Ilya Lozovsky
@ichbinilya.bsky.social
Writer and senior editor at OCCRP. Investigative journalism, democracy, corruption, US politics, Europe and Eurasia. More fun than this profile IRL. Currently in Amsterdam!
There is a subset of people who will be extremely triggered by this specific combination of words, but @mattyglesias.bsky.social has written one of the best essays on the value of liberalism I've ever read.
www.slowboring.com/p/liberalism...
www.slowboring.com/p/liberalism...
Liberalism and the search for meaning
The worst option except for all the others
www.slowboring.com
January 21, 2026 at 11:27 AM
There is a subset of people who will be extremely triggered by this specific combination of words, but @mattyglesias.bsky.social has written one of the best essays on the value of liberalism I've ever read.
www.slowboring.com/p/liberalism...
www.slowboring.com/p/liberalism...
Reposted by Ilya Lozovsky
I've increasingly come to view cynicism as the seedbed of totalitarianism, both because it can paralyze the opposition and because it implicitly validates the might-makes-right ethic of the authoritarian.
i have been reading Tom Ricks’ “Fighting the Good War” which is a military analysis of the civil rights movement, and one thing that comes abundantly across is that movement leaders and ordinary people made it a practice to refuse to fall into despair and cynicism.
January 16, 2026 at 5:17 PM
I've increasingly come to view cynicism as the seedbed of totalitarianism, both because it can paralyze the opposition and because it implicitly validates the might-makes-right ethic of the authoritarian.
The fact that the world's cruelest and most savage people, and the worst political actors, are often also credulous simpletons is an under-appreciated lens.
Gripping story by the incredibly brave Elizabeth Tsurkov.
Gripping story by the incredibly brave Elizabeth Tsurkov.
When Elizabeth Tsurkov conducted fieldwork for her Ph.D. at Princeton University in 2023, an academic trip to Iraq unexpectedly turned into an immersive field study on the ways authoritarian regimes use brutality.
I Was Kidnapped by Idiots
An academic trip to Iraq unexpectedly turned into an immersive field study on the ways authoritarian regimes use brutality.
bit.ly
January 12, 2026 at 2:41 PM
The fact that the world's cruelest and most savage people, and the worst political actors, are often also credulous simpletons is an under-appreciated lens.
Gripping story by the incredibly brave Elizabeth Tsurkov.
Gripping story by the incredibly brave Elizabeth Tsurkov.
Reposted by Ilya Lozovsky
At @occrp.org our years of reporting on Venezuela make clear that the patronage, corruption, and abuses don't end with Maduro and his inner circle.
They extend even to sports leagues. This is El Helicoide, a notorious political prison in Caracas that also hosts pro basketball games.👇
They extend even to sports leagues. This is El Helicoide, a notorious political prison in Caracas that also hosts pro basketball games.👇
January 5, 2026 at 10:41 AM
At @occrp.org our years of reporting on Venezuela make clear that the patronage, corruption, and abuses don't end with Maduro and his inner circle.
They extend even to sports leagues. This is El Helicoide, a notorious political prison in Caracas that also hosts pro basketball games.👇
They extend even to sports leagues. This is El Helicoide, a notorious political prison in Caracas that also hosts pro basketball games.👇
At @occrp.org our years of reporting on Venezuela make clear that the patronage, corruption, and abuses don't end with Maduro and his inner circle.
They extend even to sports leagues. This is El Helicoide, a notorious political prison in Caracas that also hosts pro basketball games.👇
They extend even to sports leagues. This is El Helicoide, a notorious political prison in Caracas that also hosts pro basketball games.👇
January 5, 2026 at 10:41 AM
At @occrp.org our years of reporting on Venezuela make clear that the patronage, corruption, and abuses don't end with Maduro and his inner circle.
They extend even to sports leagues. This is El Helicoide, a notorious political prison in Caracas that also hosts pro basketball games.👇
They extend even to sports leagues. This is El Helicoide, a notorious political prison in Caracas that also hosts pro basketball games.👇
wow
WH sources say Venezuela's opposition leader committed the "ultimate sin": She accepted the Nobel Peace prize.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
January 5, 2026 at 4:01 AM
wow
this was fun!
How likely is ‘likely’? Does ‘likely’ have a higher probability than ‘probable’? I put together a quick quiz so you can see how you interpret probability phrases, then see how you compare with others: probability.kucharski.io
January 4, 2026 at 10:09 PM
this was fun!
(perhaps naively) rueing the impotence of international law is the correct position, actually
January 3, 2026 at 8:16 PM
(perhaps naively) rueing the impotence of international law is the correct position, actually
not defending the odious Maduro regime, not celebrating Trump’s lawlessness, but a secret third thing
January 3, 2026 at 2:07 PM
not defending the odious Maduro regime, not celebrating Trump’s lawlessness, but a secret third thing
From my personal photos, a little homage to Amsterdam's Vondelkerk, which burned down last night.
January 1, 2026 at 8:44 PM
From my personal photos, a little homage to Amsterdam's Vondelkerk, which burned down last night.
Reposted by Ilya Lozovsky
Closing out my open tabs as I close out the year (tab-zero 2026 baby) and came across this great and surprisingly deep football story from Follow the Money NL. www.ftm.eu/articles/fif...
FIFA orders European clubs to ignore sanctions on Russia
European football clubs must pay outstanding transfer fees to Russian teams despite sanctions, says the sport's governing body FIFA. If the likes of West Ham United, FC Basel and Atalanta do not compl...
www.ftm.eu
December 29, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Closing out my open tabs as I close out the year (tab-zero 2026 baby) and came across this great and surprisingly deep football story from Follow the Money NL. www.ftm.eu/articles/fif...
