How the Iran War Changes the Reality in Ukraine and Russia At first glance, war in Iran looks like a gift to the Kremlin.

I just published How the Iran War Changes the Reality in Ukraine and Russia medium.com/p/how-the-ir...

Why So Many Russians Fear Chaos More Than Tyranny On war supporters, buried memory, and the old terror that still shapes Russian political loyalty

Why So Many Russians Fear Chaos More Than Tyranny medium.com/p/why-so-man...

The Only War Putin’s Russia Can Still Win Most Americans still imagine danger from Russia like an old war movie: missiles, submarines, or tanks rolling across Europe. Maybe even a…

I just published The Only War Putin’s Russia Can Still Win medium.com/p/the-only-w...

Soviet Trap: Why China is Making Moscow’s Fatal Mistake For years, the West has talked about China as if it were something almost superhuman.

For years, the West has talked about China as if it were something almost superhuman.

A state that always plans ahead. A disciplined machine buying the future while democracies bicker, panic, and waste time.

But I’ve heard this music before: medium.com/p/soviet-tra...

Russia Had Everything. Here’s How Putin Wasted It All Russia had everything a great power needs. A continent of land. Nuclear weapons. Oil, gas, metals, grain. A large population. A serious…

I just published Russia Had Everything. Here’s How Putin Wasted It All medium.com/p/russia-had...

The Artificial Russian Patriots Lately, I’ve been noticing another very specific group of Putin supporters.

I just published The Artificial Russian Patriots medium.com/p/the-artifi...

Why 4 Years of Putin’s War in Ukraine Made Russia Angry at the Wrong Things If you want to understand Russia in 2026, don’t look for anger where it should be.

I just published Why 4 Years of Putin’s War in Ukraine Made Russia Angry at the Wrong Things medium.com/p/why-4-year...

The “Good Tsar” Trap: Why Russians Never Blame Putin YouTube video by Elvira Bary

Why does Russia keep the supreme leader “clean” while dumping every failure onto ministers, mayors, and faceless чиновники?

youtu.be/J7Oj847B4z0

Inside Putin's Russia: What Losing Your Freedom Actually Looks Like YouTube video by Elvira Bary

Freedom doesn’t vanish overnight. In Putin’s Russia, it’s dismantled piece by piece - here’s how.

youtu.be/Jh074d0Nd6s

So, You Want a Russian Wife? If you say “I want a Russian wife,” you’re already making the first mistake.

I just published So, You Want a Russian Wife? medium.com/p/so-you-wan...

The Epstein Scandal Isn't What You Think It Is! It’s about "Blat"... YouTube video by Elvira Bary

What Jeffrey Epstein did was monstrous. The victims deserve justice.

But the public conversation keeps fixating on the cinematic details - the island, the plane, the photos, the “list.”

It’s like staring at the bloodstain and never asking who fired the gun - and why.

youtu.be/Zn86C4ZwBSg

When the Axis Cracks: Why the Strike on Iran is a Nightmare for Moscow I don’t pretend to predict the future. But history has a way of outlining the direction of the wind.

I just published When the Axis Cracks: Why the Strike on Iran is a Nightmare for Moscow medium.com/p/when-the-a...

A Late-Night Kremlin Panic? Prime Minister Just Admitted Russia Has a Budget Hole An important admission slipped out two days ago, and a lot of people will miss what it signals.

I just published A Late-Night Kremlin Panic? Prime Minister Just Admitted Russia Has a Budget Hole medium.com/p/a-late-nig...

If Russia Wins: What Happens to the People in Ukraine? YouTube video by Elvira Bary

If Russia “wins,” Ukraine doesn’t get peace - it gets occupation. Here’s what that really means: youtu.be/C7agW3K61Ak

Putin’s Arctic Plan: The Real Reason Greenland is in Danger YouTube video by Elvira Bary

Greenland isn’t the story. The Arctic is - and it’s the map where great powers collide.

youtu.be/bhFTRVpHgcI

Putin's Gamble: $17 Billion Trap in America's Backyard YouTube video by Elvira Bary

Maduro fell. Russia’s Venezuela bet backfired. Here’s what Putin wanted - and what he lost:

youtu.be/cfNMYzL6eww

Unbreakable (Незламний) McDonalds Let me tell you a story about a McDonald’s in Kyiv that stopped being fast food a long time ago.

