Maria Popova
@popovaprof.bsky.social
Polisci prof at McGill 🇨🇦⚜️
Democracy, rule of law, (anti)corruption in Eastern Europe 🇺🇦 🇧🇬 🇪🇺; post-Communism; Russo-Ukrainian war and its impact on European democracies; #UkraineIsEurope #DefendDemocracy
https://linktr.ee/popovaprof
Democracy, rule of law, (anti)corruption in Eastern Europe 🇺🇦 🇧🇬 🇪🇺; post-Communism; Russo-Ukrainian war and its impact on European democracies; #UkraineIsEurope #DefendDemocracy
https://linktr.ee/popovaprof
Reposted by Maria Popova
3 years ago today, the armed forces of Ukraine liberated Kherson.
Ever since, Russia has done everything in its power to make the city uninhabitable.
From across the river, they relentlessly bombard Kherson with glide bombs, artillery, and drones.
Ever since, Russia has done everything in its power to make the city uninhabitable.
From across the river, they relentlessly bombard Kherson with glide bombs, artillery, and drones.
November 11, 2025 at 5:16 PM
3 years ago today, the armed forces of Ukraine liberated Kherson.
Ever since, Russia has done everything in its power to make the city uninhabitable.
From across the river, they relentlessly bombard Kherson with glide bombs, artillery, and drones.
Ever since, Russia has done everything in its power to make the city uninhabitable.
From across the river, they relentlessly bombard Kherson with glide bombs, artillery, and drones.
Happy Berlin Wall fall day! Good riddance to the Wall and the regimes that had built it. Celebrate the freedom that followed and don't fall for revisionism. The hard next decade was the pain of extrication from a failed political and economic project. This is my high school class on that day.
November 10, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Happy Berlin Wall fall day! Good riddance to the Wall and the regimes that had built it. Celebrate the freedom that followed and don't fall for revisionism. The hard next decade was the pain of extrication from a failed political and economic project. This is my high school class on that day.
I went to my neighborhood Remembrance Day event today. It was hailing. The attendees were mostly retirees, a few middle aged, and the Scouts. Next to me, a father with a young child whispered in Ukrainian-accented Russian— shush, we are here to pay respect to the defenders. Very moving. 🇨🇦🇺🇦
November 9, 2025 at 10:13 PM
I went to my neighborhood Remembrance Day event today. It was hailing. The attendees were mostly retirees, a few middle aged, and the Scouts. Next to me, a father with a young child whispered in Ukrainian-accented Russian— shush, we are here to pay respect to the defenders. Very moving. 🇨🇦🇺🇦
Unhinged hatred of Ukraine has become a litmus test for conspiracists and authoritarians.
“Employees working on Ukr policy were asked to watch Carlson’s monologues, which were rife with conspiracy theories about the war, to delete past tweets in support of Ukr aid..”
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
“Employees working on Ukr policy were asked to watch Carlson’s monologues, which were rife with conspiracy theories about the war, to delete past tweets in support of Ukr aid..”
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
The Crack-Up at the Heritage Foundation Is a Warning Sign for MAGA World
By defending a controversial Tucker Carlson interview, think tank president Kevin Roberts unleashed a flood of discontent in the conservative establishment.
www.wsj.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Unhinged hatred of Ukraine has become a litmus test for conspiracists and authoritarians.
“Employees working on Ukr policy were asked to watch Carlson’s monologues, which were rife with conspiracy theories about the war, to delete past tweets in support of Ukr aid..”
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
“Employees working on Ukr policy were asked to watch Carlson’s monologues, which were rife with conspiracy theories about the war, to delete past tweets in support of Ukr aid..”
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
A conversation about longest words reminded me that Bulgarian has a 39-letter word that means "don't act against the constitution". It was coined as a joke in the 1950-60s and kids used it as a tongue twister. Extra ironic because the communist-era constitution was full of meaningless passages.
November 9, 2025 at 1:26 AM
A conversation about longest words reminded me that Bulgarian has a 39-letter word that means "don't act against the constitution". It was coined as a joke in the 1950-60s and kids used it as a tongue twister. Extra ironic because the communist-era constitution was full of meaningless passages.
Reposted by Maria Popova
Lukoil's overseas operations are unraveling under U.S. sanctions, triggering a chain reaction of canceled oil shipments, staff cuts and asset sales.
Lukoil's empire crumbles under U.S. sanctions
Lukoil's overseas operations are unraveling under U.S. sanctions, triggering a chain reaction of canceled oil shipments, staff cuts and asset sales, Reuters reported on Nov. 4.
english.nv.ua
November 5, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Lukoil's overseas operations are unraveling under U.S. sanctions, triggering a chain reaction of canceled oil shipments, staff cuts and asset sales.
