Ukraine has (again!) hit two oil refineries in Russia.

While this is great for Ukraine, the U.S. is concerned about attacks rising the world price of oil. This argument is silly.

These attacks will force Russia to export more, not less, and the data supports this 1/

After resisting Ru aggression for 10yrs and fighting off genocidal conquest for 2+yrs, Ukrainians won't accept a negotiated solution that leaves them unprotected from future Ru invasions or leaves them in Ru's sphere of influence. Stop pitching 'Ukr neutrality', which does both!

I so appreciate all of Vincent Artman's work and this powerful essay on necropolitics and the politics of abandonment are no different. If you have a moment today - do read.
Vincent Artman

Because NATO expansion

Today is May 9th. On this day, Russia regularly tries to legitimize its foreign aggression by claiming sole victory over Nazism. Instead of theorizing about the two totalitarian regimes of Stalinism and Hitlerism, it's better to listen to intellectuals who took part in the war.

🚨 [FIL] Victoire totale et définitive contre le média du Kremlin. Dans une procédure qui a duré presque 6 ans, jusqu'à la Cour de cassation, RT France me poursuivait en justice dans un cas typique de lawfare (utilisation du droit comme arme) contre la France. Et Moscou a perdu.

Read this important🧵in full. The Western lawyers who help Ru wage this lawfare by representing its proxies should rethink their participation in this abuse of our legal systems for our enemy’s political goals.

Things have been developing quickly over the past 2-3 weeks in Georgia, but in the last couple of days, they have progressed at an unimaginable speed. The ruling Georgian Dream party has employed various tactics targeting civil society, escalating to an extreme level. 1/6

Authoritarians don't sleep. While the West follows the protests in Georgia, the regime is on full counter-attack.

Not just with thugs in the street. Now targeting individuals.

All who follow Georgia, read Eto Buziashvili's short thread.

cc: Luke Coffey Carl Bildt

A reminder: if you insist Ukr shouldn’t have done XYZ (seek to join EU/NATO, pass decomunization laws, language policies, etc) because Ru wouldn’t have accepted it, you’re not looking out for Ukr, but assuming Ukr sovereignty exists at Ru’s pleasure and legitimizing Ru aggression

Despite the brutal crackdowns by riot police and the government’s use of Titushkis, violent thugs, to intimidate people, Georgians have been courageously protesting the Russia-inspired bill for weeks now. 1/4

This is getting more and more outrageous while the West pretty much stands by, while limiting itself to statements of concern. Much more proactive stance and steps needed.

Worth adding, that some European vendors involved in Kinzhal manufacturing were sanctioned only a couple of months ago by the EU, and just a few weeks ago by the U.S.
About a year after journalists published their investigation into it.

The Russians are building concentration camps in occupied Ukraine. In January 2023, PM Mishustin ordered 24 new penal colonies in the four regions that Russia illegally annexed. On the history of Russian control through incarceration:

united24media.com/life-in-ukrain…

'Moscow’s success is not on the battlefield, but in our minds. Russia can lose. And it should lose, for the sake of the world — and for its own sake.'

Good, but more urgency is needed!

'by appealing to young people to be the saviours of the country by perpetuating a version of historical memory that glorifies war and the military, Pu and his supporters are preparing the next generation of Ru to regard war as a normal and necessary condition of Ru’s existence.'

This night, Russia attacked Ukraine with 55 missiles and 20+ drones. It targeted energy infrastructure in six regions, including Kyiv and Lviv. 'Serious damage' to power stations was reported, people warned there will be electricity cutoffs. Ukraine urgently needs air defence