iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

An example of FIMI (Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference) in action at the @disinfo.eu conference? Apparently someone in the U.S. did not agree with the topic of a session named "USA as a FIMI threat: acknowledge, adapt, push back" and applied pressure on the sponsors...

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de Volkskrant @volkskrant.nl · 24/09/2026

Opinie: Het Nationaal Vredesprotest negeert de geopolitieke realiteit en drijft Oekraïners in het nauw

volkskrant.nl

Opinie: Het Nationaal Vredesprotest negeert de geopolitieke realiteit en drijft Oekraïners in het nauw

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Janne M. Korhonen @jmkorhonen.fi · 21/09/2026

The same problem as in Finland. Laws had to be changed to make this at least more difficult.

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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Latest in @theatlantic.com . What we are seeing now is US weakness across the board. The American Age is over. What comes next will be very different. Gift link. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

theatlantic.com

The End of the American Age

The Iran war marks the conclusion of eight decades of global dominance.

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Richard J @preachypreach.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

quite something this paragraph.

After meeting with delegates from the two sides in South Florida, Kushner and Witkoff emerged with a peace plan that would have required Ukraine to accept nearly all of Russia’s demands: ceding territory, promising never to join NATO, and drastically shrinking its army. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, hailed the proposal as “a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine.” But, when the plan became public, it collapsed under a wave of outrage. Even Rubio reportedly derided it as “Russia’s wish list.”
Some observers suspect that Russia has effectively offered the Americans business deals in exchange for a favorable peace agreement. “This is the generally held view,” the former U.S. official in the region told me. A classified report produced by a European intelligence agency states that Trump and people around him have discussed several potential contracts in Russia. The report is not dated, but the European official who gave it to me said that the details were first discussed sometime after Trump invited Putin to Anchorage, in August, 2025. Twice that year, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, was allowed to enter the U.S., where he talked about investment opportunities. “The privatization of American foreign policy is quite far along,” the official who gave me the report said. (A spokesman for Kushner denied that U.S. officials would profit from the deals under discussion.)
The document lists ten potential ventures, which it says appear to “have been originally designed by the Kremlin’s political and business elites.” They include reopening the Nord Stream 2 pipeline under American control, resuming ExxonMobil’s operations in Sakhalin, and drilling for oil in the Sea of Okhotsk. According to the report, there was discussion of unfreezing Russian assets that are held under American sanctions. The document mentions people who might participate, including Trump, Witkoff, and Kushner. It also names Richard Grenell, the former Presidential en…

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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This German comedy sketch (with English subtitles) perfectly captures so much of what is going on right now in the UK, the US, and across Europe. "Playing the 'Nazi Card' in the Third Reich", by Browser Ballett.

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Cas Mudde @casmudde.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

With some delay, my op-Ed on the dramatic Saxony-Anhalt election. It is high time we focus our political struggle on strengthening democracy, rather than merely weakening the far right. To do this, we must show realism, resilience and restraint.

theguardian.com

The AfD’s win in Germany is a dark day for Europe. Time is running out to stop the far right | Cas Mudde

This party is among the most extreme in Europe. To protect our democracies, liberal parties must urgently change their tactics, says Cas Mudde, author of The Far Right Today

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Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Before we go into this useless discussion for the umpteenth time, let me remind everyone that territory is NOT the main issue. Donbas is NOT special to Russia. The only reason they’re asking for it so insistently is to speed up a future invasion by taking over the fortified belt.

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Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.eu · 06/09/2026

“Defence planners working with Nato fear that if war broke out with Russia, Europe could not currently sustain a prolonged war of attrition owing to a public lack of war readiness” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...

theguardian.com

Europe would not be able to sustain war of attrition with Russia, defence officials say

Security experts fear Putin may be winning hybrid war with the west amid rise of pro-Kremlin, far-right parties

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Amanda Kolson Hurley @amandakhurley.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Incredible chart from @propublica.org. If you don’t follow enviro stuff closely, your instinct might be that the hold-your-nose solution (carbon capture from fossil fuels) would be the “pragmatic” one versus covering Earth in solar panels, which seems utopian. In fact it’s the opposite

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Thorsten Benner @tbenner.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Europeans would be well advised to believe that positions like those of J. Kavanagh & Justin Logan will gain currency with post-Trump administrations regardless of whether Republican or Democrat. And act accordingly working towards taking 🇪🇺defense fully into European hands.

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 23/08/2026

"Against Canada, Trump is fighting a trade war that very few Americans support, under leadership that most Americans reject, to achieve results that virtually all Americans would dismiss as pointless if not crazy" Read David Frum: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

theatlantic.com

How to Lose a Trade War

Trump’s bullying of Canada is failing.