OTOH, I'm happy to sign this amicus brief abt how "rising autocratic leaders interfere w the independence of prosecutors’ offices to consolidate power, eliminate political opposition, stifle dissent, and exact retribution..." I hope it helps Comey's defense! statesunited.org/comey-amicus/
Leading Democracy Scholars and Experts Warn Comey Prosecution Threatens Rule of Law - States United Democracy Center
statesunited.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:34 PM
OTOH, I'm happy to sign this amicus brief abt how "rising autocratic leaders interfere w the independence of prosecutors’ offices to consolidate power, eliminate political opposition, stifle dissent, and exact retribution..." I hope it helps Comey's defense! statesunited.org/comey-amicus/
My new column praises Italian Senator Calenda’s viral push back of Ru propaganda and argues that democratic debate requires more of this. "We cannot hide confrontation over facts and truth behind the false-equivalency facade of 'let’s agree to disagree'."
"
www.policymagazine.ca/when-confron...
"
www.policymagazine.ca/when-confron...
When Confronting Russian Propaganda, Truth is Not Optional - Policy Magazine
In late October, Italian Senator Carlo Calenda went viral for bluntly calling economist Jeffrey Sachs a liar. During a debate between the two on the Italian
www.policymagazine.ca
November 5, 2025 at 8:04 PM
My new column praises Italian Senator Calenda’s viral push back of Ru propaganda and argues that democratic debate requires more of this. "We cannot hide confrontation over facts and truth behind the false-equivalency facade of 'let’s agree to disagree'."
"
www.policymagazine.ca/when-confron...
"
www.policymagazine.ca/when-confron...
Must read. Basically, if you’ve fallen for Ru propaganda, the chatbots will dig you in even deeper. Also note this: “Grok provided the highest number of Russian sources even when asked neutral questions, the research found.” Higher than the Chinese chatbot!
‘The researchers believe that the chatbots use Russian sources more often when a topic is considered a data void, a search term that doesn’t have many high-quality results.’
AI chatbots are spewing Russian propaganda, study finds www.euronews.com/next/2025/11...
AI chatbots are spewing Russian propaganda, study finds www.euronews.com/next/2025/11...
Which AI company diffuses the most Russian propaganda?
One in five AI chatbot answers uses Russian propaganda websites as sources, a new study shows.
www.euronews.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Must read. Basically, if you’ve fallen for Ru propaganda, the chatbots will dig you in even deeper. Also note this: “Grok provided the highest number of Russian sources even when asked neutral questions, the research found.” Higher than the Chinese chatbot!
When we discussed Italian Senator Calenda's "absolutely, you're a liar" response to Jeffrey Sachs, some were saying better not call him a liar because perhaps he believes himself and his interpretation of real conversations is off. How about here?
November 2, 2025 at 6:19 PM
When we discussed Italian Senator Calenda's "absolutely, you're a liar" response to Jeffrey Sachs, some were saying better not call him a liar because perhaps he believes himself and his interpretation of real conversations is off. How about here?
Seems the IR subfield is so committed to the patron-client/proxy conceptualisation of allied relationships b/n bigger and smaller countries that it often can’t contemplate that the smaller state has agency and drives the relationship. Maybe that accounts for the failure to understand the Ru-Ukr war…
November 2, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Seems the IR subfield is so committed to the patron-client/proxy conceptualisation of allied relationships b/n bigger and smaller countries that it often can’t contemplate that the smaller state has agency and drives the relationship. Maybe that accounts for the failure to understand the Ru-Ukr war…
Reposted by Maria Popova
🔴 Zelenskyy: Ukraine has received the promised Patriot systems from Germany.
💬 “Together with our partners, we continue working to build a reliable air defense network.”
💬 “Together with our partners, we continue working to build a reliable air defense network.”
November 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
🔴 Zelenskyy: Ukraine has received the promised Patriot systems from Germany.
💬 “Together with our partners, we continue working to build a reliable air defense network.”
💬 “Together with our partners, we continue working to build a reliable air defense network.”
Add this to the long list of Ru sabotage of European democracies/societies. Because these are relatively minor incidents with no dead and injured, they don’t get publicized enough and the broad European public still doesn’t realize how deeply Ru wants their states to fail and how it works towards it
⚡️ French intelligence links Holocaust memorial vandalism to alleged Russian hybrid campaign.
Three Bulgarians charged in the act have been brought to trial, while the fourth one continues to evade custody.
Three Bulgarians charged in the act have been brought to trial, while the fourth one continues to evade custody.
