The question is not whether Putin will fall, but when and how. On the real risk of a palace coup in Russia, by French journalist Jean-François Bouthors 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/07/08/t...

The Russian Impasse: A False Surprise and a Real Question • russian desk

The West is surprised to see Ukraine regain the initiative. But it was predictable that Putin would reach the end of the suicidal process for Russia that he

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Is Ukraine’s strategy of striking deep into Russian territory having an impact? Undoubtedly so. Will Putin reconsider his positions and “cut his losses”? No, reckons Jean-Sylvestre Mongrenier in this article 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/07/30/t...

The Situation in Ukraine and Several Other Theaters • russian desk

Despite the damage caused by the deep-strike Ukrainian attacks, Vladimir Putin has no intention of ending the war. For this reason, Ukraine must be supported

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Fools to some, heroes to most—our correspondent met the White Angels, a police unit specializing in the evacuation of civilians and families with children in the region of Donetsk. Full article 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/07/08/w...

White Angels: In the Zone of Death, the Agents of Last Resort • russian desk

Putting themselves in harm’s way to rescue residents who have not left their homes as the Russian army approaches—that’s how one might sum up the work of the

desk-russie.info

Christian prayers, occult spells, denunciations, and instructions on how to avoid shelling when approaching the front-line zone. Investigative journalist Ksenia Kirillova analysed a Russian chat group run by wives of “SMO participants” 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/07/07/m...

Married to the War • russian desk

At first glance, this is an ordinary women’s chat group of about 350 members, bringing together people from Russia and eastern Ukraine. The women share beauty

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😱 “What have we done to them?” Why do Russians react to Ukrainian airstrikes in such a childish and irresponsible manner? The author of this article draws on Hannah Arendt’s philosophy to explain how totalitarianism excludes politics from human life 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/07/07/w...

“What Have We Done to Them?” or the Political Desert With Hannah Arendt • russian desk

The author draws on Hannah Arendt’s political philosophy to explain the mindset of Russians who have been brainwashed by despicable state propaganda. To this

desk-russie.info

#AwarenessMatters Liberty, Sovereignty Matter Competent, Caring Society Matters #DemocracyMatters @deskrussia.bsky.social

Andreas Umland@umland.eurosky.social · 2w ago

@epik-ukraine.bsky.social @deskrussie.bsky.social @ifri.bsky.social @geopolitique.bsky.social @horizons-institut.bsky.social @igg-geo.bsky.social @ceri-sciencespo.bsky.social @igpolitiques.bsky.social @geopolitique2.bsky.social @ripc.bsky.social

It would be advisable for Ukrainian officials to distance themselves from a highly complex, convoluted, and controversial history of the UPA, leaving its study to historians, its alleged crimes to lawyers, and its celebration/commemoration to local communities. 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/07/07/m...

Mnemonic Wars and Geostrategic Imperatives • russian desk

While Ukrainian public opinion was divided over President Zelensky’s decision to bestow the honorary title ‘Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)’ on a

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Crimea is virtually under siege, supply lines have been severed, and the ‘Putin bridge’ is exposed to Ukrainian strikes. We must prepare the return of Crimea and other temporarily lost territories to Ukraine, says J.-S. Mongrenier in this article 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/07/07/a...

A Look at the History of Crimea • russian desk

At a time when Ukrainian strikes deep into enemy territory are altering the strategic situation, the author revisits the history of Crimea. Unless Vladimir

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Russia’s ruling elites feel deeply humiliated when denied the right to rape, plunder, kill, and dismember their neighbors, because they are convinced they have the right to demand obedience from others. Will the world tolerate this? — By Alexander Skobov desk-russie.info/2026/07/07/t...

The Libido of Russia's Ruling Elite • russian desk

The former Soviet dissident Alexander Skobov, who was sentenced in April 2024 to 16 years in prison for “terrorism” due to his staunch denunciation of the war

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For many Ukrainians, the UPA is the symbol of the struggle for national independence. If they were to reject it, they might not have much left. Not everyone was fortunate enough to free themselves from the occupier through a Velvet Revolution. @janyskap.bsky.social desk-russie.info/2026/07/06/t...

Tensions Are Rising Between Poland and Ukraine • russian desk

To please the national extreme right, President Karol Nawrocki has endangered his country's policy towards Ukraine. Which pleases Putin.

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So, What Happened in Sevastopol on June 10? The question raised by the fire at the Panorama is not only who attacked the museum, but whether contemporary Russian officialdom still remembers who won the Crimean War. By art historian Konstantin Akinsha 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/07/06/s...