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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 19/08/2026

"With his latest statement, former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov appears to have reinvigorated a dangerous debate about elections in wartime Ukraine," writes Olga Aivazovska, Head of the Board of the Civil Network OPORA, in this op-ed.

kyivindependent.com

Putin shouldn't decide when Ukraine votes — but political ambition shouldn't either

With his latest statement, former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov appears to have reinvigorated a dangerous debate about elections in wartime Ukraine. "We must not let Putin decide when Ukrainians ...

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Mick Ryan @warinthefuture.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

“Kyiv may be in the best position in the war since 2022, but the Kremlin believes it will crush the will of Ukraine & its friends this winter. Russia may be struggling, but Putin has not exhausted his options. He still wants to fight for as long as possible.” www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/why-...

foreignaffairs.com

Why a Weaker Russia Keeps Fighting

Putin sees little need to negotiate.

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Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.eu · 30/07/2026

The German government is working on a plan on what to do if regions vote in extreme-right AFD governments which may not allow NATO troop movements or may otherwise want to impede defence policies and Russia deterrence. www.n-tv.de/politik/Sorg...

n-tv.de

Sorge vor AfD-Wahlerfolgen - Bund arbeitet an Nato-Notfallplan

Im September werden in Sachsen-Anhalt und Mecklenburg-Vorpommern neue Landtage gewählt. In Umfragen liegt die AfD klar vorn. Die Sorge vor einem Wahlerfolg führt in Berlin laut einem Bericht zu konkre...

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

For years now, this market has been one of my regular stops whenever I’m in Kyiv. Both the book market and the flea market behind it. Last night it got completely destroyed.

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Minna Ålander 🌻 @alanderminna.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Now they’ve done it… Mark Carney and Alex Stubb actually wrote ”middle powers of the world, unite!” 😅 Also, it should give Americans some pause that they basically suggest that Canada’s geographical predicament with its border with the US compares to Finland’s with Russia…

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Eugene Vinitsky 🍒 @eugenevinitsky.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

I did not see this unhinged statement previously. These people really do not understand this country

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Romeo Kokriatski @vagrantjourno.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Good morning. Protests are breaking out all over Ukraine today, to oppose the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov from the post of defense minister. He was appointed six months ago, and had been to have rapidly introduced wide-ranging reforms to the ministry and the military.

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Agathe Demarais @agathedemarais.com · 15/07/2026

AI models tend to be extremely secular and liberal (unless they’re Chinese) • Worldview of ChatGPT is more secular than average in any country • China's models are mandated to “uphold core socialist values” and are barred from contradicting official narratives www.economist.com/briefing/202...

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Joris Luyendijk @jorisluyendijk.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

ik had NRC gevraagd of in de shownotes van mijn podcast met Pieter vd Wielen (waar ik ze gratis 'n uur content lever) een link mocht naar deze fundraiser, nota bene voor journalisten. Mocht niet want tegen de regels. We hadden 1000'en euro's voor ze kunnen ophalen, gvd whydonate.com/nl/fundraisi...

whydonate.com

Inzamelingsactie door Joris Luijendijk | Help Oekraiense journalisten hun werk doen

Joris Luijendijk Heeft je hulp nodig | In een oorlog sterft de waarheid als eerste. Aldus het cliché. Maar de waarheid is dat juist in o...

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Anton Barbashin @abarbashin.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

#Kyrgyzstan once a promising young democracy in Central Asia, has become Russia’s second-most loyal partner after Belarus. War in Ukraine has delivered major sanctions-evasion profits and Moscow’s patronage for its authoritarian turn at home ridl.io/putin-s-outp...

ridl.io

Putin’s Outpost in Central Asia – Riddle Russia

Roman Chernikov on how Kyrgyzstan became Moscow’s unconditional ally

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Prof.dr. Beatrice de Graaf @beatricedegraaf.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Well, that our Putin book would Feature in the @wsj.com, brilliantly contextualized by Barton Swaim and used to confront US presidents for their credulity towards Russia - that is not something that Niels or I expected! But we couldn’t be more happier with this piece: www.wsj.com/opinion/why-...

wsj.com

Opinion | Why U.S. Presidents Misjudge Putin

A scholar of the Russian dictator says he sees himself as his country’s eschatological defender against Satan and evil.

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Janine Gibson @janinegibson.ft.com · 01/06/2026

“This is censorship... This is a demonstration that some of the worst abuses in our time are not confined to kings, emperors, governments … but to a class of companies that have assumed the sovereign affect, and seek to assert their power the same way that some of those despotic nation states do.”

theguardian.com

Meta legal action forces Facebook whistleblower to sit in silence at Hay festival

Sarah Wynn-Williams did not speak during event after lawyers warned of possible sanctions from tech firm

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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Free weekend update just released. People surprised that the Ukrainians are taking the initiative just were not listening. For many months the Ukrainians were open on what they wanted to do (I told you in January). Listen to them not the western press. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

open.substack.com

Weekend Update #187: Trying to Collapse the Russian Army from Behind--What to Watch out for.

