📚Before the flagship #CalltoEurope conference in Denmark, read the latest policy briefs on #Digital and #Defence:

👉 feps-europe.eu/theme/peace-...

@danielfiott.bsky.social @sipri.org @ecfr.eu @kirland.bsky.social @giorgosverdi.bsky.social

Ore and order: Russia’s rare-earth strategy for the Ukraine talks – European Council on Foreign Relations If Europe reopens talks with Vladimir Putin, Moscow could turn Western dependence on Chinese rare earths into leverage. A new $9.2bn processing hub in Siberia w

Russian officials know that the West’s overreliance on Chinese rare earths is a strategic weakness. Europe’s appetite for rare earths gives Russia’s mineral diplomacy a wedge and is likely to test the bloc’s cohesion, writes @kirland.bsky.social @ecfreuropeansec.bsky.social
🔗 https://bit.ly/3NOISPg

Book cover for ‘Imperfect Equilibrium: Civil–Military Relations in Russian Defense Policymaking’ showing soldiers at target practice.

Now out: ‘Imperfect Equilibrium: Civil–Military Relations in Russian Defense Policymaking’ by @kirland.bsky.social! From New Perspectives on Eastern Europe & Eurasia series, editor: @benhnoble.bsky.social

'Insightful.' @michaelkofman.bsky.social

20% off w/code IMPERFECT20 👉 tinyurl.com/u7d7pnyb

Imperfect Equilibrium | Hurst Publishers Why has Russia’s military struggled to adapt to the challenges of contemporary warfare?

‘Imperfect Equilibrium: Civil–Military Relations in Russian Defense Policymaking’ by @kirland.bsky.social offers a new perspective:

'A deeply insightful and illuminating account . . from the end of the Cold War to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.' @michaelkofman.bsky.social

tinyurl.com/u7d7pnyb

🇪🇺🇩🇰 #CalltoEurope Denmark closed-door sessions “The future of EU Defence” with:

👉Giovanna Maletta @sipri.org
👉 @almutm.bsky.social @epc-official.bsky.social
👉 @danielfiott.bsky.social @vubrussel.bsky.social
👉 @kirland.bsky.social @ecfr.eu
👉 Uwe Optenhögel FEPS
👉 Lukas Hassebrauck FES Nordics

Zapad against the West: How Europe should read the Russian-Belarusian military drills Zapad 2025 is not only a show of force; it is Lukashenko’s bid to play a role in the emergent European security order as it bargains with Washington over sanctions and prisoners

Zapad 2025 is not only a show of force; it is Lukashenko’s bid to play a role in the emergent European security order as it bargains with Washington over sanctions and prisoners, write @kirland.bsky.social and Vasil Navumau @ecfreuropeansec.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/42jwgnI

Zapad against the West: How Europe should read the Russian-Belarusian military drills Zapad 2025 is not only a show of force; it is Lukashenko’s bid to play a role in the emergent European security order as it bargains with Washington over sanctions and prisoners

Se i negoziati tra 🇺🇸 e 🇷🇺 dovessero fallire, il ruolo di Lukashenko svanirebbe da un giorno all'altro, le sue concessioni andrebbero sprecate e la sua reputazione con Putin verrebbe danneggiata.
🖊️ @kirland.bsky.social & Vasil Navumau

Zapad against the West: How Europe should read the Russian-Belarusian military drills Zapad 2025 is not only a show of force; it is Lukashenko’s bid to play a role in the emergent European security order as it bargains with Washington over sanctions and prisoners

Belarussisch-russiche Militärdrills: Zapad 2025 ist nicht nur eine Machtdemonstration, sondern auch Lukaschenkos Versuch, eine Rolle in der europäischen Sicherheitsordnung zu spielen, schreiben @kirland.bsky.social und @vasil-navumau.bsky.social
ecfr.eu/article/zapa...

Zapad against the West: How Europe should read the Russian-Belarusian military drills Zapad 2025 is not only a show of force; it is Lukashenko’s bid to play a role in the emergent European security order as it bargains with Washington over sanctions and prisoners

Should US–Russia negotiations collapse, Lukashenko’s role would evaporate overnight, his concessions wasted and his standing with Putin damaged, write @kirland.bsky.social and Vasil Navumau
https://bit.ly/42jwgnI

To show that Moscow can significantly worsen the lives of Europeans without crossing the perceived threshold of radical military escalation while offering 'concessions' in exchange for European 'understanding' of Moscow's interests in Ukraine. It is a cynical old-school iron diplomacy. 4/4

Moscow would then 'offer' a compromise: no Ukrainian interference in Russian civilian air traffic in exchange for 'software updates' to the drones. What is the strategy? 3/4

In my view, the recent incursion of Russian drones into Poland is a sign that this could escalate into a regular flow of 'stray' Russian drones made of wood and tape towards Polish and Baltic airports and other logistical hubs, especially during rush hour. 2/4

As the full-scale invasion enters its final stage (even radical pro-war Russian groups are talking about an end), the Russian leadership is seeking ways to influence Western perceptions of the war and their calculations regarding the desired outcome. 1/4

‘Thrown to the wolves’ How a Texas man moved his family to Russia to escape ‘DEI’ — and ended up on the front lines in Ukraine — Meduza In the last three years, the Kremlin has doubled down on portraying Russia as a bastion of “traditional values” — a narrative used to justify both the invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir…

The Huffman family thought Russia’s “shared values” visa would be their escape from U.S. “indoctrination.” But their plan hasn’t gone the way they hoped.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Imperfect Equilibrium by Kirill Shamiev | Waterstones Buy Imperfect Equilibrium by Kirill Shamiev from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.

