Charlie Hancock
@hancock2001.bsky.social
Opinion Editor at The Moscow Times – Pitch to [email protected] | Also studying MA IR&War at KCL and writing "Crisis Europa" Substack on European security | Ex-Bloomberg | My Views | Also on bird app, trying to post here more
#OpEd I recently asked a Russian friend what her hopes for the future were. "No plans. Only December," she said, recalls a writer in Russia.
What Do Russians Have to Look Forward to in 2026? - The Moscow Times
Opinion | Ksenia* is a dear friend and an admirable person.
www.themoscowtimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:15 PM
#OpEd I recently asked a Russian friend what her hopes for the future were. "No plans. Only December," she said, recalls a writer in Russia.
I don't use this site often because, as unwieldy as the other-place is, it's still better set up for news.
But it's interesting that 90% of the engagement I've had for the past month is from obvious bots that don't even pretend not to be Russian anymore.
But it's interesting that 90% of the engagement I've had for the past month is from obvious bots that don't even pretend not to be Russian anymore.
November 17, 2025 at 3:05 PM
I don't use this site often because, as unwieldy as the other-place is, it's still better set up for news.
But it's interesting that 90% of the engagement I've had for the past month is from obvious bots that don't even pretend not to be Russian anymore.
But it's interesting that 90% of the engagement I've had for the past month is from obvious bots that don't even pretend not to be Russian anymore.
If anyone at Yale or BYU wants to get in touch to talk about how your university is handling being banned in Russia, my DMs are open
Yale and Brigham Young Universities were recently blacklisted in Russia.
The fate of another U.S. college, banned in 2021, could show what being "undesirable" means for the prestigious institutions.
The fate of another U.S. college, banned in 2021, could show what being "undesirable" means for the prestigious institutions.
What Happens When Your University Is Banned in Russia? - The Moscow Times
When Yale University was banned in Russia as an “undesirable” organization this month, its faculty, administration and students were immediately put at risk of criminal prosecution.
www.themoscowtimes.com
July 21, 2025 at 2:25 PM
If anyone at Yale or BYU wants to get in touch to talk about how your university is handling being banned in Russia, my DMs are open
As if you needed more evidence of the cult of masculinity in Russia, Elena here is complaining that her "Z" cat decoration came without any bollocks
June 9, 2025 at 3:29 PM
As if you needed more evidence of the cult of masculinity in Russia, Elena here is complaining that her "Z" cat decoration came without any bollocks
I spent a few days this week at an airbase in the northern 🇳🇱, talking with fighter pilots and military planners about NATO's largest air exercise, practicing how to respond to a Russian attack (or any other adversary).
I also got up-close with the jets, but not in the cockpit
I also got up-close with the jets, but not in the cockpit
April 11, 2025 at 2:34 PM
I spent a few days this week at an airbase in the northern 🇳🇱, talking with fighter pilots and military planners about NATO's largest air exercise, practicing how to respond to a Russian attack (or any other adversary).
I also got up-close with the jets, but not in the cockpit
I also got up-close with the jets, but not in the cockpit
After a brief illness-induced pause, @ekesa.bsky.social and I are back with stories from 🇹🇷, 🇪🇪, 🇬🇪 and 🇦🇿, joined by @Turkova , talking about her experiences of tightening media freedom in Russia and the US.
Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWnP...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4o6l...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWnP...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4o6l...
All Out on the Eastern Front #7: Protests in Istanbul; Estonia tightens voting law; fighting for VoA
YouTube video by All Out on the Eastern Front
www.youtube.com
April 1, 2025 at 12:08 PM
After a brief illness-induced pause, @ekesa.bsky.social and I are back with stories from 🇹🇷, 🇪🇪, 🇬🇪 and 🇦🇿, joined by @Turkova , talking about her experiences of tightening media freedom in Russia and the US.
Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWnP...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4o6l...
Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWnP...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4o6l...
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
In Moscow, officials believe that Washington — which doesn’t view the exact dividing lines as a major priority — will pressure Kyiv to concede even more territory than Russia has been able to seize by force. www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/03/23/p...
Playing for Time: What the Kremlin Wants in New Talks with the U.S. on Ukraine - The Moscow Times
As high-level delegations from the U.S. and Russia arrive in Saudi Arabia for the second round of bilateral talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, Moscow’s envoys will have one goal on their mind: ...
www.themoscowtimes.com
March 23, 2025 at 3:37 PM
In Moscow, officials believe that Washington — which doesn’t view the exact dividing lines as a major priority — will pressure Kyiv to concede even more territory than Russia has been able to seize by force. www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/03/23/p...
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
#OpEd If Russia won't take responsibility for killing of MH17's 298 passengers, we can't trust them to ensure peace in Ukraine, argues Sander van Luik, whose brother Klaas Willem was killed when the plane was shot down.
Kremlin Accountability for MH17 is Essential for a Credible Peace - The Moscow Times
Opinion | The trust between a parent and child is unparalleled, built on natural affection and honesty.
www.themoscowtimes.com
March 4, 2025 at 3:30 PM
#OpEd If Russia won't take responsibility for killing of MH17's 298 passengers, we can't trust them to ensure peace in Ukraine, argues Sander van Luik, whose brother Klaas Willem was killed when the plane was shot down.