Is Ukrainian Now A "Nordic" State?; Russia Attacks Romania

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Cas Mudde @casmudde.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Interesting take on a post-Orbán Europe by Ivan Krastev. “And as a fellow conservative, Magyar represents not a repudiation of Orban-style nationalism but its evolution.”

foreignaffairs.com

Orban’s Fall and Europe’s Rise

The dawn of a strange new European consensus.

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Minna Ålander 🌻 @alanderminna.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

It’s a mistake to think that Trump’s discard for the rules-based order is good for the revanchist Russian regime (or for China for that matter). Having predictable rules enabled Russia to break them when it saw fit - or occasionally, to invoke them. Having no rules to break is a disadvantage.

economist.com

Vladimir Putin is losing his grip on Russia

His every move to preserve power accelerates decay, writes a former senior official in the Russian government

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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

it’s worth reading every word of this brilliant, excoriating column by Fraser Nelson

manage to rustle up
Kwasi Kwarteng's crypto company? When I was investigating Reform's financial ties a few months ago, drawing up a map of who was connected to whom, this was the biggest mystery. Nine years ago, aged 53, he declared himself "skint" because "there's no money in politics".
Only two years ago he was telling friends that he could not afford to run in the coming election. Then suddenly, his fortunes seemed to
and change utterly. How?
The likely explanation emerged this week: he was given E5 million by Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based crypto billionaire and Reform UK donor. The money, Farage says, was a personal gift
disclosable. It was to pay for bodyguards, he said, making him "safe and secure for the rest of my life". But such protection costs are, at most, £300,000 a year. Farage was given a lifetime of financial security, clearing the way for his return to the political arena. Albeit with a lifelong feeling of debt to Harborne, who sits in a web of interlocking global financial interests.
The world of donors is one of sharks and angels. Many donors want to support causes (or people) they believe in, with no ulterior motive. But then there are the
- cash-rich, status-poor
- who've often made their money using murky means. They usually
Trump for flouting US money-
proposes a new "Big Bang" that
And if you're not an MP-
- like
could add tens of billions to crypto
laundering rules, has said he'll move
Zia Yusuf, Reform's hyperactive
companies market value. A Reform
"shadow" home secretary there's
Left have champagne
government would order HM
no financial transparency at all.
Treasury to stop work on its own
The next UK general election
digital currency apparatus, which
socialists, right have
looks set to usher in hundreds of
could threaten the current crypto
Reform MPs to join the governing
plutocrat populists
elite. The Bank of England would instead be told to hold Bitcoin,
party (or coalition). How many more
to Britain to keep his cash flowing t…

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Chris Meder @evcurvefuturist.com · 03/05/2026

War destroyed Aleppo’s grid. Solar rebuilt it. Two years ago, almost no panels. Today, rooftops are saturated across war-torn Syria. No subsidies, no green policy, no billion-dollar programs. Just a collapsed grid, unaffordable diesel, & cheap solar flooding in. Installed. One rooftop at a time.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Good column from @soumayakeynes.ft.com. FWIW, the last line of Blood and Treasure is: “It may have been by any definition economically irrational but, as any student of history should know, something being economically irrational does not mean it will not happen”. www.ft.com/content/d141...

ft.com

Does trade cause peace? Ask an economist

Researchers have been trawling history to measure the pacifying effects of moving goods around

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Grim but useful read. Global energy markets are on the verge of a disaster economist.com/finance-and-...

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

As always, a clear destillation by Obrien and essential reading for any European still debating the transatlantic partnership.

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Jakub Jaraczewski @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

🇩🇪🚅 There are many reasons why people hate DB, but "railway stations aren't stylish enough" doesn't even make it to top 10.

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Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

The contrast continues to this day. Half the US policy establishment is self-flagellating about how shock therapy, NATO expansion, etc. "lost Ru" and we need to fix it, while in Ru everyone is brainstorming how to bring the American enemy down (militarily, disinfo, bribery, destabilization).

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

As always, it's essential to read the voices of those who have experienced it themselves! An excellent read.

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

An excellent article! Feels like a combination between the industry I work in and constantly talk about regarding graduate outcomes, and the book 'How Democracies Die'. www.harvardmagazine.com/commentary/h...

harvardmagazine.com

This is How Universities Die | Harvard Magazine

Higher ed thrived in Berlin and Beijing. Then government stepped in.

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

"..being willing to call losers by their name. Someone who moves to Dubai purely for tax purposes after a lifetime of publicly funded schools, roads and doctors, for example..." I hadn't heard of the manosphere before my girlfriend talked about it after watching Theroux’s docu. Excellent article!

ft.com

Home - Financial Times

News, analysis and opinion from the Financial Times on the latest in markets, economics and politics

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Jose Carlos Fajardo @fuzyjoe.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

I can't stop admiring this photo by the Artemis II crew made of the moon. (Nikon D5 shot at f 7.1 at 800th of a second on 400 iso at 80 mm)

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