Matthew Frear
@mattchik.bsky.social
Assistant Professor, Leiden University. Russian and Eurasian Studies, including 🇧🇾🇺🇦
‘The war leaked into every lesson’: learning Ukrainian in a country under siege
‘The war leaked into every lesson’: learning Ukrainian in a country under siege
The long read: Soon after my first visit to Ukraine four years ago, I began language lessons. It taught me more than I ever expected
theguardian.com
From mobile jungles to shadow art: how Dutch people try to beat the heat
From mobile jungles to shadow art: how Dutch people try to beat the heat
A national heatwave plan has been activated to help people stay cool during the Netherlands’ increasingly hot summers
theguardian.com
The tail wags the dictator: How the Kremlin uses Lukashenko in talks with the West Far from acting as an independent mediator, Belarus is operating under Kremlin supervision to lobby for sanctions relief, writes Kamil Kłysiński, a senior fellow at the Center for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Poland.
The tail wags the dictator: How the Kremlin uses Lukashenko in talks with the West
Belarus is again maneuvering between the West and Russia, even though its autonomy from the Kremlin has sharply declined since 2020. Minsk has already…
theins.press
De overleden Britse kunstenaar David Hockney wordt gezien als een van de groten van de late 20ste eeuw. Vijf Nederlandse kunstenaars vertellen wat Hockney voor hun werk betekende. „Hij is een van mijn ultieme feelgoodkunstenaars.”
Wat betekende David Hockney voor Nederlandse kunstenaars? ‘Er zit geen cynisme in zijn wereld’
Schilderkunst: De overleden Britse kunstenaar David Hockney, die wordt gezien als een van de groten van de late 20ste eeuw, had ook invloed op de generaties na hem. Vijf Nederlandse kunstenaars vertellen wat Hockneys boeken en kunst voor hun werk betekenden. „Hij is voor mij een van mijn ultieme feelgoodkunstenaars.”
nrc.nl
On why Lukashenka is now trying to avoid increasing rhetoric against Ukraine 🇧🇾🇺🇦https://news.zerkalo.io/economics/129693.html
Почему Лукашенко неожиданно извинился перед Зеленским? Зачем он признал уязвимость перед ВСУ? Спросили эксперта
В интервью телеканалу «Аль-Арабия» Александр Лукашенко затронул тему Украины, активно рассуждая о том, что Беларусь уязвима перед армией соседней страны, хотя ранее говорил противоположное.
news.zerkalo.io
⚡️Lukashenko says Belarus poses no military threat to Ukraine, apologizes to Zelensky for past remarks. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus poses no military threat to Ukraine and apologized to President Volodymyr Zelensky for previous harsh remarks.
Lukashenko says Belarus poses no military threat to Ukraine, apologizes to Zelensky for past remarks
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus poses no military threat to Ukraine and apologized to President Volodymyr Zelensky for previous harsh remarks, according to an interview with A...
kyivindependent.com
⚡️ 'We're modern people' — Zelensky backs open discussion of LGBTQ+ rights in Ukraine. "We are all here together, we are defending the state, we are the same and we have absolutely the same rights, regardless of any prejudices held by people from the 15th century," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
'We're modern people' — Zelensky backs open discussion of LGBTQ+ rights in Ukraine
"We are all here together, we are defending the state, we are the same and we have absolutely the same rights, regardless of any prejudices held by people from the 15th century," President Volodymyr Z...
kyivindependent.com
Slavdom www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4... Great review of several outstanding books on Russia and its now dominating ideology.
Greg Afinogenov · Slavdom: What Russians Want
Unlike 20th-century communism or fascism, contemporary Russian ideology does not have a clearly articulated manifesto or...
lrb.co.uk
Russian economy and society have been reorganized around war. There are now powerful domestic incentives that make ending the war difficult and even dangerous for Russia’s president. Jeremy Morris @jeremymorris.bsky.social and myself in Foreign Affairs (open access)
The Inertia of Russia’s War
Why Putin can’t end the conflict.
foreignaffairs.com
Save the balti! Can Birmingham’s best dish come back from the brink?
Save the balti! Can Birmingham’s best dish come back from the brink?
In the 1990s, there were hundreds of authentic balti restaurants in the English city. Now, there are about 20. Will a big campaign bring back the boom times?
theguardian.com
Stalins wijnkelder met tienduizenden flessen geopend in Georgië
Stalins wijnkelder met tienduizenden flessen geopend in Georgië
"Ik heb het gevoel dat je Indiana Jones bent die een grot opent: het kan niets zijn, het kan iets zijn", aldus een enthousiaste verzamelaar uit Amerika.
nos.nl
A new investigation by RFE/RL says Putin's rumored children with Alina Kabaeva have been raised by roughly 20 tutors from the UK, Germany, Austria, & Ireland. Marching orders say son Ivan needed to speak English "like an educated European" by age four. Strict rules against anything gay-related.
Как детей Путина и Кабаевой окружили гувернантками из стран Запада
Пока Путин сражается с "коллективным Западом" масштабнейшей войной с сотнями тысяч жертв и называет тех россиян, кто "мыслями живет" на Западе национал-предателями, его собственные дети с малолетства ...
currenttime.tv
⚡️ Zelensky, Tsikhanouskaya meet during exiled Belarusian opposition leader's first official Kyiv visit. President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled leader of Belarus’s opposition, in Kyiv on May 26.