So, What Happened in Sevastopol? • russian desk

Russian propagandists accuse Ukraine of deliberately targeting the Siege of Sevastopol panorama, a key site of imperial and Soviet mythology.

desk-russie.info

North Korea is not a “pariah state”. Geopolitics expert Jean-Sylvestre Mongrenier explains why 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/06/23/n...

North Korea: A Link in the CRANK Chain and a Mirror of Western Uncertainties • russian desk

A totalitarian party-state with an arsenal of nuclear missiles—whose number and range are growing—North Korea is likened by the U.S. military to a “dagger

desk-russie.info

How Xenia Fedorova, former president of RT France, is interfering with the French electoral debate in media that has abandoned pluralism to complacently open its microphones to all Kremlin spokespeople. 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/06/23/o...

Our Presidential Election Is Not a Theater of Operations • russian desk

The presidential campaign now getting underway in France is the pivotal moment when democracy comes together to discuss its future. It is precisely this

desk-russie.info

An incredible report from our correspondent in Ukraine. Sloviansk, Kramatorsk… As the Russian army advances into the Donetsk Oblast, both cities are becoming increasingly essential for anyone seeking to understand current events in this part of Ukraine. desk-russie.info/2026/06/23/a...

A Trip to the Donbass, or the Story Behind an Upcoming Report • russian desk

Our correspondent in Ukraine brings us an incredible report. To investigate the Donetsk Oblast, one must travel to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. These days, such

desk-russie.info

Moscow is (al)so within range of Ukrainian strikes 🔥 Ukraine has become a fully-fledged geostrategic player—a fact the West is slow to recognize. A balanced analysis on The Expansion of the Conflict Zone, by Jean-Sylvestre Mongrenier 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/06/02/u...

Ukrainian Strikes Deep Inside Russian Territory: The Expansion of the Conflict Zone • russian desk

This has now become routine: Ukrainian long-range drones are striking oil and gas terminals and refineries along Russia’s coastlines—in the Baltic and Black

desk-russie.info

In Raymond Aron, France has a thinker on war still relevant today, just as it had a thinker on defeat in Marc Bloch, who showed that the defeat of 1940 was intellectual before it was military. Aron offers what Bloch could not: the need for diagnosis before collapse. desk-russie.info/2026/02/17/w...

Wandering Endlessly With Macron, or Thinking About the War in Ukraine With Aron • russian desk

Four years into Russia's war of aggression, Europe still hasn't understood the nature of this war, nor has it defined the objective of its support for

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“The power of a prince or a state lies not so much in its own strength as in the weakness and ruin of its neighbors” — French memoirist Michel de Castelnau (16th century) Russia has made this maxim its own. “Europe Put to the Test”, by historian Françoise Thom 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/06/02/e...

Europe Put to the Test • russian desk

On May 27 and 28, an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers was held in Cyprus. Among other things, they discussed the possibility of resuming dialogue with

desk-russie.info

“The Russians are maniacs, they’re crazy, but I don’t think they’ll ever achieve their goal or make us give up.” The story of one night and one day in Kyiv during Russian mass bombing ⤵️ desk-russie.info/2026/06/02/i...

In Kyiv, May 24, One Unending Day • russian desk

On the night of Saturday, May 24, Ukraine endured one of the most intense bombing campaigns of the entire large-scale invasion. Four people were killed,

desk-russie.info

16,000 Ukrainian civilians are being arbitrarily detained in the Kremlin’s prisons Our goal—to have French municipalities sponsor 200 hostages by the end of 2026, so that each one is monitored and their families supported Get in touch with the campaign 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/05/13/t...

“Together, Let’s Save Ukrainian Hostages” • russian desk

In January 2026, Desk Russie and the association “For Ukraine, for their freedom and ours!” (PLU) organized, at Paris City Hall, an evening debate dedicated

desk-russie.info

"Let (the Europeans) remember that, for Putin, diplomacy is war by other means. That compromise is impossible with the Kremlin’s godfather. That the European negotiator must be approved by Putin, meaning he will be either a useful idiot or a figure tied to Russia by financial interests" Agree 💯%

russian desk@deskrussia.bsky.social · 2mo ago

It’s too early for optimism, warns historian Françoise Thom. The consequences would be disastrous if the global oil crisis pushed Europeans towards resuming negotiations on terms favorable to the Kremlin. Read Thom’s column here 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/06/02/e...

