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Isabelle DeSisto

@isadesisto.bsky.social
2.3K followers 485 following 102 posts

PhD candidate in Politics at Princeton (on the 2026-7 job market!) | Formerly Harvard Gov & Cambridge POLIS | Studying politics in Eastern Europe 🇲🇩🇺🇦🇷🇺 | isabelledesisto.com | @russiawatcher

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto
Zentrum für Osteuropa- und internationale Studien (ZOiS) @zois.bsky.social · 19h
A new representative study on the mental health among civilians in Ukraine shows Around a third meet the criteria for (complex) PTSD. Initiated by #KonKoop, a research network based at ZOiS co-led by @gwendolynsasse.bsky.social, it was carried out by an international research team. #OpenAccess!👇
tandfonline.com
Prevalence of exposure to lifetime and war-related traumas, PTSD and complex PTSD in a sample from the Ukrainian general population
Background: PTSD is a common mental health difficulty in war-affected countries. Despite the ongoing nature of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, few previous studies have established rate...
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NPR @npr.org · 17h
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich recounts his imprisonment on false espionage charges in Russia in his new memoir, This Cursed Beautiful Land: A Russian American Story. n.pr/3TDQuYm
n.pr
Evan Gershkovich never stopped being a journalist
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich recounts his imprisonment on false espionage charges in Russia in his new memoir, This Cursed Beautiful Land: A Russian American Story.
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Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The Kremlin had to work hard to fake a landslide. With a final tally of 58%, Russia’s ruling party projects regime stability. But the effort invested in falsifications demonstrates discontent over the war. Read the latest: goodauthority.org/news/the-kre...
goodauthority.org
The Kremlin had to work hard to fake a landslide
Russia's 2026 State Duma elections showcase how authoritarian regimes use rigged votes for legitimation and elite management.
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Semafor @semafor.com · 30/09/2026
Visitors to the US are on track to drop by almost two million year-on-year. “We’re the only major country in the world losing visitation,” the head of the US Travel Association said. “It’s mind-boggling.” www.semafor.com/article/09/2...
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Gwendolyn Sasse @gwendolynsasse.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Glad to see first academic and first outreach article published from an international interdisciplinary project initiated by #KonKoop @zois.bsky.social on dimensions of psychological impact of war in #Ukraine theconversation.com/one-in-three...
theconversation.com
One in three Ukrainian civilians estimated to meet the criteria for PTSD or complex PTSD – new study
War-related trauma now affects most people in Ukraine and presents a major threat to the country’s resiliance in the face of continuing Russian aggression.
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Isabelle DeSisto @isadesisto.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Our article with @grigopop.bsky.social and @jacobtucker.bsky.social is now out in @bjpols.bsky.social! This has been a very long journey from the initial draft to publication, so we are very excited 😀 I'll summarize our findings in the next few of posts in the thread.
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British Journal of Political Science @bjpols.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NEW - The Threshold Effect: Preference Falsification Versus Weak Preferences in Russian War Support - cup.org/4hGfoyp - @isadesisto.bsky.social, @grigopop.bsky.social & Jacob R. Tucker #OpenAccess
BJPolS abstract discussing surveys in autocracies with a focus on wartime Russia. It highlights the use of list experiments to detect falsification and the threshold effect. The findings suggest surveys should be cautiously interpreted in such contexts, specifically regarding attitudes towards Ukraine.
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Dr. Christine M. Slaughter @cmslaughter.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The figures in this post are sobering!
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The New Voice of Ukraine @english.nv.ua · 28/09/2026
❗️ One person killed and others injured after Russian strike on National Academy of Sciences building in Kyiv NV journalist showed the aftermath of the attack in central Kyiv. Read our live updates for everything known about Russia’s Sept. 28 attack on Kyiv 👇 🔗https://pm9dfw.s.gy/4sgJ3K
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 27/09/2026
⚡️Ukrainian military delivers 4 tons of food to occupied Oleshky by drones, regional authorities said. The operation was carried out in cooperation with several Ukrainian military and law enforcement units, according to Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
kyivindependent.com
Ukrainian military delivers 4 tons of food to occupied Oleshky by drones, according to regional authorities
Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian forces have attempted to disrupt the deliveries.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 26/09/2026
Incredible: another Ukrainian famine is unfolding, this time in Russian-occupied Oleshky. The remaining inhabitants of what used to be a thriving small city, now down to about 6000 people, are blockaded by Russian forces and cut off from food and water. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Oleshky: Eating garden weeds to survive in Russian-occupied city cut off from food and water
The BBC has spoken to residents in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky who say they are being "constantly shelled".
