Half-Brick McCurdy
@halfbrickmccurdy.bsky.social
A Scot in awe of Ukraine's courage
Nice
The European Union has triggered Article 122 to indefinitely immobilise the assets of the Russian Central Bank, worth a whopping €210 billion.
I explain what just happened and why this is such a big deal for Europeans.
🧵 Long thread.
I explain what just happened and why this is such a big deal for Europeans.
🧵 Long thread.
December 11, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Nice
Expert discussing the new US NSS: "This is hardly an administration known for its consistency or coherence" *
The administration: ......
The administration: ......
December 10, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Expert discussing the new US NSS: "This is hardly an administration known for its consistency or coherence" *
The administration: ......
The administration: ......
V.sensible thread on the Russian economy
Russia has played on easy mode politically so far. Not any more: tax hikes that everyone has been expecting for more than two years now are slowly rolling in.
In a way, it’s bad for Ukraine as it shows that the Kremlin has a deep bench. There was a lot of untapped fiscal resources in 2022 which
In a way, it’s bad for Ukraine as it shows that the Kremlin has a deep bench. There was a lot of untapped fiscal resources in 2022 which
1/2 From Jan 1st 2026 VAT in Russia will increase from 20% to 22%, the first major increase in 20 years. The number of businesses paying VAT will also increase as the t/o threshold is cut from 60m rubles p.a. to 20m, capturing micro-businesses for the first time.
December 10, 2025 at 8:06 AM
V.sensible thread on the Russian economy
1/2 From Jan 1st 2026 VAT in Russia will increase from 20% to 22%, the first major increase in 20 years. The number of businesses paying VAT will also increase as the t/o threshold is cut from 60m rubles p.a. to 20m, capturing micro-businesses for the first time.
Paying up: The Kremlin is sacrificing regional development, business, healthcare, and education to fund the war in Ukraine
A new tax reform approved by the Russian parliament in mid-November is intended to squeeze enough money out of the economy to keep the war going. The change provides for an increase in the VAT rate an...
theins.press
December 9, 2025 at 6:41 PM
1/2 From Jan 1st 2026 VAT in Russia will increase from 20% to 22%, the first major increase in 20 years. The number of businesses paying VAT will also increase as the t/o threshold is cut from 60m rubles p.a. to 20m, capturing micro-businesses for the first time.
Course they do
The US supports a possible sale of Lukoil's share in the Iraqi West Qurna-2 field to an American company. The field is one of the largest in Iraq and provides 10% of Iraqi oil production.
www.kommersant.ru/doc/8270249
www.kommersant.ru/doc/8270249
Bloomberg: США поддержали передачу доли ЛУКОЙЛа американской компании в Ираке
Подробнее на сайте
www.kommersant.ru
December 9, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Course they do
Helpful summary of an American defense spending bill's Ukraine bits. F'all new aid, but should make it marginally more difficult - in theory - for the Whitehouse to be a dick about the scraps it still provides. Nothing about sanctions, but ample scope for performative windbaggery by US politicians.
After weeks of backroom negotiations, Congress is poised to pass a defense spending bill filled with some rather good provisions to assist Ukraine and put up obstacles to the Trump admin's attempts to divert Ukraine aid or cut off intel support.
Here's what's in the bill 👇🧵
Here's what's in the bill 👇🧵
Just read through the new National Defense Authorization Act text to see what provisions are in for Ukraine. I’ll have a thread up later with the full breakdown but TL;DR is Congress is poised to pass some rather good legislation to assist Ukraine.
December 8, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Helpful summary of an American defense spending bill's Ukraine bits. F'all new aid, but should make it marginally more difficult - in theory - for the Whitehouse to be a dick about the scraps it still provides. Nothing about sanctions, but ample scope for performative windbaggery by US politicians.
CPAC becoming a US led/financed Far-Right internationale that's already more successful than Mussolini's Comitati d'Azione per l'Universalità di Roma (CAUR), probably deserves more attention now that promoting European "patriotic" parties is official US policy, even from the interminably "savvy".
December 6, 2025 at 10:29 PM
CPAC becoming a US led/financed Far-Right internationale that's already more successful than Mussolini's Comitati d'Azione per l'Universalità di Roma (CAUR), probably deserves more attention now that promoting European "patriotic" parties is official US policy, even from the interminably "savvy".
1/5 In response to the interesting chat about Russian bank liquidity, here's some notes on the British credit crunch. This can more accurately be called the end of demutualization as almost every bank that failed/was taken over, was a former building society*. As PLCs these adopted much the same
I don’t know if that would work in Russia. Deposits longer than a year are risky due to Russia’s colorful history of banking collapses.
Raising rates could also be a sign of higher inflation and anticipation that the central bank will hike the key rate.
It’s all so opaque.
Raising rates could also be a sign of higher inflation and anticipation that the central bank will hike the key rate.
It’s all so opaque.
