It turns out that even volunteering with a group that makes camouflage nets and collects care packages for soldiers isn't enough to spare elderly Russians from criminal prosecution for antiwar speech crimes. meduza.io/en/news/2025...

Somehow my dormant spider lilies have decided to flower. They are such delicate little things, the harsh African sun is going to murder them in two days at most...

I get to watch this happen from the inside. It's not exactly like this where I am, but the further North you go, the more noticeable it becomes.

In the Bunker with @darthputinkgb.bsky.social, I explained how Russian paramilitaries commit grave human rights abuses, including rape and torture, in Africa and how local recruits, known as Black Russians, operate alongside Wagner paramilitaries in Central Africa.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyT7...

I’ve seen & heard a lot about Russia’s effort to increase migration to Europe through the West African route. If nothing is done to at least combat the disinformation that Russia is spreading in an attempt to encourage migration, Europe could face a catastrophe in months to come.

Russia appears to be moving some of its military assets from Syria to bases in Mali and Libya, which is home to an estimated 1,200 Russian mercenaries.

www.rferl.org/a/russia-syr...

In Nov. 2023, four months after Russian-allied soldiers seized power in Niger, the junta repealed Law 2015-36, which banned the transportation of irregular migrants northwards, effectively decriminalising people-smuggling and paving the way for migrants to travel towards Europe.

This should be a good stream to watch if you're interested in a high-level view of Russia's shenanigans in Africa, and how that affects you.

The Wagner Group has generated over $2.5 billion from illegal gold mining since the start of the Ukraine invasion, according to a report by the World Gold Council. Russia is taking resources from Africa to fund the Ukraine war and no one is doing anything.
www.lbc.co.uk/news/wagner-...

This delightful thread delves into some of the global conflicts that Russia has been stoking. It's a surprising amount.

When you start to understand "why" this is happening, you will begin to understand "how" it can be stopped.

My dendrobium is flowering for the first time in six years 😁

More people need to become aware of how Russia is leveraging off Africa.

I’ll really like to have a chat, or even a debate, with members of the European Parliament about Russia’s effort to create problems for Europe with migration from Africa. Europe has no idea what’s going on.

I'm having one of "those" days today. Had to nip home over lunch...

This is not my cat. In fact, both of my cats are missing and this little void has moved into my bed.