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David Smith @dsmith890.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The NYT's Moldova photo essay called an elected official "a teacher," styled a fashion designer and a film student to look like Soviet factory workers, and opened with "gray" to describe the sunniest month Chisinau had all year. open.substack.com/pub/moldovam...
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Russia Watcher @russiawatcher.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
🛑 Update on public opinion in Russia. We document a steady decline in approval of Vladimir Putin from roughly April through July -- consistent with polling data from other sources, including FOM and VTsIOM (meduza.io/en/news/2026...) 1/
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Meduza in English @meduza.io · 11/09/2026
A month after the anti-war party Yabloko was barred from running its party list in Russia’s State Duma elections, the pressure hasn’t stopped. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
meduza.io
A month ago, Russia’s anti-war Yabloko party was disqualified from the State Duma election. That was only the beginning. — Meduza
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 09/09/2026
⚡️Moldovan President Sandu condemns Russian drone strike on border crossing point that killed two, injured three. The Moldovan President also called for more air defence for Ukraine.
kyivindependent.com
Moldovan President Sandu condemns Russian drone strike on border crossing point that killed two, injured three
The Moldovan President called for more air defense for Ukraine.
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Isabelle DeSisto @isadesisto.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
If you're still at APSA on Sunday morning, pls come to our panel at *10am in Sheraton, The Fens room*: "Communist Legacies and Post-Communist Realities in Central Eurasia and Beyond." I'll be presenting an abridged version of my job market paper!
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Scholars Working on East European Politics @sweep-workshop.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Attending APSA this week in Boston? Want to learn from awesome cutting-edge research engaging East European politics? Here's your cheat-sheet-guide to all of the great panels featuring members of our network (including times, locations, and panel abstracts!) ➡️ docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
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Scholars Working on East European Politics @sweep-workshop.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
✨✨And, don't forget -- we'll be celebrating a great conference together on Saturday September 5 @ Nightshift Brewing Boston Esplanade at 6pm✨✨ Please join us as we toast our wonderful community! 🍻
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 30/08/2026
⚡️Nearly 2,000 drones fired at Ukraine in one week as Russia draws out attacks. Russia launched nearly 2,000 attack drones, more than 1,600 glide bombs, and 31 missiles, including North Korean ballistic missiles, against Ukraine in just the last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
kyivindependent.com
Nearly 2,000 drones fired at Ukraine in one week as Russia draws out attacks
Russia launched nearly 2,000 attack drones, more than 1,600 glide bombs, and 31 missiles, including North Korean ballistic missiles, against Ukraine in just the last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky...
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Ukrainska Pravda 🇺🇦 @pravda.ua · 30/08/2026
💔 Three killed in Russian strike on runners competing in race in Kharkiv Oblast
pravda.com.ua
Three killed in Russian strike on runners competing in race in Kharkiv Oblast
A Russian missile strike hit participants of a memorial running event in Kharkiv Oblast, killing three people, National Police say.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 29/08/2026
⚡️2-year-old killed as Russia's near-continuous attacks stretch into third day across Ukraine. A two-year-old girl was killed in a Russian attack on Kyiv's Obolonskyi district in the morning, while eight other people were injured, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
kyivindependent.com
2-year-old killed as Russia's near-continuous attacks stretch into third day across Ukraine
Near-continuous air raid alerts across large swaths of Ukraine stretched into a third consecutive day on Aug. 29, as Russia launched continued waves of attacks targeting the country.
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Isabelle DeSisto @isadesisto.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
La mulți ani, Moldova! 🇲🇩
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Cristian Canțâr @cristiancantir.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
On Ukraine's Independence Day, Moldovan Pres. Maia Sandu said it's difficult to imagine a free MD without a free Ukraine. Igor Dodon, the most popular pro-Russian politician in MD, said instead that Western states are prolonging the war by giving Ukraine funding ...