French intelligence links Holocaust memorial vandalism to alleged Russian hybrid campaign
Three Bulgarians charged in the act have been brought to trial, while the fourth one continues to evade custody.
kyivindependent.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Add this to the long list of Ru sabotage of European democracies/societies. Because these are relatively minor incidents with no dead and injured, they don’t get publicized enough and the broad European public still doesn’t realize how deeply Ru wants their states to fail and how it works towards it
It's a big mistake for Europe to recognize even minimally/vaguely russia's imperialist cultural/linguistic/religious demands on Ukr. It's Ukr's sovereign right to determine through its own political process its language, cultural, religious policies. Ru's interference started w making demands...
October 31, 2025 at 1:22 AM
It's a big mistake for Europe to recognize even minimally/vaguely russia's imperialist cultural/linguistic/religious demands on Ukr. It's Ukr's sovereign right to determine through its own political process its language, cultural, religious policies. Ru's interference started w making demands...
A thorough, important read! « The war has become a grinding tech contest of adaptation, with each side racing to out-innovate the other. For Ukraine, the challenge is not simply inventing the next breakthrough but scaling a cost-effective solution fast enough to offset Ru’s mass…
Ukraine’s cheap, deadly drones are forcing Europe to admit the old way of war is over.
Ukraine’s Drone Revolution Is Forcing Europe to Rethink the Economics of War
As Ukraine’s drone warfare reshapes modern combat, Europe faces a new defense dilemma: How to counter cheap drones with costly air defenses?
united24media.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:38 PM
A thorough, important read! « The war has become a grinding tech contest of adaptation, with each side racing to out-innovate the other. For Ukraine, the challenge is not simply inventing the next breakthrough but scaling a cost-effective solution fast enough to offset Ru’s mass…
Reposted by Maria Popova
Ukrainian energy engineers are real heroes bringing the lights back after every russian terrorist attack.
October 30, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Ukrainian energy engineers are real heroes bringing the lights back after every russian terrorist attack.
Reposted by Maria Popova
💯Absolutely. But someone was just telling me maybe it's time to stop helping Ukraine because they haven't been successful and therefore perhaps they should accept that this is their territory now to save lives and have peace. As if Ru is offering this option rather than rejecting it every single day
October 30, 2025 at 8:04 PM
💯Absolutely. But someone was just telling me maybe it's time to stop helping Ukraine because they haven't been successful and therefore perhaps they should accept that this is their territory now to save lives and have peace. As if Ru is offering this option rather than rejecting it every single day
It seems some are under the impression that the war continues because Ukraine keeps hoping to liberate its territories, whereas it continues because Russia keeps hoping to occupy all of Ukraine.
October 30, 2025 at 6:48 PM
It seems some are under the impression that the war continues because Ukraine keeps hoping to liberate its territories, whereas it continues because Russia keeps hoping to occupy all of Ukraine.
Some replies reminded me of this post from 5mo ago. Rings even truer today as Trump has actually added some sanctions.
Zelensky has outplayed Pu diplomatically since Feb. Trump expected Ukr to agree to whatever terms Pu asked for and the war would be over. It didn’t happen. Trump got angry and could’ve helped Ru by ending sanctions, as well as mil aid and intelligence sharing w Ukr. Ze calmed him down.
Ze 1: Pu 0.
Ze 1: Pu 0.
October 30, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Some replies reminded me of this post from 5mo ago. Rings even truer today as Trump has actually added some sanctions.
Russian officials+propagandists say this all the time, pobedobesie (victory frenzy/obsession) has been raging for decades, Ru toddlers march in fatigues, and some Westerners do pikachu face and claim Ru feels insecure and defends itself reluctantly. h/t to @vatniksoup.bsky.social for the pic.
October 29, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Russian officials+propagandists say this all the time, pobedobesie (victory frenzy/obsession) has been raging for decades, Ru toddlers march in fatigues, and some Westerners do pikachu face and claim Ru feels insecure and defends itself reluctantly. h/t to @vatniksoup.bsky.social for the pic.
Reposted by Maria Popova
how it started how it's going
October 29, 2025 at 4:50 PM
how it started how it's going
Despite 9mo of waffling/weakness by the Trump admin, the recently announced US sanctions on Ru oil have immediately produced a wave of compliance/reactions in Europe/China/India, which suggests: 1) US hegemony is still here and 2) the US could easily strangle Ru's economy if the admin wanted to.
October 27, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Despite 9mo of waffling/weakness by the Trump admin, the recently announced US sanctions on Ru oil have immediately produced a wave of compliance/reactions in Europe/China/India, which suggests: 1) US hegemony is still here and 2) the US could easily strangle Ru's economy if the admin wanted to.
I don't find it super convincing.
October 26, 2025 at 11:37 PM
I don't find it super convincing.
Reposted by Maria Popova
October 26, 2025 at 7:36 PM