Michael Gentile
@michaelgentile.bsky.social
Professor in human geography at the University of Oslo. My current research interests surround the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Putin belongs behind bars.
So is this Trump's and Witkoff's Black Friday deal to Putin?
November 28, 2025 at 5:03 PM
So is this Trump's and Witkoff's Black Friday deal to Putin?
If this actually means the US is going to LEGALLY recognize Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts as Russian (including areas Russia does not control), then it is time to admit that the United States are not an ally of Europe. Or a partner. They are quite literally an enemy.
November 28, 2025 at 2:34 PM
If this actually means the US is going to LEGALLY recognize Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts as Russian (including areas Russia does not control), then it is time to admit that the United States are not an ally of Europe. Or a partner. They are quite literally an enemy.
Reposted by Michael Gentile
$100 for torching a van; more for planting a bomb or snapping a photo of a strategic location: Russian intelligence services have found a new, cheap, and effective way to conduct sabotage operations across Europe. They are recruiting Ukrainian children and teens online.
Russian spy network exploits Ukrainian teenagers in Europe
One hundred dollars for torching a van, a few hundred more for planting a bomb or quick cash for snapping a photo of a strategic location: Russian intelligence services have found a new, cheap – and…
www.france24.com
November 28, 2025 at 11:17 AM
$100 for torching a van; more for planting a bomb or snapping a photo of a strategic location: Russian intelligence services have found a new, cheap, and effective way to conduct sabotage operations across Europe. They are recruiting Ukrainian children and teens online.
Reposted by Michael Gentile
We can be absolutely certain that the Witkoff leak shows only a very tiny portion of the exchange.
Witkoff is not experienced in SIGINT. He is a realtor, out of his depth and an easy mark for any intelligence service. There are certainly recordings.
Witkoff is not experienced in SIGINT. He is a realtor, out of his depth and an easy mark for any intelligence service. There are certainly recordings.
November 27, 2025 at 5:36 PM
We can be absolutely certain that the Witkoff leak shows only a very tiny portion of the exchange.
Witkoff is not experienced in SIGINT. He is a realtor, out of his depth and an easy mark for any intelligence service. There are certainly recordings.
Witkoff is not experienced in SIGINT. He is a realtor, out of his depth and an easy mark for any intelligence service. There are certainly recordings.
Not Kara-Murza,.
Garry Kasparov at Halifax Security Forum:
"For 4 years, Ukraine has been fighting for the whole of Europe. NATO was created to fight one war — not to go to Afghanistan, not to go to Syria — one war: to save free Europe from Russian aggression.
"For 4 years, Ukraine has been fighting for the whole of Europe. NATO was created to fight one war — not to go to Afghanistan, not to go to Syria — one war: to save free Europe from Russian aggression.
November 26, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Not Kara-Murza,.
Reposted by Michael Gentile
Witkoff is not buying the Russian narrative. He is selling it.
November 26, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Witkoff is not buying the Russian narrative. He is selling it.
Question is, at this point: psy-op, or spy-op?
“The Insider can reveal the document contains specific language that appeared almost exactly word-for-word in an earlier text — one drafted solely by Dmitriev not long after Trump’s second inauguration.”
Trump's White House fell for Kremlin psy-op.
theins.ru/en/politics/...
Trump's White House fell for Kremlin psy-op.
theins.ru/en/politics/...
Made in Moscow: The “U.S. peace plan” for Ukraine was substantially formulated months ago by Kremlin operative Kirill Dmitriev
Since it was first published on Nov. 20, the much-discussed 28-point plan for ending the war in Ukraine has borne all the signs of a Kremlin information operation. In fact, many of its most…
theins.ru
November 26, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Question is, at this point: psy-op, or spy-op?
UA and the US seem to have agreed to some sort of revised peace plan. If RU agrees, crocodiles can fly. My bet is that they will "study it." Followed by a counter-offer that is identical to the 28 points of their original proposal (which they call the "Trump plan" to flatter the quack president).
November 25, 2025 at 1:43 PM
UA and the US seem to have agreed to some sort of revised peace plan. If RU agrees, crocodiles can fly. My bet is that they will "study it." Followed by a counter-offer that is identical to the 28 points of their original proposal (which they call the "Trump plan" to flatter the quack president).
This means that UA troops will have to retreat from Myrnohrad to avoid complete encirclement. Hopefully it isn't too late. www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202...
Russians control most of Pokrovsk – Ukrainska Pravda
Most of the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast is under the control of Russian forces.
www.pravda.com.ua
November 25, 2025 at 12:53 PM
This means that UA troops will have to retreat from Myrnohrad to avoid complete encirclement. Hopefully it isn't too late. www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202...