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
The Kremlin worries that a potential deal with the U.S. to secure its control over Ukraine, restore diplomatic ties, lift sanctions and launch joint resource development could be derailed by the Trump-Zelensky clash, @kozlov.bsky.social reports.
Kremlin Fears Trump-Zelensky Clash Could Harm Its Shot at a Grand Bargain - The Moscow Times
The Kremlin is increasingly worried that the emerging rift between the U.S. and Ukraine could derail a potential agreement between Washington and Moscow, The Moscow Times’ sources say. As U.S.
www.themoscowtimes.com
March 4, 2025 at 4:27 PM
The Kremlin worries that a potential deal with the U.S. to secure its control over Ukraine, restore diplomatic ties, lift sanctions and launch joint resource development could be derailed by the Trump-Zelensky clash, @kozlov.bsky.social reports.
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
#OpEd While the rest of the world is shutting the door to the corrupt super-rich, President Donald Trump is welcoming them in, warns @cjcmichel.bsky.social.
Trump Is Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Russian Oligarchs - The Moscow Times
Opinion | For years, so-called golden visas have been one of the favored tools of the crooked and corrupt around the world.
www.themoscowtimes.com
February 28, 2025 at 2:16 PM
#OpEd While the rest of the world is shutting the door to the corrupt super-rich, President Donald Trump is welcoming them in, warns @cjcmichel.bsky.social.
For Crisis Europa, I wrote a little something about what it is like to be an on-the-ground reporter at the Munich Security Conference.
A Journalist's-Eye View of the Munich Security Conference
50 heads of state, 150 ministers, and hundreds of experts and journalists. Here's an insider's view of what it is like to report from the world's largest gathering of political and military leaders.
charliehancock.substack.com
February 19, 2025 at 4:21 PM
For Crisis Europa, I wrote a little something about what it is like to be an on-the-ground reporter at the Munich Security Conference.
Throughout my time at the #MunichSecurityConference I was struck by two narratives: the pessimism of many delegates that Washington was abandoning a complacent Europe and 🇺🇦 to Russia’s whims, and the insistence from 🇪🇺 leaders that talks were more productive than many assumed
European officials tried to strike a pragmatic and constructive tone amid alarm that the U.S. would strike a deal with Moscow over their heads and leave Brussels and Kyiv to pick up the pieces.
A Tale of Two Munichs - The Moscow Times
As the location for the annual Security Conference, Munich took on a degree of irony before political and military leaders assembled in the city’s grand center. In 1938, the leaders of Britain and Fr...
www.themoscowtimes.com
February 17, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Throughout my time at the #MunichSecurityConference I was struck by two narratives: the pessimism of many delegates that Washington was abandoning a complacent Europe and 🇺🇦 to Russia’s whims, and the insistence from 🇪🇺 leaders that talks were more productive than many assumed
Another report from the #MunichSecurityConference #MSC2025
The Finnish President said that dialogue between Europe, Ukraine as the U.S. is more open than many believe, but that discussions have been "all over the place."
Europe Should ‘Maximize Pressure’ on U.S. Over Peace Talks With Russia – Stubb - The Moscow Times
MUNICH – Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Saturday called on Europe to pressure Washington to ensure that Ukraine was in as strong a position as possible before peace talks with Moscow could begin...
www.themoscowtimes.com
February 16, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Another report from the #MunichSecurityConference #MSC2025
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
Scholz, at #MSC2025 said that Germany cannot spend more on defence by cutting in other areas as the citizens would be against it.
@ecfr.eu actually asked exactly that question, and 40% of Germans (against 36%) say they would want more money for defence even if it meant cutting spending elsewhere.
@ecfr.eu actually asked exactly that question, and 40% of Germans (against 36%) say they would want more money for defence even if it meant cutting spending elsewhere.
February 15, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
A foreign service employee tells me their team can no longer access Politico, NYT or Bloomberg -- even though they have paid subscriptions to all of them.
"It is critical to our jobs" to have this access, says this employee.
"It is critical to our jobs" to have this access, says this employee.
February 14, 2025 at 3:31 PM
A foreign service employee tells me their team can no longer access Politico, NYT or Bloomberg -- even though they have paid subscriptions to all of them.
"It is critical to our jobs" to have this access, says this employee.
"It is critical to our jobs" to have this access, says this employee.
My report from the #MunichSecurityConference #MSC2025
The strike at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant “clearly shows that [the Russians] don't want peace,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told journalists on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
U.S.-Russia Talks 'Obsolete' After Chernobyl Drone Strike – Kallas - The Moscow Times
MUNICH — The European Union’s top diplomat said that any talks between the United States and Russia were now “obsolete” following a drone strike at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant that Kyiv bl...
www.themoscowtimes.com
February 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM
My report from the #MunichSecurityConference #MSC2025
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
Trump’s defense secretary also said it was “unrealistic” to expect that Ukraine could return to its pre-2014 borders and urged European NATO members to end their dependency on Washington for security.
