‘Sounds familiar’: how the US-Israeli war in Iran parallels Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Both campaigns have been framed differently at different times, with dubious claims of defensive action and a curious reluctance to label it war

Shifting goals, unclear timelines and a flimsy pretext: at times, the US-Israel campaign against Iran carries curious parallels of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. | @pjotrsauer.bsky.social

Assad family live in Russian luxury as Bashar ‘brushes up on ophthalmology’ Family friend, sources in Russia and Syria, and leaked data help give rare insight into life of dictator’s reclusive household

Assad family live in Russian luxury as Bashar ‘brushes up on ophthalmology’

Otter pelts, Orthodox priests and a $7.2m bargain: how Russia sold Alaska to the US Tsar Alexander II sold oil-rich territory to the US in 1867. Will Friday’s high-stakes summit between Putin and Trump result in a warming of historic ties?

Otter pelts, Orthodox priests and a $7.2m bargain: how Russia sold Alaska to the US

Pjotr Sauer schrijft een afscheidscolumn voor zijn overleden vader Derk: ‘Ik ga ontelbaar veel dingen aan hem missen’

Wat een prachtige column van @pjotrsauer.bsky.social over zijn vader, Derk Sauer.

Heel veel sterkte voor je moeder, je broers en jou en iedereen die Derk in diens hart draagt ✨

www.parool.nl/columns-opin...

Och Derk!
Zo’n begeesterd mens, zo’n lieve man. Ik maakte hem mee in het bestuur van IDFA, en vooral toen hij na de inval in Oekraine gedwongen werd hier weer een bestaan op te bouwen. Hij verloor zijn liefde voor Rusland nooit. Maar meer nog hield hij van het vrije woord en van rechtvaardigheid.

Outstanding reporting by @pjotrsauer.bsky.social and @shaunwalker7.bsky.social on the Russian plot to blow up European airliners etc using bombs in parcels and sex toys.

The executors of the scheme were common criminals, exactly what MI5 head Ken McCallum warned of last year.

Greyzone aggression.

We obtained what a source involved in the scheme described as a photograph of the order before dispatch. The image shows four massage pillows, along with cosmetic tubes and sex toys, laid out on a mattress. The items were believed to be improvised explosive devices.

Explosive sex toys and cosmetics: the story behind the DHL parcels plot Exclusive account reveals previously unreported details and insights into how Kremlin’s sabotage campaign played out on the ground – and the multinational effort to track down the network behind it

NEW: Our exclusive deep dive into a suspected Russian-led cell behind the parcel bomb plots with the first interviews with those directly involved, revealing how the sabotage campaign unfolded on the ground With @shaunwalker7.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

‘Not what I expected’: Russian soldiers sent to North Korea for medical care Wonsan resorts offer troops time off to recover, but some wonder if move is a pretence for military training

In a sign of deepening ties, North Korea is now treating Russia’s wounded soldiers. I spoke to one who expected a Black Sea sanatorium but ended up on North Korea's east coast
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

‘What Putin had been waiting for’: Moscow buoyant after call with Trump Russian president will feel momentum has shifted in his favour and that US may help him fulfil Ukraine objectives

“Putin remained patient and didn’t bend. Instead, he waited for the world to change around him.” My piece on the Trump-Putin phone call, which has sparked unmistakable glee in Moscow
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

‘Many teachers don’t want to do this, but they’re trapped’: film shows extent of Putin indoctrination in Russian schools Two years after he started documenting the effect of the Ukraine war on his pupils, Pavel Talankin reveals how it led to accolade – and exile from home

‘Many teachers don’t want to do this, but they’re trapped’: film shows extent of Putin indoctrination in Russian schools by @pjotrsauer.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

Bogged Down in Ukraine, Russia Pays a Price in Syria With the fall of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Vladimir V. Putin has suffered one of the biggest geopolitical setbacks of his quarter-century in power.

“If they [Russia] can secure their bases and reach an agreement with Turkey, they could be reasonably satisfied [...]It all depends on whether Erdogan can really control” the rebels, notes RUSI's Antonio Giustozzi to @nytimes.com.

Moscow reaches out to new Syrian leadership in move to secure bases Having labelled Syrian rebels ‘terrorists’, Moscow is now making diplomatic efforts to protect its military assets in the country

A vibe shift in Moscow. As key Russian military bases in Syria come under threat, the Kremlin is changing its tune. Russian officials are now actively pursuing a flurry of diplomatic efforts with rebels they had branded as terrorists just days earlier.
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

Russia and Ukraine wait warily for Trump transition … and subsequent peace talks President-elect’s strategy on ending war is yet to emerge but interviews with Ukrainian officials and Russians suggest a compromise may be hard to find

First Bluesky post...

Spent some time, with @pjotrsauer.bsky.social speaking to people in Kyiv, Moscow and Washington about Trump's plans for peace and how "negotiations" might look: www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

Seizure of Aleppo threatens Moscow’s foothold in Syria – and the wider region Assault on Syria’s second-largest city by Islamist militants may tarnish Russia’s reputation as a global player

New: Seizure of Aleppo threatens Moscow’s foothold in Syria – and the wider region
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

We always eschewed op-eds, thinking that our reporting speaks for itself, and Mediazona’s very existence, opposed to all forms of power abuse—from local violations to war—is statement enough. If you value real journalism from and about Russia, keep reading: en.zona.media

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welcome, @pjotrsauer.bsky.social !!