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Alex Raufoglu

@ralexdc.bsky.social
8.9K followers 999 following 1.6K posts

✍️ DC Correspondent covering Eastern Europe | @AmericanU 🎓 | @ForeignPressUSA Board | Posts=personal

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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
NEW!!! Bipartisan push: Sens. Shaheen and Wicker are urging Rubio and Bessent to use new Russia sanctions authority to target Moscow’s shadow fleet, illicit finance networks and dual-use tech pipeline ahead of the Oct. 18 deadline. 👇
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Merz to Ukraine: “Germany stands by your side as a reliable partner even in difficult times.”
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
NEW!! As Russia Tests Western Alliance, U.S. Lawmakers Push ‘NATO Shield’ Bill 👇 www.rferl.org/a/russia-tes...
rferl.org
As Russia Tests Western Alliance, US Lawmakers Push ‘NATO Shield’ Bill
As tensions between NATO and Russia intensify amid growing fears of confrontation, US lawmakers are raising questions over the relationship between the United States and the military alliance.
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Reposted by Alex Raufoglu
Baltic Takes (formerly badbaltictakes) @baltictakes.com · 23/09/2026
Wow. Nearly 40% of US senators are now part of the Baltic Freedom Caucus. According to Alex Raufoglu, Senior Washington Correspondent for Radio Free Europe, that means the Baltic Freedom Caucus has just become the largest Senate caucus connected to a country or region.
static.klipy.com
Popular Press
ALT: Popular Press
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NEW!! Thousands of Ukrainians in the U.S. are facing a looming question: What happens on October 19? “Nobody knows what to do,” Mariia Hlyten tells me The Trump admin has yet to say what comes next for those covered by temporary protection. 👇 www.rferl.org/a/ukrainians...
rferl.org
Ukrainians In US Face Uncertainty As Temporary Protection Deadline Looms
Many Ukrainians who are staying in the US under the TPS program face uncertainty as their protected status is set to expire next month.
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
NEW!! House Ukraine Caucus Urges Trump Administration To Strengthen Russia Sanctions, Fully Implement Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act 👇
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
NEW!! NATO commander Gen. Alexus Grynkewich warns European lawmakers that Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are increasingly cooperating, while hybrid attacks and threats to critical infrastructure are growing. “We are all eastern flank nations now,” he says.
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
NEW!! Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker is urging President Trump to use new sanctions powers against Russia, arguing the law gives the White House new leverage to pressure Putin and force costs on Moscow.
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
BREAKING!! 14 senators, including Shaheen, McConnell and Cornyn, are pressing Trump over reports that Putin was invited to the G20 summit in Miami this Dec. The bipartisan group urges Trump to rescind the invitation and bar sanctioned Russian officials from G20 events. 👇
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
BREAKING! U.S. and Poland are inching closer to a deal on permanent military base, with Warsaw offering $15K/y per American soldier Polish Deputy DefMin Paweł Zalewski tells @rferl.org.web.brid.gy: “We are offering very special conditions for American troops” and will cover infrastructure costs
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Nikolas Gvosdev @fpriorbis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Some thoughts on this development, based on @ralexdc.bsky.social reporting: www.linkedin.com/posts/nikola...
linkedin.com
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"Sergey, I know you're listening." At the UNSC, Poland’s Sikorski delivered a direct rebuke to an absent Lavrov: “Tell your boss: enough is enough." 👇
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
NEW!! As Trump signs the Russia-Iran sanctions bill into law, experts tell me implementation will determine its impact. READ 👇 rferl.org/a/33859294.h...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The Russia Sanctions Act is now the law of the land!!!
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
BREAKING!!! President Trump has signed late Senator Lindsay Graham's Russia Sanctions bill into law
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
NEW!! The Russia Sanctions Act will become the law of the land tomorrow at 4:30 PM.
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Supporters of the Russia Sanctions bill say its tariff provisions are intended to target countries help finance Moscow's war. Senator Richard Blumenthal delivered a blunt message to the Kremlin after the vote: "To Vladimir Putin, we have your number." www.rferl.org/a/us-congres...
rferl.org
US Congress Passes Sweeping Russia Sanctions Bill, Sends It To Trump
The US Congress on September 16 passed sweeping legislation targeting Russia and Iran, sending to President Donald Trump a sanctions package supporters say will increase pressure on Moscow and countri...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
BREAKING!!! 🗳️ The U.S. Congress has just passed sweeping Russia-Iran sanctions legislation championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk and is expected to be signed in the coming days.
