Mario Wolczko
@mwolczko.bsky.social
Retired computer scientist, ex Sun and Oracle Labs, U of Manchester. Of Ukrainian (Вовчко) and Italian descent. Hobby woodworker, DIYer, astronomer, pilot.
New Kremlin textbooks teach occupied Ukraine's children they were always Russian. In my latest column for Independence Avenue Media, I argue that Western universities spent a century teaching a politer version of the same story. www.indavemedia.com/commentary-r...
Commentary: Russia’s War on History — and its Western enablers
Brian Whitmore is a contributor writing for Independence Avenue Media. The views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily
indavemedia.com
As a Canadian, I appreciate this. And I agree. Letter to My Fellow Americans: About Canada We lost our oldest friend on purpose. How we start deserving them back. rossboulton1.substack.com/p/letter-to-...?
Letter to My Fellow Americans: About Canada
We lost our oldest friend on purpose. How we start deserving them back.
rossboulton1.substack.com
Until a Russian opponent, oligarch, or other non-Putin figure places Russia's colonialism at the center of the country's issues—and forces a reckoning with everything from Crimea to Chechnya to Sakha and beyond—we're just going to end up with another Moscow bent on empire and expansion.
That Economist essay from Melnichenko is interesting, but way too much fear-mongering in there on what might happen to Russia post-Putin. Why is "unmanageable" "fragmentation" one of the most likely scenarios? Should Tatarstan and Chechnya and Sakha be condemned to be controlled by Moscow forever?
When I got this store-bought borsch home I found out it was pureed, which is a first for me. Thought I wouldn’t like it, but two bowls went down easily. Anyone else puree their borsch?
Oh no, I feel some McGonnagall coming on… Ohhhhhhhh! It was in the terrible year of 2026, That the people of Russia suddenly found themselves in a terrible fix For they’d go to the gas station, and find no petrol there, which was a situation that made many of them swear.
Anton Gerashchenko@antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 2mo agoSaratov region, Russia: no fuel.
This article is superb as is the accompanying interview. youtu.be/vNNXnLWn1rE?...
Deep Cover: Ukraine's Secret Spy War
YouTube video by Preston Stewart
youtu.be
The Ken Harbaugh Show@thekenharbaughshow.bsky.social · 2mo agoMy latest in The Atlantic, about the women who form the backbone of Ukraine's resistance. Many of the drone strikes we're seeing are the last link in a complex kill-chain — one that begins with agents deep behind enemy lines. I was granted rare access to this network. Their courage is staggering.
It was just a few years ago that folks like Elon Musk claimed a Ukrainian attack on Crimea would trigger World War III. And now Ukraine bombs Russian forces there every single day—and Russia reels. Turns out those claims that Crimea was a Russian "holy land" were complete propaganda!
It's incredible how Putin has killed the idea, even in the West, that Crimea is some kind of "spiritual" or "perpetual" part of Russia. Just a few years ago, so many gullible folks swallowed this idea. Now, not even Russians sign up to defend Crimea. And incredible own-goal from Putin.
Scott Horton@robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 2mo agoAs Russians jam the roads trying to flee Crimea, it's important to remember a bit of the history of this historical part of _Greece_ (Iphigenia in Tauris takes place there).
Yet another enlightening and thought-provoking essay from @maksymeristavi.com. It got me to wondering… open.substack.com/pub/maksymer...
hatred is russian culture.
russia didn’t invent homophobia—but it legally engineered it in its colonies. How empire rewrote Ukrainian, Moldovan, Central Asian laws to institutionalise hatred.
open.substack.com
Don't look now, but Republicans are trying to dismantle the greatest anti-kleptocracy tool the US has developed in decades: the US's new shell company registry. newrepublic.com/article/2118...
Republicans Are Dismantling a Key Tool in the War Against Kleptocrats
GOP lawmakers are pushing forward a bill to repeal a vital shell company database—completely undoing the biggest anti-kleptocracy step forward the U.S. has seen in decades.
newrepublic.com
It was a privilege to talk to Andrey Kurkov, Ukraine’s greatest living novelist. His book, three Years on Fire, has been short-listed for the Orwell Political Writing Book Prize. We spoke about the state of the war and the issues facing Ukraine. (This is free). open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...?
"There is no despair and there is no optimism"
An interview with Andrey Kurkov
open.substack.com
Somehow, the Board of Peace just keeps getting more and more opaque. carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...
Board Up Donald Trump’s Failed Board of Peace
What is behind Marco Rubio’s announcement that the body is now an international nongovernmental organization?
carnegieendowment.org
Part of me hopes that someone who spent years pushing to end Russian sanctuary as a necessary component of Ukrainian defense and getting steamrolled by the escalation managers just spends all day texting photos and videos of Ukrainian deep strikes to Jake Sullivan
In countries that have successfully reversed democratic backsliding in recent years—from Poland in 2023 to Hungary in 2026—opposition movements made prosecuting those who have broken laws a central campaign issue.
Just a friendly reminder. If the US had taken only a small fraction of the money and military equipment it has squandered fighting and losing to Iran, and instead helped Ukraine, the Middle East would be more stable and Russia would be facing defeat.
Interrupting my radio silence briefly to share the petition I signed and encourage you to do too. Also, read the full investigation, it's worth your time secure.hopenothate.org.uk/page/193695/...
Russia set Britain on fire. Demand an inquiry.
The men who tried to set fire to Kier Starmer’s house were taking orders from Russia. Our research shows this was not an isolated plot. It was part of a wider Russian operation on British soil. Add yo...
secure.hopenothate.org.uk
"A network of Russian far-right extremists steeped in neo-Nazi antisemitism – created under the umbrella of a sanctioned oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and now openly promoted by Tommy Robinson " bylinetimes.com/2026/06/10/r...
Revealed: The Russian Neo-Nazi Network Pushing ‘White Lives Matter’ Division in Britain – Promoted by Tommy Robinson
As riots spread across Belfast, Tommy Robinson promoted a movement founded by a sanctioned Russian oligarch, which has pushed white supremacist propaganda about the death of Henry Nowak
bylinetimes.com
Enlightening, as always.
maksym.eristavi@maksymeristavi.com · 2mo agoa century ago, the russian empire's most dangerous indigenous critic learned firsthand that every Moscow peace deal is only a piece of paper. the Kremlin has been trying to erase his name from history books since. endrussia.today/p/zeki-velid...
"Something remarkable happened in April. For the first time in history, wind and solar generated more electricity than gas across the entire planet. Not in a country. Not in a region. Globally." Tons of great news here from Danny Kennedy (via @billmckibben.bsky.social's newsletter, which rules).
Elite Cognitive Dissonance and the Asian Energy Disruption
Notes from the Field — Singapore & Indonesia, May 2026
proelectrica.substack.com
The #PERQ has made it through Day 1 of RetroFest in Swindon with no major failures. I suspect a hard drive cable needs a new connector, but if the drive (emulator) is positioned like so and doesn't get jostled, then things seem to work. We'll see how far we can go on Day 2...
In recent news: Generous Palo Alto landlords offer Ukrainian refugees free accommodation for a year. Another tenant - ruzzian - sues for discrimination. www.paloaltoonline.com/courts/2026/... padailypost.com/2026/05/28/r...
Palo Alto landlord offered discounts to Ukrainians fleeing war. Then other tenants sued.
A married couple living in an apartment complex in downtown Palo Alto, one of whom is Russian, is suing their landlord for housing discrimination after they found out that Ukrainian tenants were recei...
paloaltoonline.com
