Francesca Ebel

@francescaebel.bsky.social

I write about Russia and Ukraine for The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/francesca-ebel/ Ex North Africa correspondent.

Inside Russia, fatigue and resentment are festering beneath the suppression of dissent. The Kremlin presents the country as strong, united and on an inevitable path to victory, but as peace negotiations drag on, Russian society is deteriorating.

As Russia’s war grinds on, its society is fraying

The Kremlin paints a picture of a society united by war, but underneath, frustration is festering as all avenues of creativity and dissent or controlled or blocked.

washingtonpost.com

Israel, which does not allow foreign journalists into Gaza…has killed 237 journalists since the war started, according to Gaza’s government media office. The Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 186 journalists have been killed in the Gaza conflict. apple.news/At7CSM72NQWe...

Anas al-Sharif, prominent Al Jazeera correspondent, among five journalists killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza — The Guardian

Israel admits deliberate attack on the journalist, known for frontline coverage, in a strike on a tent outside al-Shifa hospital

apple.news

Putin gets his first U.S. visit since the Bush administration, offers nothing in return Catherine Belton and @francescaebel.bsky.social report He's wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and continues to attack Ukraine www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Russians cheer Putin’s Alaska invitation, envision no concessions on Ukraine

Ukrainian and European officials met with Vice President JD Vance to coordinate a response to Russia’s proposal.

washingtonpost.com

Derk Sauer, a Dutch journalist, publisher & entrepreneur who became an independent force in Russian media, founding the English-language Moscow Times and owning the Russian editions of major magazines including Cosmopolitan, Esquire & Playboy, died July 31 www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...

Derk Sauer, an independent force in Russian media, dies at 72

The Amsterdam native became a media magnate in Russia, where he founded the English-language Moscow Times and was later harassed by the authorities.

washingtonpost.com

Today marks three years since an Israeli soldier shot and killed US citizen and journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while she was wearing her press vest and covering the news. The IDF has continued to target journalists with impunity. No one has been held accountable for Shireen's killing.

Bild

Set out to report this story & truly didn’t expect Kremlin’s militarization of education to be as intense as reported. But it was quite shocking to see it first-hand My latest fr @washingtonpost.com on how classrooms & libraries are becoming training grounds www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

In wartime Russia, schools prepare the next generation of fighters

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian education system has cranked the patriotic themes into overdrive, seeking to mold the soldiers of tomorrow.

washingtonpost.com

Set out to report this story & truly didn’t expect Kremlin’s militarization of education to be as intense as reported. But it was quite shocking to see it first-hand My latest fr @washingtonpost.com on how classrooms & libraries are becoming training grounds www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

In wartime Russia, schools prepare the next generation of fighters

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian education system has cranked the patriotic themes into overdrive, seeking to mold the soldiers of tomorrow.

washingtonpost.com

An American citizen jailed in Russia, Ksenia Karelina, is returning home to the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was sentenced to 12 years in a Russian prison colony for treason after she donated about $50 to a U.S.-based Ukrainian charity.

Russia frees American Ksenia Karelina as diplomatic talks begin

Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was sentenced to 12 years in a prison colony for treason. Her lawyer said she was freed as part of a prison exchange.

washingtonpost.com

A senior Kremlin official admitted that there will “definitely be those who are unhappy” with Russia’s normalization of a bilateral dialogue with the US. “This is a very, very convinced part of the society.” www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

If peace comes, Putin could face the ire of his most hard-line backers

Vladimir Putin convinced many in Russia that there was an existential battle against the U.S. Now they have to deal with a thaw in U.S.-Russian relations.

washingtonpost.com

A U.S. greencard holder of Palestinian origin, active in Columbia's student encampment, was arrested by ICE yesterday from his home, separated from his 8-month pregnant wife, told his greencard would be revoked, and taken into custody. America today. apnews.com/article/colu...

ICE arrests Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests, his lawyer says

A prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead last spring's protests at Columbia University has been arrested by federal immigration agents.

apnews.com

Spoke with @theguardian.com Today in Focus about Trump's embrace of Russia and the cutoff in aid to Ukraine. “Trump is such a singular political force right now that he’s managing to repaint many aspects of the argument over Ukraine in American political life." www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...

How far will Trump’s embrace of Russia go? – podcast

The US has suspended all military aid to Ukraine. What does this mean for European security? Andrew Roth reports

theguardian.com

I’ve been back & forth to Russia a fair bit the last few months, and I could never have imagined some of the convos I’ve had this week in Moscow. Even a month or two ago this rhetoric would have seemed totally far-fetched and fanciful. Things shifting fast here. wapo.st/3QGplPj

Washington now ‘largely aligns’ with Moscow’s vision, Kremlin says

Tension between the United States and Ukraine, laid bare in the Oval Office meeting of Trump and Zelensky, is seen in Moscow as a “gift.”

wapo.st