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
NEW!! House Rules is set to vote on the Russia sanctions bill within minutes. Ahead of the vote, Sen. Shaheen, the top Senate Democrat on foreign policy, is pushing back on fellow Dems who say the bill gives Trump unlimited tariff authority: “This is a gross mischaracterization!” 👇
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
NEW!! Boris Johnson, who survived a Russian drone strike on Ukraine train earlier today, condemned Putin’s “random and senseless” attacks on railways, calling for air defenses and the release of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine. 👇
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Yale Tracking Of Ukrainian Children Taken By Russia At Risk As US Reshapes $25M Program www.rferl.org/a/yale-research-tracking-ukrainian-children-taken-by-russia-at-risk-as-us-reshapes-25m-program/33850930.html
rferl.org
Yale Tracking Of Ukrainian Children Taken By Russia At Risk As US Reshapes $25M Program
The work of a Yale University lab that tracks Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Russia is at risk of curtailment as the US State Department moves to restructure a $25 million program that the...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
NEW!! After US envoys' separate meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy, the central question remains unanswered: Has Moscow changed its position enough to make a settlement possible? Former US ambassadors to Ukraine tell RFE/RL the answer, for now, appears to be no. 👇 www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-wi...
rferl.org
US Renews Ukraine Peace Push, But Former Ambassadors See No Breakthrough
The Trump administration has revived its diplomatic drive to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled from Moscow to Kyiv in a high-profile effort to lay the ...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
In a letter to Sec. Rubio, a bipartisan group of lawmakers ask State Dept. to immediately release $25M promised in March to track down and return an estimated 20K kidnapped Ukrainian children. 👇
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
NEW!! Estonia’s spy chief: ‘Russia is in a very bad place – revolution could come overnight’ www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08...
telegraph.co.uk
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
NEW!! Key GOP defense voice Rep. Don Bacon is pressing the Pentagon to implement President Trump’s order to return 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland and the Baltics, accusing the department of “dragging its feet” for three months. “This is deterrence,” Bacon says
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
NEW!! Days after U.S. intel warned Putin could be weighing a limited incursion into a NATO member state, CIA Director Ratcliffe flew to Moscow to urge the Kremlin against escalating with U.S. allies -- particularly Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
NEW!! A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pressing Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to reconsider planned reductions in U.S. support for NATO operations in Europe. Senator Bennet and Reps Joe Neguse and Don Bacon warn the cuts could weaken deterrence against Russia. 👇
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
U.S. House Launches Push For Sweeping Russia, Iran Sanctions Bill After Senate Landslide 👇 www.rferl.org/a/33826098.h...
rferl.org
US House Launches Push For Sweeping Russia, Iran Sanctions Bill After Senate Landslide
The US House of Representatives moved to advance a sweeping Russia and Iran sanctions package on August 10, just days after the Senate approved it by an overwhelming 86-11 vote, opening the next phase...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
RUSSIA/IRAN SANCTIONS ACT: Bipartisan blowout as upper chamber approved sweeping sanctions on Russia & Iran yesterday, enabling up to 100% tariffs on energy buyers. Here is how the upper chamber voted: 👇
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
BREAKING!!! U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, dealing a major blow to Moscow's financial sector. Next up: The fight moves to the House.
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
In a closed-door briefing last week, Senate Republicans heard directly from Ukrainian commanders on the future of warfare: cheap drones, electronic warfare and rapid battlefield adaptation The pitch to lawmakers? Ukraine's war is becoming America's military playbook 👇 www.rferl.org/a/senate-bri...
rferl.org
At A Closed-Door Senate GOP Briefing, Ukrainian Commanders Offer Drone War Lessons As US Confronts Iran
For much of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian officials arrived in Washington seeking weapons, ammunition, and financial support. Last week, however, the message was markedly different as Kyiv l...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
NEW!! Ukraine Critically Short Of Air Defenses As Questions Swirl Over US Patriot Stockpiles www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-pa...
rferl.org
Ukraine Critically Short Of Air Defenses As Questions Swirl Over US Patriot Stockpiles
Ukraine's failure to intercept a single Russian missile during a large-scale overnight attack this week has raised fresh concerns over Kyiv's dwindling supply of air-defense interceptors as Moscow esc...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
US Senator John Curtis Points To Bipartisan Momentum As Russia-Iran Sanctions Bill Nears Final Vote www.rferl.org/a/us-russia-...
rferl.org
US Senator John Curtis Points To Bipartisan Momentum As Russia-Iran Sanctions Bill Nears Final Vote
A bipartisan coalition in the US Senate is working to keep momentum behind a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia and Iran, with lawmakers from both parties arguing that the legislation would s...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
NEW!!! 'Putin Is a Thug:' Key GOP Senator Rick Scott Says Congress Must Hold Russia Accountable "... I want Ukraine to win, and I want Russia to lose. Ukrainians are on the good side" Senator tells me READ RFE/RL interview with Senator Rick Scott www.rferl.org/a/putin-thug...
rferl.org
'Putin Is a Thug:' Senator Rick Scott Says Congress Must Hold Russia Accountable
Influential Republican Senator Rick Scott talks to RFE/RL about why he believes sanctions against Russia should be passed immediately, why Ukraine's military innovations matter for the United States, ...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
"Enabling the Ukrainians to build the Patriot would have helped relieve the shortage of interceptors we face today," Rep Don Bacon told @rferl.org.web.brid.gy, adding: "I wish the President was more of a Reagan or Churchill when it comes to Russia.”
