeta.eu/articles/202...