Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 25m

It’s disgusting

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 30m

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.

1 1

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 1h

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.

4 19 82

Reposted by Maria Popova

Nick Reeves #FBPE #NAFO @nickreeves.bsky.social · 22h

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.

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 11d

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

2 48 89

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 1d

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.

4

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks for posting

1 25

Reposted by Maria Popova

Ilya אש Ash @ashcomco.bsky.social · 1d

@timothysnyder.bsky.social @popovaprof.bsky.social for the convenience of your followers, here is the English version of the address: en.kremlin.ru/events/presi...

Address on the Day of Reunification of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Lugansk People’s Republic and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions with Russia

en.kremlin.ru

2 6 44

Reposted by Maria Popova

Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 1d

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.

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 11d

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

19 340 1K

Reposted by Maria Popova

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 2d

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.

14 43 330

Reposted by Maria Popova

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 3d

How to negotiate with Putin: First, make sure he knows he can't win
From @radek-sikorski.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/o...

Opinion | I’m the Foreign Minister of Poland. This Is How to Negotiate With Putin.

www.nytimes.com

21 280 1K

Reposted by Maria Popova

UNITED24 Media @united24media.com · 2d

⚡️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.

3 52 140

Reposted by Maria Popova

Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 @reshetz.bsky.social · 2d

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

33 130 730

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 2d

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.

1 4

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 2d

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

1 1

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 2d

Nothing interesting. But the odds makers are listing her as a possibility.

1 1

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 2d

I’m also confident they won’t. But the odds makers have both in the top-5

1 5

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 2d

If they give the prize to Trump or Navalnaya, the Nobel Committee will have committed reputation suicide.

13 18 150

Reposted by Maria Popova

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 2d

A law professor warns: James Comey’s indictment shows what happens when presidents turn prosecutors into political weapons — a hallmark of authoritarian rule.

buff.ly/EbA7cex #polisky #freespeech

James Comey’s indictment is a trademark tactic of authoritarians

The former FBI director’s indictment breaks a principle that has protected American democracy for 50 years.

buff.ly

1 16 61

Reposted by Maria Popova

Max Boot @maxboot.bsky.social · 3d

Russian drone operators have turned daily life in Kherson into a terrifying gauntlet…. Ukrainian authorities, civilians and human-rights groups say it has become a systematic effort to keep people off the city’s streets under threat of execution from the skies. www.wsj.com/world/russia...

Russian Drones Turn the Streets of Kherson Into a Civilian Kill Zone

The attacks on Kherson are part of Russia’s growing strategy to terrorize civilians in an effort to sap Ukrainians’ strength to resist in the fourth year of war.

www.wsj.com

2 29 82

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 3d

I don’t have a specific mechanism or hunch in mind, that’s why I gestured broadly to both economy and demography (in terms of bodies to throw in the grinder). My point is that we don’t know whether he’d heed signs of impending collapse or keep going until the collapse does happen.

1 3

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 3d

Ha. They blocked me, didn’t they? Not sure whether that signals it was a bot all along or whether it confirms that lots of the “NATO is bad” pacifists sounding naive are actually thoroughly propagandized supporters of Ru imperialism.

1 2

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 3d

Indeed, I agree. I'm just saying he doesn't know whether at some point the size of the sacrifice will topple him or lead to Ru collaps. I'm not sure he'd be a good judge of when that point has arrived. He may or may not see it.

1 2

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 3d

Exactly

3

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 3d

I agree. Losses don't matter to his calculus and he will go as far as he possibly can; that's why I think there's a possibility he won't know when to stop

2 8

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 3d

If you're an actual person and not a Ru bot posing as a naive Westerner, I suggest you read this: www.eurozine.com/liberation-n.... Right now you show zero understanding or care for the views and destiny of millions of Eastern Europeans who don't want to live under Ru domination again.

Liberation, not collapse

The fall of the Berlin Wall, and not the human chain across the Baltics, is emblematic of 1989. But what if this show of unity had become iconic of communism’s disintegration? Could acknowledging East...

www.eurozine.com

2 6