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Isabelle DeSisto @isadesisto.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Happy Independence Day, Ukraine! 🇺🇦 (Photo from last summer in Uzhhorod)
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Mediazona English @en.zona.media · 14/08/2026
Our updated count of Russian losses in the war: nearly 240,000 verified names. We also updated the infographic, which now shows how our database is filling up with names over time. You can see how even now, soldiers who died in 2022 are still added: en.zona.media/article/2026...
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Olga Onuch @oonuch.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
! While some jurnos are reporting Zelensky in 4th place in KIIS’s trust ratings -this is not new or news- that’s where he was! Real story? - Zaluzhnyi’s trust rating seems to have fallen from 73-66% - Budanov’s 70-61% Has Fedorov’s campaign hurt establishment Military figures?
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World Politics @worldpolitics.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Has #research failed to take into account the varied #property #rights in #preindustrial #Europe and how they affected #economic #growth? Brendan McElroy #theorizes it has in his July article. doi.org/10.1353/wp.2... #serfdom #Latvia #Russia #Estonia #archives #archival #parliament #elites #reform
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 10/08/2026
⚡️ 'Serious violation' — Moldova recalls ambassador from Moscow following drone crash. "This is a direct consequence of Russia's war, and it endangers us all," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said. kyivindependent.com/moldova-reca...
kyivindependent.com
'Serious violation' — Moldova recalls ambassador from Moscow following drone crash
"This is a direct consequence of Russia's war, and it endangers us all," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.
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Cristian Canțâr @cristiancantir.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
TV8, one of Moldova's independent TV stations, has updated its map of missiles and drones that have fallen in the country since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Most recently, a drone exploded in the Ștefan Vodă raion and caused a vegetation fire and damaged a few roofs...
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Anton Barbashin @abarbashin.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Although Russia has tried to project strength in Transnistria to offset vulnerabilities exposed by Ukraine’s drone campaign, Transnistria will continue to gravitate toward Moscow as long as benefits of its relationship with Russia outweigh those it could obtain from West. ridl.io/status-quo-u...
ridl.io
Status Quo Under Pressure: Transnistria After 2022 – Riddle Russia
Denis Cenusa on how the war in Ukraine has changed relations between Russia and Transnistria
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 06/08/2026
⚡️Voice of America to relaunch Ukrainian-language broadcasting. Voice of America will resume its Ukrainian-language broadcasts and return some employees of its Ukrainian Service to work, Ruslan Petrychka, head of the broadcaster's Ukrainian Service, announced on Aug. 5.
kyivindependent.com
Voice of America to relaunch Ukrainian-language broadcasting
Voice of America will resume its Ukrainian-language broadcasts and return some employees of its Ukrainian Service to work, Ruslan Petrychka, head of the broadcaster's Ukrainian Service, announced on A...
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Hanna Folsz @hannafolsz.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
It was time for a SWEEP! 🧹 We are transforming our grad workshop, EEPGW, into a new online East European politics workshop for scholars *at all career stages*! Below is our Call for Papers📄 & an APSA happy hour🍸& a call to share your APSA panel so fellow East Europeanists can be in the loop📝!
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Vincent Heddesheimer @vheddesheimer.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
New paper w/ @hannohilbig.bsky.social: we examine how local exposure to the Great Recession affected politics over the long run. Counties where unemployment rose more in 2007–09 moved toward Democrats, not the populist right. The shift remained visible in 2022.
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Darth Putin @darthputinkgb.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Not as good as ours. Ours is "special".
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 30/07/2026
⚡️ 'Almost nothing remained': Russian missile kills 6 members of family in Ukrainian village. Six members of the family have been confirmed killed, with rescuers still searching for any remains of the other five as of 6 p.m. local time.
kyivindependent.com
'Almost nothing remained of the house': Russian missile kills 6 members of family in Ukrainian village
Six members of the family have been confirmed killed, with rescuers still searching for any remains of the other five as of 6 p.m. local time.
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NPR @npr.org · 30/07/2026
The blitz expanded Russia's almost daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities as Moscow apparently looked to exploit Kyiv's critical shortage of Western-supplied anti-ballistic missile defenses. n.pr/3TjRP6b
n.pr
Russian strikes across Ukraine kill at least 8 civilians and wound dozens
The blitz expanded Russia's almost daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities as Moscow apparently looked to exploit Kyiv's critical shortage of Western-supplied anti-ballistic missile defenses.