No U.S. Peacekeepers to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Hegseth Says - The Moscow Times
BRUSSELS – U.S.
www.themoscowtimes.com
February 12, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Trump’s defense secretary also said it was “unrealistic” to expect that Ukraine could return to its pre-2014 borders and urged European NATO members to end their dependency on Washington for security.
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
Breaking News: Russia released a U.S. prisoner — a teacher who was arrested on charges of bringing medical marijuana into Russia in August 2021 — as part of a deal negotiated by President Trump’s Middle East envoy. The terms of the exchange were unclear.
Russia Releases U.S. Prisoner After Talks With Trump Envoy
The Kremlin freed Marc Fogel, a teacher held for more than three years on drug charges, in a deal negotiated by Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy.
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Breaking News: Russia released a U.S. prisoner — a teacher who was arrested on charges of bringing medical marijuana into Russia in August 2021 — as part of a deal negotiated by President Trump’s Middle East envoy. The terms of the exchange were unclear.
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
ICYMI, you can follow @themoscowtimes.com’s reporters and editors on Bluesky too:
@leylalatypova.bsky.social
@macktubs.bsky.social
@hancock2001.bsky.social
@nedgarvey.bsky.social
@kozlov.bsky.social
@leylalatypova.bsky.social
@macktubs.bsky.social
@hancock2001.bsky.social
@nedgarvey.bsky.social
@kozlov.bsky.social
February 9, 2025 at 12:08 PM
ICYMI, you can follow @themoscowtimes.com’s reporters and editors on Bluesky too:
@leylalatypova.bsky.social
@macktubs.bsky.social
@hancock2001.bsky.social
@nedgarvey.bsky.social
@kozlov.bsky.social
@leylalatypova.bsky.social
@macktubs.bsky.social
@hancock2001.bsky.social
@nedgarvey.bsky.social
@kozlov.bsky.social
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
My friend Katya, who is half-Georgian half-Ukrainian, has started a podcast that will focus on the news, politics, and events in countries we sometimes call "Eastern Europe"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5WW...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5WW...
All Out on the Eastern Front #2: Protests in Slovakia; Georgia; Moldovan energy deal; Poland vs. ECJ
YouTube video by All Out on the Eastern Front
www.youtube.com
February 8, 2025 at 1:41 PM
My friend Katya, who is half-Georgian half-Ukrainian, has started a podcast that will focus on the news, politics, and events in countries we sometimes call "Eastern Europe"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5WW...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5WW...
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
@hancock2001.bsky.social and I have a podcast now! :)
What a joy to discuss Slovakia, Fico's career and his unhinged conspiracy mongering with the brilliant @ekesa.bsky.social & @hancock2001.bsky.social! open.spotify.com/episode/3ppO...
All Out on the Eastern Front #2: Protests in Slovakia (cont.); human trafficking in Georgia; Moldovan energy deal; Poland vs. ECJ
All Out on the Eastern Front · Episode
open.spotify.com
February 9, 2025 at 12:22 AM
@hancock2001.bsky.social and I have a podcast now! :)
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
What a joy to discuss Slovakia, Fico's career and his unhinged conspiracy mongering with the brilliant @ekesa.bsky.social & @hancock2001.bsky.social! open.spotify.com/episode/3ppO...
All Out on the Eastern Front #2: Protests in Slovakia (cont.); human trafficking in Georgia; Moldovan energy deal; Poland vs. ECJ
All Out on the Eastern Front · Episode
open.spotify.com
February 8, 2025 at 8:33 PM
What a joy to discuss Slovakia, Fico's career and his unhinged conspiracy mongering with the brilliant @ekesa.bsky.social & @hancock2001.bsky.social! open.spotify.com/episode/3ppO...
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
The US government has now gutted all of the tools created to fight kleptocracy. It's going to be up to other democracies to save their political and financial systems from anonymous flows of cash.
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/07/w...
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/07/w...
Washington Has Given Up the Fight Against Kleptocrats. Here’s What Democracies Should Do - The Moscow Times
Opinion | On Feb. 6, new U.S.
www.themoscowtimes.com
February 8, 2025 at 12:02 PM
The US government has now gutted all of the tools created to fight kleptocracy. It's going to be up to other democracies to save their political and financial systems from anonymous flows of cash.
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/07/w...
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/07/w...
Reposted by Charlie Hancock
#OpEd In a single day, the U.S. has eliminated or kneecapped its most successful anti-corruption tools, leaving the door wide open for Russian oligarchs and more, warns @cjcmichel.bsky.social.
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/07/w...
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/07/w...
Washington Has Given Up the Fight Against Kleptocrats. Here’s What Democracies Should Do - The Moscow Times
Opinion | On Feb. 6, new U.S.
www.themoscowtimes.com
February 7, 2025 at 5:12 PM
#OpEd In a single day, the U.S. has eliminated or kneecapped its most successful anti-corruption tools, leaving the door wide open for Russian oligarchs and more, warns @cjcmichel.bsky.social.
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/07/w...
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/07/w...