Until the end of July, you can use the code “SUMMER25” at checkout to redeem the offer. www.waterstones.com/book/imperfe... 4/4

"This is a solid, comprehensive narrative of the dynamics of civil-military relations in Russia from Soviet times to the recent military assault on Ukraine. Overall, the manuscript is a serious contribution to the field that goes beyond some previously published monographs." 3/4

Anonymous academic reviewers:
"Overall, this is a very good manuscript. It will make a strong contribution to the field." "I found the manuscript to be very promising and to fill an important gap in our understanding of civil-military relations and defense reform in Russia." 2/4

Would you like to know why it has been so difficult for Putin's Russia to build a powerful military?
@waterstones.bsky.social has launched a 25% discount on upcoming titles, including my book on Russian military development! 1/4 #WPreorder

Patience and pragmatism: Moscow’s view on the Israel-Iran-US war Russia will likely try to keep the Iranian regime weak and out of Western reach, hoping to exploit any deal for its own gains.

#Russia will likely try to keep the #Iranian regime weak and out of Western reach, hoping to exploit any deal for its own gains, @kadriliik.bsky.social‬ and @kirland.bsky.social‬ argue in their last commentary.
Read it here ⬇️

Harvard’s Battle Is Familiar to a University the Right Forced into Exile

My MA & PhD uni is in the news again: “The repercussions of the American turmoil are being felt in places like Vienna. By mid-May, C.E.U. had recorded a 40 percent increase in applications from American students compared with last year.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/u...

How big is the economic dividend from extra defence spending? UK ministers argue that higher military budgets will spur innovation and lead to long-term productivity gains

Interesting debate on what defence spending adds to your economy

on.ft.com/4jCLJFs How big is the economic dividend from extra defence spending?

Back from a long research trip to Russia. Insightful professional meetings, and more importantly, human contact and on-the-ground observations. First time back since autumn ‘22, surprisingly little has changed on the streets. My analysis re current RU and negotiations coming soon

What domestic constraints does Russia face in negotiating with Ukraine? Risa Brooks, Margarita Zavadskaya, and I explore this in our new piece on the military’s role in Russian politics. It draws on a unique survey experiment we designed for an academic study.

Why a Ukraine peacekeeping force could become a trap for Europe The EU may need to deploy a peacekeeping force to Ukraine. However, without urgent regulatory changes, its member states are unprepared for the risks of direct confrontation with Russia

Deploying a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine might seem like a step toward stability. However, without a comprehensive peace agreement and clear mandates, such a move could entangle Europe in a protracted conflict, writes
@kirland.bsky.social
@ecfrwidereurope.bsky.social

„Russland hat kein Vertrauen darin, dass ausländische Truppen zur Friedenssicherung eingesetzt werden. Ihre Stationierung wird als Gefahr gedeutet und ich würde auch erwarten, dass sie mit Raketen und Drohnen angegriffen werden“, erläuterte @kirland.bsky.social.

An image of the catalogue cover. This is taken from the cover of 'Orange Sky, Rising Water' and has the same orange background at the top, and a windmill that appears to be sinking into a blue sea. There is white and blue lettering that reads 'Hurst Publishers. Autumn/Winter 2025.' The Hurst logo is at the bottom lefthand corner of the page.

See our catalogue for more upcoming non-fiction➡️ tinyurl.com/k2bpzrct

Featuring titles from @dankaszeta.bsky.social @kirland.bsky.social @kalathmika.bsky.social
@fieryparticle.bsky.social @irgarner.bsky.social @paulclammer.bsky.social @shuja-jamal.bsky.social @marwecki.bsky.social and many more!

Freeze and thaw: USAID withdrawal and the future of Russia’s pro-European civil society Donald Trump has frozen USAID. This is bad news for civil society organisations in the Russian democratic community, but Europe has the chance to step up its soft power influence in the eastern…

Trump’s USAID freeze has put 90+ Russian pro-democracy groups and independent media at risk of closure. Europe cannot fully replace the lost funding, but it must step up with targeted support for the most influential organisations. @kirland.bsky.social 📝

Freeze and thaw: USAID withdrawal and the future of Russia’s pro-European civil society Donald Trump has frozen USAID. This is bad news for civil society organisations in the Russian democratic community, but Europe has the chance to step up its soft power influence in the eastern…

Donald Trump has frozen USAID. This is bad news for civil society organisations in the Russian democratic community, but Europe has the chance to step up its soft power influence in the eastern neighbourhood, writes @kirland.bsky.social 👇

Yeah folks, it doesn’t look good for us at ridl.io