Reposted by Michael Gentile
Just as Trump has not changed the global economy with his tariffs, he also hasn't changed the defence world with his foreign policies. His erratic self-aggrandising mob-tribute conduct has exposed and exacerbated many existing trends more than anything else.
November 25, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Just as Trump has not changed the global economy with his tariffs, he also hasn't changed the defence world with his foreign policies. His erratic self-aggrandising mob-tribute conduct has exposed and exacerbated many existing trends more than anything else.
To me, this sounds like they haven't gotten that far after all. It's the "politically sensitive elements" (i.e., the treasonous parts of the original Russo-Krasnovian plan) that are the problem after all.
[Krasnov = Trump, for those who are not aware]
[Krasnov = Trump, for those who are not aware]
💥 US and Ukraine have drafted a new 19-point peace deal in Geneva, but left the most politically sensitive elements to be decided by the countries’ presidents, Kyiv negotiator Sergiy Kyslytsya tells @christopherjm.ft.com
"Very few things are left from the original version"
on.ft.com/48w8tnY
"Very few things are left from the original version"
on.ft.com/48w8tnY
US and Ukraine draft new 19-point peace plan but defer biggest decisions
[FREE TO READ] The most politically sensitive elements left for Trump and Zelenskyy to discuss
on.ft.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:56 PM
To me, this sounds like they haven't gotten that far after all. It's the "politically sensitive elements" (i.e., the treasonous parts of the original Russo-Krasnovian plan) that are the problem after all.
[Krasnov = Trump, for those who are not aware]
[Krasnov = Trump, for those who are not aware]
Yes, and there is one more dimension that is incredibly insulting: the various "anti-nazi" clauses mean, in fact, "anti-nation". How will it be possible to memorialize the war and its victims under the Russian ultimatum, a.k.a. the Trump peace plan?
The amnesty is perhaps the most offensive part of the unworkable Trump proposal.
⚡️ Ukraine is investigating a staggering 178,000 Russian war crimes as Trump’s peace plan raises fears it could grant amnesty to Russian troops.
November 24, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Yes, and there is one more dimension that is incredibly insulting: the various "anti-nazi" clauses mean, in fact, "anti-nation". How will it be possible to memorialize the war and its victims under the Russian ultimatum, a.k.a. the Trump peace plan?
Indeed the understatement of the month.
November 24, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Indeed the understatement of the month.
What RU maps look like. Whatever the outcome of the "peace plan", RU would certainly re-attack to gain its "territories temporarily occupied by Ukraine" (i.e. Zaporizhzhia, Kherson as well as the rest of Donbas). The same was true during teh LDNR years when UA "temporarily occupied LDNR territory."
Russia is redrawing the borders of Europe (and if you think I am only speaking figuratively, take a look at today's Russian maps of Ukraine and Georgia). Putin says this is to correct the "historic, strategic mistakes" that caused those borders to be drawn in the first place.
6/12
6/12
November 24, 2025 at 10:24 AM
What RU maps look like. Whatever the outcome of the "peace plan", RU would certainly re-attack to gain its "territories temporarily occupied by Ukraine" (i.e. Zaporizhzhia, Kherson as well as the rest of Donbas). The same was true during teh LDNR years when UA "temporarily occupied LDNR territory."
Reposted by Michael Gentile
- so you tend only to hear the "dangerous provocative NATO expansion" line from people who were so soaked in Russian propaganda narratives in the past that they cannot leave them behind in the present even though Russia itself has done so.)
3/12
3/12
November 24, 2025 at 10:00 AM
- so you tend only to hear the "dangerous provocative NATO expansion" line from people who were so soaked in Russian propaganda narratives in the past that they cannot leave them behind in the present even though Russia itself has done so.)
3/12
3/12
One of the points of the "peace plan" implies that this stuff would be forgiven - amnesty to all (war criminals). It's just so revolting.
Footage has surfaced online showing unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war executed while lying face down, accompanied by the approving shouts of those filming the scene.
This is not an isolated atrocity, it is russia’s pattern. Execution. Torture. Destruction.
This is not an isolated atrocity, it is russia’s pattern. Execution. Torture. Destruction.
November 22, 2025 at 2:40 PM
One of the points of the "peace plan" implies that this stuff would be forgiven - amnesty to all (war criminals). It's just so revolting.
I wonder what the secret protocol of the "peace plan" says. US has Moscow's nulla osta to take Greenland and Alberta in exchange for Baltics and Moldova?
November 22, 2025 at 12:32 PM
I wonder what the secret protocol of the "peace plan" says. US has Moscow's nulla osta to take Greenland and Alberta in exchange for Baltics and Moldova?
