Maria Popova
@popovaprof.bsky.social
36K followers 1.5K following 5K posts
Polisci prof at McGill 🇨🇦⚜️ Democracy, rule of law, (anti)corruption in Eastern Europe 🇺🇦 🇧🇬 🇪🇺; post-Communism; Russo-Ukrainian war and its impact on European democracies; #UkraineIsEurope #DefendDemocracy https://linktr.ee/popovaprof
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popovaprof.bsky.social
For sure. They should be defeated. I just hate it that in the meantime they're allowed to constantly repeat the twisted line of "we want peace/negotiations/settlement but we need to achieve all our goals".
popovaprof.bsky.social
For years now the russian line is: we'll achieve our goals in Ukraine but we're always ready for negotiations/settlement. Today Peskov said this 💯 again. Someone please call out their gall to their face and point out that "settling" and "negotiating" actually means you DO NOT "achieve your goals".
Reposted by Maria Popova
emmanuellechaze.com
Cette photo partagée par l’administration de Kherson, région où la Russie a lancé drones et artillerie sur un convoi humanitaire de l'ONU, illustre à quel point il est vain & naïf d'espérer une quelconque bonne foi de Moscou dans des négociations "de paix". La Russie ne cherche pas la paix.
emmanuellechaze.com
🔴🇺🇦 Four UN-OCHA trucks carrying humanitarian aid came under Russian drone & artillery fire in Bilozerka, Kherson region, this morning.

One vehicle burned down, one was heavily damaged. Nobody was injured, which Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin calls a miracle.

Source: Kherson Administration
A burning World Food Program truck on fire, dark smoke, on the foreground a tree.
popovaprof.bsky.social
I'm not sure about that. He has been inconsistent, which suggests to me that he doesn't have a preferred outcome for the war but rather wants to appear peacemaker.
popovaprof.bsky.social
The danger is Ru will likely try to manipulate again and claim they’re ready to negotiate when they only aim to buy more time while Trump withholds the tomahawks and fails to build on Ukraine’s momentum.
michaelby.bsky.social
White House’s Attention Switches to Ukraine With Zelensky Due in Washington on Friday

(1)My interpretation is that context is key to understanding this move. Trump just signed the Gaza War ceasefire. Next is Ukraine. He craves the Nobel Peace Prize.

Russia has been *ordered* (!) to either…
Reposted by Maria Popova
michaelby.bsky.social
White House’s Attention Switches to Ukraine With Zelensky Due in Washington on Friday

(1)My interpretation is that context is key to understanding this move. Trump just signed the Gaza War ceasefire. Next is Ukraine. He craves the Nobel Peace Prize.

Russia has been *ordered* (!) to either…
popovaprof.bsky.social
And the reports that US is helping the Ukr drone campaign with intelligence. Definitely preferable to constant pressure to surrender
popovaprof.bsky.social
The risks are definitely high. But between this patronizing and Medvedev’s threat, I don’t think they’re choosing the right approach to Trump
popovaprof.bsky.social
De facto it’s true. My point is that it was 💯 unintended as far as Europe was concerned. They thought they were helping solve Ukr separatism. Even Ukr didnt think along these lines. Merkel now claiming it as foresight is a lie and it helps Ru claim they were tricked. It’s disgusting she’s doing it.
popovaprof.bsky.social
Your regular reminder that Reuters is often indistinguishable from Ru media. Here they fret that delivering Tomahawks to Ukraine would trigger a big NATO-Ru war. They and the Kremlin said the same thing before every single delivery of a new type of weapon to Ukr. They were wrong every time.
Reposted by Maria Popova
nickreeves.bsky.social
Farage, Arron Banks, and convicted Russian asset Nathan Gill have all parroted the Russian lie that NATO and EU expansion provoked Putin into invading Ukraine.

That's a lie for a Western audience. Putin is much more honest about Russia's imperialist motives when he's speaking to a Russian audience.
popovaprof.bsky.social
Pu spells out Ru's imperialist motivations for the war. He calls the conquest a long-held dream and historical destiny.

He beclowns those who insist NATO expansion caused the war. Let's see if anyone from the Mearsheimer fan club admits the claim has been falsified.
www.kremlin.ru/events/presi...
Обращение по случаю Дня воссоединения ДНР, ЛНР, Запорожской и Херсонской областей с Россией
www.kremlin.ru
popovaprof.bsky.social
You didn't answer, so I'll ask again: what's your point? This text again illustrates the obvious difference between the US and Ru-- Ru wants to conquer Ukr, end its statehood, calls Ukrainians russians, and claims to fulfill historical destiny. Cuba still exists as a dictatorship hostile to the US.
Reposted by Maria Popova
timothysnyder.bsky.social
When Putin talks to a Russians he consistently says that they invade Ukraine to destroy the state and nation and correct the path of history. NATO and similar framings are just for the useful foreigners.
popovaprof.bsky.social
Pu spells out Ru's imperialist motivations for the war. He calls the conquest a long-held dream and historical destiny.

He beclowns those who insist NATO expansion caused the war. Let's see if anyone from the Mearsheimer fan club admits the claim has been falsified.
www.kremlin.ru/events/presi...
Обращение по случаю Дня воссоединения ДНР, ЛНР, Запорожской и Херсонской областей с Россией
www.kremlin.ru
Reposted by Maria Popova
jacobtlevy.bsky.social
Machado is a good choice. She'll be controversial because she's in the fight, not above it. That makes this prize continuous with the 2021-3 streak of honoring opposition figures and dissidents rather than do-gooder organizations or already-powerful officials.
Reposted by Maria Popova
united24media.com
⚡️Ukraine is still under massive Russian missile and drone attack.

Nationwide air raid alerts followed the launch of a Russian MiG-31K, with explosions rocking Kyiv, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia.
Reposted by Maria Popova
reshetz.bsky.social
Air raid sirens howling in a completely dark city is some kind of cinematic horror. It’s mornings like this when it’s remarkably hard to believe in any possible better future, I just feel like we’re alone and this is it
popovaprof.bsky.social
She is focused on minimizing the consequences of the war to Ru and Russians not on peace through the defeat of Ru in Ukraine. She can't unite the already small Ru oppo let alone reach out to the Ru majority. It would just be a colossal waste to give a prize to her.
popovaprof.bsky.social
Yeah, I could get on board w that. The prize is generally useless so if it could lead to a positive outcome, why not. But it will be reputation killing still