Let me tell you a story about a McDonald’s in Kyiv that stopped being fast food a long time ago.

Ukraine has 120 operating McDonald’s right now. But only one became a symbol. Only one earned a nickname people say with pride, anger, and a little disbelief:

Незламний.

medium.com/@elvirabary/...

Russia’s Oil Trap: Why Putin Can’t Afford His Own War YouTube video by Elvira Bary

Russia’s oil isn’t power anymore - it’s a collapsing cash machine funding Putin’s war.

youtu.be/ijcCzhWmDME

Russian Dictator Trap: Why Russia Always Ends Up With a Tzar YouTube video by Elvira Bary

Why does Russia keep producing tsars? The “dictator trap” that keeps resetting Russian power.

youtu.be/eUT_wxCyKKI

Russia’s Worst Case Scenario: It’s Not a Breakup YouTube video by Elvira Bary

Russia’s “collapse” won’t look like a clean breakup — it will look like a state that stops working.

youtu.be/33G2hDsiqg8

What Do Russians Really Think About Greenland Takeover? Greenland is too close to Russia’s north border for Russians to stay indifferent when Trump threatens to take over the island.

My new article on Medium:

medium.com/@elvirabary/...

Greenland is too close to Russia’s north border for Russians to stay indifferent when Trump threatens to take over the island. You might expect a revival of old Cold War era fears:

Russian Nuclear Bluff: What If Putin Presses the Button? YouTube video by Elvira Bary

Putin’s nukes: real threat or bluff? What happens if he “presses the button” - for real?

youtu.be/j1pptAvotAw

Why the Kremlin is Terrified of Migrants: The Secret Threat No One Talks About YouTube video by Elvira Bary

Why Putin fears migrants - and why their future could reshape Russia more than any war:

youtu.be/Ep3e4CJsfXQ

Why Russia Can’t Build Anything Anymore: Inside Putin’s Failed Tech The Soviet Union really was a global tech power. It made its own space program, microchips, and nuclear reactors. It trained millions of…

My Newest article on Medium (Paywall-Free):

Does modern Russia still know how to build anything real?

medium.com/@elvirabary/...

What's Behind Russia's Lie About the 'Decadent West'? YouTube video by Elvira Bary

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgGg...

Russia has defined itself not by what it is, but by what it is not. From tsars to Putin, its leaders have painted the West as “decadent,” godless, and doomed, a moral contrast that justifies repression, poverty, and war as signs of spiritual superiority.

The Return of the Snitch: Why Russians Are Reporting Their Neighbors Something interesting — and unsettling — is happening inside Russia right now. People are once again snitching on their neighbors.

Check out my brand new article on Medium (Paywall-free):

Something interesting - and unsettling - is happening inside Russia right now. People are once again snitching on their neighbors.

medium.com/@elvirabary/...

A street scene from Kyiv.

This Christmas tree is made from spent ammunition collected by Ukrainian soldiers on the Zaporizhzhia front.

It stands quietly outside a café — a reminder of where this winter came from, and what it has cost.

📍 Honey Café, Yaroslaviv Val Street, Kyiv

See "Putin’s Hit List: Which Countries Is Russia Targeting Next?" Full video on YouTube: youtu.be/Z7WYypzAUoU&...

Putin’s Next Targets Picture this. A peace deal is signed tomorrow. Cameras flash. Diplomats shake hands. Commentators speak about “a new chapter for Europe.”…

Here's my new Paywall-Free article on Medium:

Putin’s Hit List: Which Countries Is Russia Targeting Next?

medium.com/@elvirabary/...

Why Putin Fears His Own Generals More Than NATO YouTube video by Elvira Bary

youtu.be/_kJ1M7n_rPM

Why Russia hides its generals — and why Putin fears them more than any enemy abroad.