How could the terms become any harsher? They already reflect Russia's maximalist demands. Let's face it: Trump and Putin are now allies and the United States are, at best, irrelevant and useless. Europe can and must protect itself now. I'm quite worried about Canada.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll warned NATO allies that if Ukraine doesn’t sign the peace deal by Thursday, the terms will become significantly harsher. Driscoll, now Trump’s special envoy on the peace plan, made the statement in Kyiv after talks with Zelensky, The Guardian reports.
November 22, 2025 at 12:30 PM
How could the terms become any harsher? They already reflect Russia's maximalist demands. Let's face it: Trump and Putin are now allies and the United States are, at best, irrelevant and useless. Europe can and must protect itself now. I'm quite worried about Canada.
Reposted by Michael Gentile
This "peace plan" would spell the end of the European security order—a disaster of epic proportions.
November 21, 2025 at 8:45 PM
This "peace plan" would spell the end of the European security order—a disaster of epic proportions.
The US (Russia's) proposal falls short on every single one of the 28 points. One of the most egregious ones is the point about forgiving all russian war crimes. That is just sickening.
❗️Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated that Europe is preparing a joint response to Trump's "peace plan" regarding Ukraine.
He emphasized that forcing Ukraine to relinquish territory violates its constitution. Europe seeks to offer a counterproposal where the US proposal falls short.
He emphasized that forcing Ukraine to relinquish territory violates its constitution. Europe seeks to offer a counterproposal where the US proposal falls short.
November 22, 2025 at 9:48 AM
The US (Russia's) proposal falls short on every single one of the 28 points. One of the most egregious ones is the point about forgiving all russian war crimes. That is just sickening.
Putin backs his own plan: www.bbc.com/news/live/c6...
Putin backs US plan for ending Ukraine war as Trump gives Kyiv deadline to accept
President Zelensky says Ukraine faces one of the most difficult moments in its history, as the White House pushes its plan.
www.bbc.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Putin backs his own plan: www.bbc.com/news/live/c6...
RU should be served the UA peace plan and nothing else. Not willing to sign? Everyone gives all they have to destroy RU. Weapons, no fly zone, etc. Since we'll probably be at war with RU some day anyway (this is where RU is moving), better now than after it's had a chance to pull itself together.
There can be no peace plan with russia.
Full stop.
Full stop.
November 21, 2025 at 9:26 PM
RU should be served the UA peace plan and nothing else. Not willing to sign? Everyone gives all they have to destroy RU. Weapons, no fly zone, etc. Since we'll probably be at war with RU some day anyway (this is where RU is moving), better now than after it's had a chance to pull itself together.
Peace guaranteed if you hand over the Sudetenland. Oh, and if you also let him have the rest of the Czech lands, of course. But nothing else. No way he would ever use the resources bound to these territories to strengthen his military. edition.cnn.com/2025/11/20/p...
New Trump peace proposal for Ukraine would require land concessions and military reduction, source says | CNN Politics
A new peace proposal for Ukraine drafted by the Trump administration would require the country to cede the eastern Donbas region and to limit the size of its military in exchange for security guarante...
edition.cnn.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Peace guaranteed if you hand over the Sudetenland. Oh, and if you also let him have the rest of the Czech lands, of course. But nothing else. No way he would ever use the resources bound to these territories to strengthen his military. edition.cnn.com/2025/11/20/p...
@mm-corriere-bot.bsky.social Caro Corriere della Sera, avete presente che Donbas si scrive con una s sola? Con due s si scrive in russo. Al limite potete usare una versione italica, quale "Bacidon" (Bacino del Donets). Ecco, il Bacidon che quello schifo della russia vuole conquistare.
November 20, 2025 at 2:29 PM
@mm-corriere-bot.bsky.social Caro Corriere della Sera, avete presente che Donbas si scrive con una s sola? Con due s si scrive in russo. Al limite potete usare una versione italica, quale "Bacidon" (Bacino del Donets). Ecco, il Bacidon che quello schifo della russia vuole conquistare.
Decades of watering down education--including higher education--lead to this. I bet you the authoritarianism-admiring youth (and not only youth) are also the ones who reject expert knowledge while being attracted to conspiracy theories about the deep state, etc.
”A quarter of young people [18-28] see an authoritarian regime as preferable in certain circumstances”
elpais.com/espana/2025-...
elpais.com/espana/2025-...
Una cuarta parte de los jóvenes ve preferible en determinadas circunstancias un régimen autoritario
Casi la mitad desconocen cómo murió Lorca. En el electorado de Vox hay más simpatizantes que detractores del franquismo
elpais.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Decades of watering down education--including higher education--lead to this. I bet you the authoritarianism-admiring youth (and not only youth) are also the ones who reject expert knowledge while being attracted to conspiracy theories about the deep state, etc.