Historian Françoise Thom compares Putin’s Russia to the Ottoman Empire, which, in the 15th Century, conquered vast territories in a matter of decades thanks to the Janissaries, young Christian prisoners converted to Islam who became the sultan’s soldiers. desk-russie.info/2026/09/10/c...

Count Dracula's Food Chain • russian desk

Why is Putin so determined to destroy Ukraine? Historian Françoise Thom writes that war is an end in itself for him, intended to last and to foster Russian

desk-russie.info

"Ukraine faces a deadly enemy with a much bigger population and much greater resources. It can win only if it counterbalances all these Russian advantages with higher quality institutions – better administration, better military command, a freer and more inventive civil society." 🎯

russian desk@deskrussia.bsky.social · 6d ago

After 35 years of independence, Ukraine hasn’t moved far from Russia in terms of the quality of its institutions and ruling elites—their mentality and political habits. Mykola Ryabchuk discusses the need for rapid progress in the fight against corruption. desk-russie.info/2026/09/10/u...

After 35 years of independence, Ukraine hasn’t moved far from Russia in terms of the quality of its institutions and ruling elites—their mentality and political habits. Mykola Ryabchuk discusses the need for rapid progress in the fight against corruption. desk-russie.info/2026/09/10/u...

Ukraine at 35 : Holiday Celebrations and Backstage • russian desk

As Ukraine marks the 35th anniversary of its independence while facing a barrage of Russian missiles and drones, a Ukrainian political scientist discusses the

desk-russie.info

The significance of the “Polar Silk Road” is, above all, strategic and geopolitical. Contrary to the theory that a humiliated Russia has now become a satellite of communist China, the two countries are demonstrating their ability to cooperate closely. ⬇️ desk-russie.info/2026/09/10/t...

The Northern Sea Route and the Emergence of a Sino-Russian Axis in the Arctic Region • russian desk

The August inauguration of the “Polar Silk Road,” which connects the Chinese port of Ningbo to the European ports of Rotterdam and Felixstowe, is an event

desk-russie.info

We need to support Ukraine🇺🇦 more!

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

Since at least 2007, Vladimir Putin has methodically and rationally worked to subjugate Europe to Russia. We won’t avoid a confrontation with Russia unless we have the firm determination to deter it. The more we dither, the greater the cost will be to us. desk-russie.info/2026/09/10/f...

"to subjugate Europe to Russia" 💯

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

Since at least 2007, Vladimir Putin has methodically and rationally worked to subjugate Europe to Russia. We won’t avoid a confrontation with Russia unless we have the firm determination to deter it. The more we dither, the greater the cost will be to us. desk-russie.info/2026/09/10/f...

Since at least 2007, Vladimir Putin has methodically and rationally worked to subjugate Europe to Russia. We won’t avoid a confrontation with Russia unless we have the firm determination to deter it. The more we dither, the greater the cost will be to us. desk-russie.info/2026/09/10/f...

Freedom or Subjugation for Europe? • russian desk

Since at least 2007, Vladimir Putin has been pursuing the same goals methodically and rationally. Everything he does and says must be understood in light of

desk-russie.info

Shouldn’t NATO set up a ‘drone wall’ along the border between the Baltic states and Russia/Belarus? What monitoring is being conducted of organizations capable of sparking Russian-speaking ‘rebellions’? On the West’s flawed analytical framework, read here ⤵️ 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

desk-russie.info

"Under the guise of this nostalgia for a bygone era and this posture of apparent “scientific” neutrality, the man presents himself as flexible and states this candidly during his interviews with Ostrovsky" desk-russie.info/2026/08/04/m...

Melnichenko, or Putinism with a “Human Face” • russian desk

Just as Russia is beginning to face serious difficulties, The Economist has featured a little-known oligarch and painted an “impressive” portrait of him.

desk-russie.info

russian desk@deskrussia.bsky.social · 4w ago

Everything suggests that Andrey Melnichenko was acting on official orders. We analysed Melnichenko’s op-ed 👉 desk-russie.info/2026/08/04/m... Everyone can judge for themselves the responsibility of Ostrovsky and the editorial leadership of The Economist in this operation.

“Everyone can judge for themselves the responsibility of [Russia editor Arkady Ostrovsky] and the editorial leadership of The Economist in this [propaganda and disinformation] operation. At the very least, they allowed themselves to be seduced and duped.” Ouch!

russian desk@deskrussia.bsky.social · 4w ago

Everything suggests that Andrey Melnichenko was acting on official orders. We analysed Melnichenko’s op-ed 👉 desk-russie.info/2026/08/04/m... Everyone can judge for themselves the responsibility of Ostrovsky and the editorial leadership of The Economist in this operation.

Everything suggests that Andrey Melnichenko was acting on official orders. We analysed Melnichenko’s op-ed 👉 desk-russie.info/2026/08/04/m... Everyone can judge for themselves the responsibility of Ostrovsky and the editorial leadership of The Economist in this operation.

For Ukraine’s 35th Independence Day, consider joigning this campaign (France) in support of Ukrainian civilian hostages 👇 The goal is to have French municipalities sponsor them so that each one is monitored and their families supported. Thank you 🙏 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

Looking back at the Melnichenko operation: The Economist shows the West has no plan for post-Putin Russia and eagerly allows itself to be dictated to by suggestions whispered from the Kremlin. This does not bode well for the future. Françoise Thom in desk-russie.info/2026/08/04/a...

In this second report on the evacuation of the population from the Donetsk Oblast, our correspondent meets the men and women whose mission is to organize the residents’ departure to the rest of free Ukraine before the situation becomes desperate. 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/07/30/o...

On the Road to Safety, from Donetsk Oblast to Kharkiv Oblast • russian desk

In this second report on the evacuation of the population from the Donetsk Oblast, our correspondent meets the men and women whose mission is to organize the

desk-russie.info

On the Totalitarian Axis While the analogy with the Axis of 1936 has been analyzed, the analysis often stops at the threshold of the concept: tyrannies, autocracies, revisionist powers—almost never totalitarian ones. An essay by French historian Pierre Raiman 👇 desk-russie.info/2026/07/30/t...

The Totalitarian Axis and the Misfits • russian desk

At the turn of the 1960s, two films by John Huston, though made years apart, together form a parable of our century. In Moby Dick, a white whale is pursued

desk-russie.info

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

desk-russie.info

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

desk-russie.info

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

desk-russie.info

😱 “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 · 2mo 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

desk-russie.info

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

desk-russie.info

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

desk-russie.info

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.

desk-russie.info

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