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
"The President and his team are routinely disappointing in their Ukraine policy," Rep. Don Bacon tells me. "While 70% of Americans support Ukraine, the policies of the White House make them appear to be in the 30%."
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
NEW!!! Trump's apparent backtrack on allowing Ukraine to license-produce Patriot systems is drawing GOP criticism. Rep. Don Bacon, a senior Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, is the first Republican to publicly break ranks 👇 www.rferl.org/a/patriot-mi...
rferl.org
Patriot Debate Deepens As Bacon Questions Trump Shift, Senate Moves On Ukraine Arms
US President Donald Trump's decision to step back from his earlier pledge to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors has prompted renewed debate in Washington over the future directi...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
After Zelenskyy's Capitol Visit, Senate Sharpens Pressure On Russia And Iran www.rferl.org/a/us-senate-...
rferl.org
After Zelenskyy's Capitol Visit, Senate Sharpens Pressure On Russia And Iran
A day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Senate, lawmakers overwhelmingly advanced legislation to tighten sanctions on Russia and extend key Iran sanctions for another five year...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
BREAKING!!! Senator Whitehouse tells RFE/RL he'd be "surprised if anything stopped" the revised Russia-Iran sanctions bill from passing the Senate today, arguing the final changes won over Trump admin and cleared the path for broad bipartisan support READ👇 www.rferl.org/a/us-senate-...
rferl.org
Russia-Iran Sanctions Bill Signals Congress United Behind Ukraine, Senator Whitehouse Tells RFE/RL
As the US Senate prepared to vote on a sweeping bipartisan sanctions package targeting Russia and Iran, Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a co-sponsor of the legislation, said the measure reflect...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
BREAKING!! U.S. Senators updated a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill by broadening the legislation to include Iran, renaming it "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026" The revised measure obtained by @rferl.org.web.brid.gy retains sweeping sanctions targeting Russia over its war
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Reposted by Alex Raufoglu
Aure Free Press :verified: @free-press.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/07/2026
Lavrov dodged questions from correspondent Alex Raufoglu about ending the war in Ukraine: Q: Mr. Lavrov, when will Russia stop its war in Ukraine? Lavrov: Once again. Speak louder. Q: Are you willing to accept ceasefire with Ukraine, Mr. Lavrov? Lavrov […] [Original post on mstdn.social]
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
NEW!! Zelenskyy confirms our reporting from earlier this week: Ukraine and the U.S. signed a statement of intent establishing a framework for future drone coop, which represents the first agreement of its kind between the two countries Follow/Read www.rferl.org/a/us-ukraine...
rferl.org
Exclusive: US, Ukraine Reach Breakthrough Agreement On Drone Cooperation
The US and Ukraine have signed a statement of intent creating the first formal framework for cooperation on military drones, paving the way for Ukrainian combat drones to be exported to the US for tes...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
The bilateral statement of intent, which was now signed by both U.S. and Ukraine, lays the groundwork for future drone cooperation — the first agreement of its kind, sources explain
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
SCOOP: Ukraine has secured a major deal with Pentagon to allow export of Ukrainian drones for military testing in the U.S, two sources confirm to @RFERL “The deal has been sealed,” one official tells me. “It’s been signed by both sides” another source confirms
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
For more about Ukraine Aid Bill 👇 www.rferl.org/a/33772022.h...
rferl.org
US Lawmakers Advance Major Ukraine Aid Bill, Marking First Since Trump's Return To Office
The US House of Representatives voted on June 3 to advance legislation providing new military assistance to Ukraine, overcoming opposition from the administration and marking the first major Ukraine s...
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
BREAKING!! U.S. Senate Puts Ukraine Aid Bill on Calendar, Setting Up Floor Action The chamber placed H.R. 2913 (Ukraine Support Act) on its legislative calendar after a second reading, clearing the way for potential Senate consideration.
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
'No democratic society should tolerate that': Estonia defends law severing Moscow church links Senior official says legislation is based on a universal principle barring religious orgs from administrative ties with foreign authorities that back violence or terrorism.
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Estonia rejects argument that engagement with Russian ex-combatants will foster democracy, saying Europe must prioritize prevention over optimism.
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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Russia held its first known live-fire exercise on Lake Peipus without notifying Estonia I asked Joosep Kaasik what worries Tallinn most today: the risk of direct military escalation or Russia's hybrid warfare campaign? "All of it," he replied. www.rferl.org/a/estonia-se...
rferl.org
Estonian Security Official: 'We Have To Be Realists' Regarding Threats From Russia
Joosep Kaasik, the undersecretary for internal security in Estonia's Ministry of the Interior, told RFE/RL in an interview that his country takes the threat of a potential Russian attack seriously, b...
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