December 6, 2025 at 10:25 AM
1/5 In response to the interesting chat about Russian bank liquidity, here's some notes on the British credit crunch. This can more accurately be called the end of demutualization as almost every bank that failed/was taken over, was a former building society*. As PLCs these adopted much the same
Reposted by Half-Brick McCurdy
1/2 "O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us"
aka the new US National Security strategy, which sets out America's racist views of Europe and intention to promote the Far Right/undermine the EU.
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us"
aka the new US National Security strategy, which sets out America's racist views of Europe and intention to promote the Far Right/undermine the EU.
December 5, 2025 at 6:42 AM
1/2 "O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us"
aka the new US National Security strategy, which sets out America's racist views of Europe and intention to promote the Far Right/undermine the EU.
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us"
aka the new US National Security strategy, which sets out America's racist views of Europe and intention to promote the Far Right/undermine the EU.
To those folk saying the latest round of US/Russia talks achieved nothing, delaying the full imposition of US sanctions on Lukoil until April next year is definitely a something.
OFAC extended the time during which financial transaction may still be done with Lukoil International GmbH till April 29th 2026... GUYS WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE!?!?!?
www.kommersant.ru/doc/8251862
www.kommersant.ru/doc/8251862
США продлили разрешение на операции с зарубежным бизнесом ЛУКОЙЛа до 29 апреля
Подробнее на сайте
www.kommersant.ru
December 4, 2025 at 4:54 PM
To those folk saying the latest round of US/Russia talks achieved nothing, delaying the full imposition of US sanctions on Lukoil until April next year is definitely a something.
1/4 Russian mortgages - demand: 2025 has seen the demand for mortgages recover from historic lows. And while the new mortgage market remains dependent on the various subsidised schemes (which together accounted for 82% of the YTD value in November), successive interest rate cuts have seen a modest
December 4, 2025 at 12:11 PM
1/4 Russian mortgages - demand: 2025 has seen the demand for mortgages recover from historic lows. And while the new mortgage market remains dependent on the various subsidised schemes (which together accounted for 82% of the YTD value in November), successive interest rate cuts have seen a modest
Bad customer service: At the same time as Germany is buying more weapons from the US to send to Ukraine, US "war" officials have cut communications to the German military coordinating deliveries, and also halted the delivery of certain items.
Germany will provide an additional $200 million in U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine through two packages under the PURL mechanism. Berlin will also contribute €25 million to NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package to supply Ukrainian troops with winter gear and medical support.
December 3, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Bad customer service: At the same time as Germany is buying more weapons from the US to send to Ukraine, US "war" officials have cut communications to the German military coordinating deliveries, and also halted the delivery of certain items.
America: Climate change is a hoax, so drill baby drill
Also America: Buys fleet of icebreakers from Finland because climate change is making the North West passage more navigable so rapidly, it'd take too long to build their own
Also America: Buys fleet of icebreakers from Finland because climate change is making the North West passage more navigable so rapidly, it'd take too long to build their own
Finland, U.S. strike deal to build 11 icebreakers
The Finnish president announced the agreement at a White House event with President Donald Trump.
www.eenews.net
December 2, 2025 at 3:23 PM
America: Climate change is a hoax, so drill baby drill
Also America: Buys fleet of icebreakers from Finland because climate change is making the North West passage more navigable so rapidly, it'd take too long to build their own
Also America: Buys fleet of icebreakers from Finland because climate change is making the North West passage more navigable so rapidly, it'd take too long to build their own
The limited journalistic attention paid to this (oil tankers can now blow up anywhere in the world), is a reminder English speaking coverage of Russia's invasion is first and foremost sanitized coverage of US involvement in the conflict, with White house sources essentially setting the agenda.
1/ An apparent attack on a 'shadow fleet' tanker off the coast of Senegal means that Ukraine may now be able to attack Russian interests worldwide, says Russian war correspondent Alexander Kots. He calls it a new and threatening phase in the war. ⬇️
bsky.app/profile/wart...
bsky.app/profile/wart...
Oil tanker M/T Mersin is sinking off Senegal after visiting Russia's Taman port in August.
December 1, 2025 at 8:37 PM
The limited journalistic attention paid to this (oil tankers can now blow up anywhere in the world), is a reminder English speaking coverage of Russia's invasion is first and foremost sanitized coverage of US involvement in the conflict, with White house sources essentially setting the agenda.
The US and Russia cooperating over/forming joint ventures to exploit the Arctic provides useful context for Trump's chat about Canada and Greenland (Canada becoming the 51st state of the US would certainly resolve the historic dispute over who owns the rights to the Northwest passage).
November 30, 2025 at 1:46 PM
The US and Russia cooperating over/forming joint ventures to exploit the Arctic provides useful context for Trump's chat about Canada and Greenland (Canada becoming the 51st state of the US would certainly resolve the historic dispute over who owns the rights to the Northwest passage).
Some bloke in The Atlantic confusing Trump's hither and yon rhetoric with his actual and remarkably consistent approach to Ukraine is only to be expected, but to hear certain folk on @davidsonofaaron.bsky.social 's Briefing Room doing the same (a) sucked and (b) has also aged like milk.