Zelensky, Tsikhanouskaya meet during exiled Belarusian opposition leader's first official Kyiv visit
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the exiled leader of Belarus’s opposition, in Kyiv on May 26 — a display of unity that came shortly after Belarusian dictator Alexander ...
kyivindependent.com
⚡️France's Macron issues warning to Belarus in rare phone call with Lukashenko. The conversation marks the first recorded direct contact between Macron and Lukashenko since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
France's Macron issues warning to Belarus in rare phone call with Lukashenko
The conversation marks the first recorded direct contact between Macron and Lukashenko since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
kyivindependent.com
My review of Marc's book. The only nuanced media-insider account you're likely to read straddling the Ukraine-Russia divide. A book born from anger, but which overcomes that and provides surprise after surprise where so often his colleagues pander to prejudice. postsocialism.org/2026/05/19/r...
‘Russia’s Spiral into Madness’ reviewed: The Times’ man in Russia writes his acid take on 25 years in Russia
Marc Bennetts’ new book pretty much hits the spot for anyone who wants a comprehensive and accessible journalistic treatment of ‘how we lost Russia’.
postsocialism.org
Zelensky: Rusland probeert Belarus nauwer te betrekken bij oorlog
Zelensky: Rusland probeert Belarus nauwer te betrekken bij oorlog
Volgens de Oekraïense president voert Rusland gesprekken met Belarus over het aanvallen van Oekraïne of een NAVO-land dat grenst aan Belarus.
nos.nl
Steeds meer Oekraïense vluchtelingen willen voorlopig niet terug
Steeds meer Oekraïense vluchtelingen willen voorlopig niet terug
Oekrainers die naar Nederland zijn gevlucht, zien hier vaker een toekomst voor zich, ook als het in hun thuisland veilig zou zijn.
nos.nl
Is Belarusian cuisine back in fashion in Minsk? dl6n9js2nxewk.cloudfront.net/post/restora...
Беларуская кухня снова в моде: что стоит за ресторанным бумом в Минске и при чем тут россияне
С 2024 года в Минске один за другим открываются рестораны и драничные с национальным меню. Шеф-повара говорят, что это ставка на российских туристов, социолог видит сложнее – объясняем, что стоит за э...
dl6n9js2nxewk.cloudfront.net
Scenetios for Belarus and war 🇧🇾🪖https://en.belsat.eu/93066787/four-scenarios-for-belarus-expert-assesses-risks-of-war-involvement
Four scenarios for Belarus: expert assesses risks of war involvement
Anna Maria Dyner, an expert at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), outlined four possible scenarios for Belarus's involvement in the war in an interview with Centrum Europy, noting t...
en.belsat.eu
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko tells Russian state television that he'd like to meet with Trump, but he contrasts it with Zelensky's "groveling need" to play the vassal, begging for money and weapons. Zelensky vaguely threatened to kidnap Lukashenko earlier this week. t.me/dimsmirnov17...
Пул N3
Лукашенко – о том, что он не занимается «петушиной политикой»: Речь о большой сделке идет давно. Неправда, что я прям горю желанием побывать в Соединённых Штатах Америки и вот просто пожать руку Дон...
t.me
Lukashenka's many faces 🇧🇾 en.belsat.eu/92644430/fif...
"Fifty shades of Alyaksandr": deep dive into Lukashenka's toxic "romance" with power
With Victory Day approaching, a moment when power, history, and symbolism collide in Belarus, it feels like the right time to take a closer look at the many shades of Alyaksandr Lukashenka. In a count...
en.belsat.eu
❗ UN experts alarmed by law targeting LGBT, women’s rights advocates and independent voices in #Belarus
The four big challenges in studying Russia since 2022 Well, it's not really four, but 'access', 'self-censorship', '(un)representative data', and 'ethics' are a decent approximation. A post about some talks at BASEES 2026. postsocialism.org/2026/04/13/t...
The four big challenges in studying Russia since 2022
A Birmingham sculpture. Credit: Oosoom – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, I just returned from the annual conference of the British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies where I …
postsocialism.org
⚡️Belarusian parliament approves new law targeting LGBTQ+ expression and childfree lifestyles.
Belarusian parliament approves new law targeting LGBTQ+ expression and childfree lifestyles
Belarusian lawmakers have approved a bill introducing penalties for what authorities describe as the promotion of homosexuality, gender transition, childlessness, and pedophilia, further tightening re...
kyivindependent.com
On plans to absorb Belarus into Russia 🇧🇾🇷🇺 en.belsat.eu/92427501/roa...
"Roadmap" to the abyss: how the Kremlin is absorbing Belarus
Russia is systematically implementing a plan to fully absorb Belarus, and after 2020, this process has accelerated especially rapidly. Officially, this is called integration and is outlined in dozens ...
en.belsat.eu
Rusland zegt Nederlandse journalist te gaan uitzetten, maar noemt geen naam
Rusland zegt Nederlandse journalist te gaan uitzetten, maar noemt geen naam
Rusland zegt de persaccreditatie van een Nederlandse journalist te hebben ingetrokken. Dat schrijft het Russische staatspersbureau Tass woensdag op basis van de woordvoerder van…
nrc.nl
🇧🇾🇺🇲 news.zerkalo.io/economics/12...
Как пропагандисты отреагировали на выступление Джона Коула, который откровенно рассказал подробности переговоров с Лукашенко
«Все уже давным-давно прочитали, что Коул во время обеда выливал водку на пол, думал, что сильно хитрый и этого никто не видит».
news.zerkalo.io
🇧🇾https://en.belsat.eu/92275241/lukashenkas-north-korea-visit-show-of-loyalty-to-moscow-and-beijing
Lukashenka's North Korea visit: show of loyalty to Moscow and Beijing
Alyaksandr Lukashenka's visit to the DPRK is a demonstration of the politician's loyalty to Russia and China, amid his contacts with the United States. Political commentator Vital Tsyhankou shared thi...
en.belsat.eu