It’s too early for optimism, warns historian Françoise Thom. The consequences would be disastrous if the global oil crisis pushed Europeans towards resuming negotiations on terms favorable to the Kremlin. Read Thom’s column here 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/06/02/e...

Europe Put to the Test • russian desk

On May 27 and 28, an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers was held in Cyprus. Among other things, they discussed the possibility of resuming dialogue with

desk-russie.info

We offer you quality analysis on Russia and larger geopolitics whilst actively supporting Ukraine in its existential fight for independence. Free access to all our articles on our website! 👇 desk-russie.info

russian desk · News Deciphered Just for You

Our ambition is to offer you an informed view of today's Russian reality through analyses, decryptions and original information, often first-hand, but also debates and positions.

desk-russie.info

On Monday, pro-Russian parties in Armenia lost the election to Nikol Pashinyan. On this occasion, we pay tribute to those Armenians fighting alongside Ukraine. Last year, we met some of the most determined of them—read here ⤵️ desk-russie.info/2025/04/22/m...

Meet Nemesis, the Armenian Military Brotherhood Fighting in Ukraine • russian desk

Citoyens ukrainiens d’origine arménienne et volontaires venus de Russie ou d’Arménie, ils se battent pour la liberté.

desk-russie.info

Samuel Johnson said that remarriage was “the triumph of hope over experience.” Do Europeans realize the perilous path they are embarking on by seeking to follow in Steve Witkoff’s footsteps? — Opinion column by Françoise Thom ⤵️ desk-russie.info/2026/06/02/e...

Europe Put to the Test • russian desk

On May 27 and 28, an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers was held in Cyprus. Among other things, they discussed the possibility of resuming dialogue with

desk-russie.info

Book review by Dr. Richard Arnold in the "Slavonic and East European Review:" Every chapter in the book should be required reading for scholars and practitioners of Russian politics. muse.jhu.edu/article/991107 @fascismjournal.bsky.social @deskrussia.bsky.social @taraskuzio.bsky.social

Global peace, it was believed in the West, required that Russia be allowed the exclusive right to escalate. But Ukraine is now striking deep into Russian territory and has become a fully-fledged geostrategic player—a fact the West is slow to recognize. ⤵️ desk-russie.info/2026/06/02/u...

Ukrainian Strikes Deep Inside Russian Territory: The Expansion of the Conflict Zone • russian desk

This has now become routine: Ukrainian long-range drones are striking oil and gas terminals and refineries along Russia’s coastlines—in the Baltic and Black

desk-russie.info

Kyiv, May 24 “The Russians are maniacs, but I don’t think they’ll ever achieve their goal or make us give up.” “We know our enemy, we know how to do our job, and everyone who isn’t on the front lines should support those who are.” desk-russie.info/2026/06/02/i...

In Kyiv, May 24, One Unending Day • russian desk

On the night of Saturday, May 24, Ukraine endured one of the most intense bombing campaigns of the entire large-scale invasion. Four people were killed,

desk-russie.info

The support of so-called Russian patriots for Iran in its fight against the United States and Israel speaks volumes about their similar messianic and apocalyptic goals ⤵️ desk-russie.info/2026/04/28/p...

Putin’s Regime: A Systemic Threat? • russian desk

On April 8, Galia Ackerman was invited by the Union of Honorary Consuls in France (UCHF) to give a Zoom lecture, to which numerous Consuls General serving in

desk-russie.info

As Lenin said, “Trust is good; control is better!” In Russia, raids on libraries are on the rise. Compared with the current situation, the publishing landscape of the Soviet era seems almost idyllic, writes literary critic for ‘Le Monde’ Elena Balzamo ⤵️ desk-russie.info/2026/05/13/b...

Bring Back Censorship • russian desk

A historian and translator of Russian and Swedish literature, and a literary critic for Le Monde, Elena Balzamo closely follows the Russian literary scene.

desk-russie.info

Benjamin came to Ukraine from Florida in 2023 and set up the nonprofit Florida Man for Ukraine. In a basement in Lviv, he produces low-cost batteries for the military. He is also working on developing an electric ground drone for military logistics. ⤵️ desk-russie.info/2026/05/13/u...

Ukraine: Old Batteries and Recycling—When Volunteers Take on the Energy Challenge • russian desk

In a basement in Lviv, the nonprofit Florida Man for Ukraine recycles all kinds of electrical devices to build portable power storage systems. Benjamin, who

desk-russie.info