Trump’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine look more like a pendulum than a peace process, “swinging between the Russian and Ukrainian positions, with occasional stops in the middle to express frustration over the whole affair,” Simon Shuster reports:
Inside Trump’s Latest Push for Peace in Ukraine
The most consistent thing about Trump’s 10-month search for an end to the war in Ukraine has been his inconsistency.
bit.ly
November 29, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Some bloke in The Atlantic confusing Trump's hither and yon rhetoric with his actual and remarkably consistent approach to Ukraine is only to be expected, but to hear certain folk on @davidsonofaaron.bsky.social 's Briefing Room doing the same (a) sucked and (b) has also aged like milk.
1/2 So this probably crosses a line/hopefully scares the bejeezuz out of ships carrying Russian stuff across the Black sea), but also poses a dilemma for commentators; there's no US involvement, it distracts from surrender plan chat, is a call bank to Ukrainian naval success and a reminder the
SBU Sea Baby drones were behind the strikes on Russian shadow fleet tankers KAIRO and VIRAT in the Black Sea that critically damaged both vessels and removed them from service, media sources reported.
November 29, 2025 at 1:45 PM
1/2 So this probably crosses a line/hopefully scares the bejeezuz out of ships carrying Russian stuff across the Black sea), but also poses a dilemma for commentators; there's no US involvement, it distracts from surrender plan chat, is a call bank to Ukrainian naval success and a reminder the
Maybe, but when you pardon Ross Ulbricht (distribution), Changpeng Zhao (money launderer) and now Juan Orlando Hernández (trafficker), you get a darn tight, full service, crypto friendly illegal drugs operation.
in the midst of our supposed campaign against Venezuelan drug traffickers the President of the United States has chosen to pardon the Former President of Honduras, freeing him from his long prison sentence earned for trafficking more than 400 tons of cocaine into the United States
November 29, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Maybe, but when you pardon Ross Ulbricht (distribution), Changpeng Zhao (money launderer) and now Juan Orlando Hernández (trafficker), you get a darn tight, full service, crypto friendly illegal drugs operation.
Intentional or not, an obvious reading of America's Ukraine policy is it has, with media complicity, become a "psyop" intended to humiliate, undermine morale and induce despair (by ensuring any US support is only ever viewed in terms of uncertainty, hope, disappointment and/or unacceptable costs).
November 27, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Intentional or not, an obvious reading of America's Ukraine policy is it has, with media complicity, become a "psyop" intended to humiliate, undermine morale and induce despair (by ensuring any US support is only ever viewed in terms of uncertainty, hope, disappointment and/or unacceptable costs).
Americans will never understand this
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Americans will never understand this
Americans: "So the Trump surrender plan sees America rip up the tenets of the post war order, screw Ukraine every way imaginable and undermine European security for a generation, but ...... who exactly wrote it?"
One man -- Marco Rubio -- serves this country as both National Security Adviser and Secretary of State.
And he was nowhere near the drafting of that Ukraine 'peace plan,' which was instead devised by the president's real-estate buddy and his son-in-law.
🎁
www.wsj.com/world/russia...
And he was nowhere near the drafting of that Ukraine 'peace plan,' which was instead devised by the president's real-estate buddy and his son-in-law.
🎁
www.wsj.com/world/russia...
November 25, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Americans: "So the Trump surrender plan sees America rip up the tenets of the post war order, screw Ukraine every way imaginable and undermine European security for a generation, but ...... who exactly wrote it?"
So Ukraine/US agree a peace proposal involving significant Ukrainian concessions, US makes noises about putting pressure on Russia journalists repeat, possibly some meetings involving Trump, Russia rejects proposal, no US pressure applied. Rinse, repeat.
Trump says “something good just may be happening” in Ukraine-Russia peace talks, despite reports he’s largely uninvolved in the details. U.S., Ukraine, and EU teams in Geneva have made progress on a draft deal, but key decisions still await approval from Trump and Zelensky.
November 24, 2025 at 12:21 PM
So Ukraine/US agree a peace proposal involving significant Ukrainian concessions, US makes noises about putting pressure on Russia journalists repeat, possibly some meetings involving Trump, Russia rejects proposal, no US pressure applied. Rinse, repeat.
Ukraine having to repeat American lies about Trump's surrender plan.
Zelensky said there is understanding that US proposals may incorporate elements based on Ukraine's vision that are critical for national interests, as delegations seek solutions for ending the war and ensuring long-term security in Geneva.
November 23, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Ukraine having to repeat American lies about Trump's surrender plan.
So Jared Kushner, whose business model mostly involves being handed wodges of cash by wealth funds, had a meeting with a Russian in charge of a wealth fund, after which America adopted the surrender plan some Russians had kindly drafted.
www.reuters.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:49 AM
So Jared Kushner, whose business model mostly involves being handed wodges of cash by wealth funds, had a meeting with a Russian in charge of a wealth fund, after which America adopted the surrender plan some Russians had kindly drafted.