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Cambridge University Press Political Science & IR @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org · 29/07/2026
NEW ISSUE from @nationalitiesp.bsky.social - Russia’s War Against Ukraine - Volume 54 - Special Issue 4 - cup.org/4yTkGhZ Where not #OpenAccess the articles in this issue are free to read for a limited period.
Cover for Nationalities Papers: The Journal of Nationalism and Ethnicity with a person adjusts a large clock affixed to the exterior of a building. Nearby, a flag with red, white, and green horizontal stripes is displayed.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 28/07/2026
Six months into President Trump’s oil blockade, Cubans are losing sleep in the sweltering heat. Our reporter Jack Nicas visited Havana, where residents explained how they struggle to sleep with no electricity for fans or air conditioning.
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EMILY WILSON @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
10. Whatever one thinks of the film as a work of art, it's doing some good in the world, by generating big conversations, bringing new audiences to the cinema, and new readers to ancient literature. I hope it helps save the humanities.
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Vincent Heddesheimer @vheddesheimer.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
🚨 New GERDA update: - Large update of mayoral elections (6 new states) - Landrat elections - Wahlkreis (district)-level results (BW & LW) - Local council seats (Gemeinde/Stadt & Kreis) - 2026 elections: BW state, BY & HE local More info below and here: www.german-elections.com
german-elections.com
GERDA: German Election Database
Comprehensive dataset of local, state, federal, European, mayoral, Landrat, and county election results in Germany at the municipality and constituency (Wahlkreis) level, plus subnational public opini...
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Paula Erizanu @paulaerizanu.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
A new website shows where the Soviets deported Moldovans from in the 40s, to Siberia and Kazakhstan moldova.europalibera.org/a/un-program...
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Anne Meng @annemeng.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
🚨 New in @apsrjournal.bsky.social! 🚨How do the origins of authoritarian regimes shape their subsequent trajectories? @kbclarke.bsky.social @jackpaine.bsky.social and I are excited to share "Rebel Victory and Authoritarian (Dis)Order" /1
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Georgy Tarasenko @tarasenkogeorgy.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
🚨 Our (w/ @konboga and @nikitasavin today in Scientific Data: RED — Russian Electoral Data. Polling station-level results for every Russian federal election, 2000–2024: 1.04 million precinct-level records, harmonized into one open dataset. 🧵 nature.com/articles/s4159…
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NPR @npr.org · 21/07/2026
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces following days of protests demanding his removal. Zelenskyy appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new army chief. n.pr/4gQvhU9
n.pr
Ukraine's Zelenskyy fires his military chief after protests and names a new one
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces following days of protests demanding his removal. Zelenskyy appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as the new army chief.
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 18/07/2026
⚡️Botswana warns Russia trafficking its citizens into Ukraine war at 'alarming rate.' "These individuals are often promised employment opportunities, only to discover upon arrival that they are being forced into active combat," Botswana's International Relations Ministry said on July 18.
kyivindependent.com
Botswana warns Russia trafficking its citizens into Ukraine war at 'alarming rate'
"These individuals are often promised employment opportunities, only to discover upon arrival that they are being forced into active combat," Botswana's International Relations Ministry said on July 1...
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 16/07/2026
⚡️Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin banned from leaving country. On July 10 this year, Russian authorities designated Nadezhdin as a "foreign agent," effectively preventing him from running in any future elections.
kyivindependent.com
Russian opposition politician Boris Nadezhdin banned from leaving country
On July 10 this year, Russian authorities designated Nadezhdin as a “foreign agent,” effectively preventing him from running in any future elections.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
New meme just dropped
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British Journal of Political Science @bjpols.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
From May 2026 - National Attachment, Past In-Group Perpetratorhood, and Out-Group Attitudes - cup.org/3Pe9gDf - @laiabalcells.bsky.social, @eliasdinas.bsky.social & Ethan vanderWilden #OpenAccess
BJPolS abstract text titled "Exclusionary attitudes" discussing how in-group victimhood impacts antisemitism in contemporary Spain. Examines attachment levels to Spanish nation and attitudes towards Jews from Spain, noting that historical exposure may influence responses.
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Mediazona English @en.zona.media · 15/07/2026
Bank card data shows over 85% of Moscow’s gas stations sold fuel in the past 24 hours, against just two thirds nationwide. In Crimea, Kirov, Tambov and Yakutia, nearly every second gas station has recorded no sales at all. Our map of the fuel crisis: en.zona.media/article/2026...
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