Mike Eckel
@mikeeckel.bsky.social
4K followers 1.3K following 900 posts
Opponent of Quiet Desperation. Contains Multitudes. In Search Of Meanness Or Sublimity. Former Moscow Correspondent. Vladivostok Fanboy. Chaotic Good. @RFERL
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Vladimir Gusinsky was once one of Russia’s most influential oligarchs. In recent years, he’s been tangled in lawsuits, debt disputes, and legal fights. He’s also drawn scrutiny from the FBI for, among other things, his ties to former FBI special agent Charles McGonigal. 🧵👇
Zelenskiy arriving in Washington. He's set to meet with Trump on Friday.
(source: t.me/V_Zelenskiy_...)
Despite Trump saying he and Putin will meet in Budapest, there is no confirmation from the Kremlin. It may or may not happen.
Audio (in Russian) of Ushakov's comments about the Trump-Putin phone call:
Audio (in Russian) of Ushakov's comments about the Trump-Putin phone call:
Details about Trump-Putin (2.5 hour) call from Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov:
_ Putin said Russia has strategic initiative; "Kyiv regime" resorting to terrorist methods;
_ Tomahawks wouldn't change battlefield situation; but would significantly damage bilateral ties.
t.me/dimsmirnov17...
I'll wait for the Netflix series then...
Excerpt please for those of us too lazy to deal with Pynchon...
Putin meeting at the Kremlin with Syria's president Ahmed al-Sharaa; their first meeting since he took power following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad last year. (Assad is reportedly holed up in a Moscow City skyscraper, and Sharaa is asking Putin to turn him over...)
Putin has still not received birthday wishes from Trump, per Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. 🙄
t.me/tass_agency/...
Reposted by Mike Eckel
In new court filing, Justice Dept details more of its allegations in its criminal case against James Comey:"

"Count One alleges that the defendant made a false statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee when he denied that he authorized someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports"
Reposted by Mike Eckel
I spent 3 weeks on a cargo ship in the Arctic, from Canada to Greenland. Our only company was blizzards, killer whales, thick fog and icebergs. Here is my story about how the West is lagging seriously behind Russia in the Arctic, and why it's so difficult to catch up

www.wsj.com/world/inside...
Inside the West’s Race to Defend the Arctic
Sailors scanned for icebergs on a nine-day journey to the U.S.’s northernmost military installation this summer—part of an effort to erode Russia’s vast advantage in the region.
www.wsj.com
We don't know for a fact it's Burevestnik testing, do we? It's just an educated assumption?
The fact that this man is now center stage in U.S. politics is very amusing. (also very likely that most Americans think this is Jerry Garcia...)
Zelenskiy's phone call with Trump today. (no readout from the White House yet)
Putin bragging about Russia's nuclear arsenal, and reiterating offer (to US) to maintain New START limits after treaty expiration next year. Also hints at a forthcoming announcement of a new weapon system, currently undergoing tests.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
Reposted by Mike Eckel