Closing out my open tabs as I close out the year (tab-zero 2026 baby) and came across this great and surprisingly deep football story from Follow the Money NL. www.ftm.eu/articles/fif...
FIFA orders European clubs to ignore sanctions on Russia
European football clubs must pay outstanding transfer fees to Russian teams despite sanctions, says the sport's governing body FIFA. If the likes of West Ham United, FC Basel and Atalanta do not compl...
www.ftm.eu
December 29, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Closing out my open tabs as I close out the year (tab-zero 2026 baby) and came across this great and surprisingly deep football story from Follow the Money NL. www.ftm.eu/articles/fif...
Soviet Brigitte Bardot joke:
Brigitte comes to visit Moscow. She meets Brezhnev, who immediately falls for her.
“Brigitte, be mine,” he says. “I’ll do anything you ask.”
“Leonid, open the borders!” she says.
Brezhnev: “Aren’t you clever! You want to be left here alone with me?”
Brigitte comes to visit Moscow. She meets Brezhnev, who immediately falls for her.
“Brigitte, be mine,” he says. “I’ll do anything you ask.”
“Leonid, open the borders!” she says.
Brezhnev: “Aren’t you clever! You want to be left here alone with me?”
December 28, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Soviet Brigitte Bardot joke:
Brigitte comes to visit Moscow. She meets Brezhnev, who immediately falls for her.
“Brigitte, be mine,” he says. “I’ll do anything you ask.”
“Leonid, open the borders!” she says.
Brezhnev: “Aren’t you clever! You want to be left here alone with me?”
Brigitte comes to visit Moscow. She meets Brezhnev, who immediately falls for her.
“Brigitte, be mine,” he says. “I’ll do anything you ask.”
“Leonid, open the borders!” she says.
Brezhnev: “Aren’t you clever! You want to be left here alone with me?”
I am dying to know more about this tree. Which side of the wall is this? Who put it up and why? Was it up every year? It seems insane.
Also… is this a real photo? 😑
Also… is this a real photo? 😑
December 26, 2025 at 9:57 PM
I am dying to know more about this tree. Which side of the wall is this? Who put it up and why? Was it up every year? It seems insane.
Also… is this a real photo? 😑
Also… is this a real photo? 😑
The topic seems basic but this post is super interesting and well done; lots of fascinating specifics.
Makes me want to go! www.noahpinion.blog/p/why-everyo...
Makes me want to go! www.noahpinion.blog/p/why-everyo...
Why Everyone Loves Japan
Part III of my book on the Japanese economy.
www.noahpinion.blog
December 26, 2025 at 4:49 PM
The topic seems basic but this post is super interesting and well done; lots of fascinating specifics.
Makes me want to go! www.noahpinion.blog/p/why-everyo...
Makes me want to go! www.noahpinion.blog/p/why-everyo...
I hope 2026 is the year I get to drive one of those cool Chinese cars everyone’s talking about
December 24, 2025 at 9:35 PM
I hope 2026 is the year I get to drive one of those cool Chinese cars everyone’s talking about
Reposted by Ilya Lozovsky
The US has issued visa sanctions against 5 people Marco Rubio called “leading figures of the global censorship-industrial complex.”
To get a flavor of what kind of war the Trump administration is waging here, you can just read the State Dept’s own descriptions of a few of the sanctioned people 👇
To get a flavor of what kind of war the Trump administration is waging here, you can just read the State Dept’s own descriptions of a few of the sanctioned people 👇
December 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
The US has issued visa sanctions against 5 people Marco Rubio called “leading figures of the global censorship-industrial complex.”
To get a flavor of what kind of war the Trump administration is waging here, you can just read the State Dept’s own descriptions of a few of the sanctioned people 👇
To get a flavor of what kind of war the Trump administration is waging here, you can just read the State Dept’s own descriptions of a few of the sanctioned people 👇
The US has issued visa sanctions against 5 people Marco Rubio called “leading figures of the global censorship-industrial complex.”
To get a flavor of what kind of war the Trump administration is waging here, you can just read the State Dept’s own descriptions of a few of the sanctioned people 👇
To get a flavor of what kind of war the Trump administration is waging here, you can just read the State Dept’s own descriptions of a few of the sanctioned people 👇
December 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
The US has issued visa sanctions against 5 people Marco Rubio called “leading figures of the global censorship-industrial complex.”
To get a flavor of what kind of war the Trump administration is waging here, you can just read the State Dept’s own descriptions of a few of the sanctioned people 👇
To get a flavor of what kind of war the Trump administration is waging here, you can just read the State Dept’s own descriptions of a few of the sanctioned people 👇
I wish we didn't have to do this kind of thing. But here's our new page with some of the main arguments employed against OCCRP — like “OCCRP is an instrument of U.S. foreign policy" or “OCCRP is a ‘globalist’ puppet of George Soros" — explained and debunked.
www.occrp.org/en/occrp-und...
www.occrp.org/en/occrp-und...
OCCRP Under Attack
A guide to the recurring narratives used to discredit OCCRP — and the evidence-based responses that rebut them.
www.occrp.org
December 23, 2025 at 9:25 PM
I wish we didn't have to do this kind of thing. But here's our new page with some of the main arguments employed against OCCRP — like “OCCRP is an instrument of U.S. foreign policy" or “OCCRP is a ‘globalist’ puppet of George Soros" — explained and debunked.
www.occrp.org/en/occrp-und...
www.occrp.org/en/occrp-und...
This, via @ClaireSilver12 on X, is Claude building a mansion in Unreal Engine. Doing this requires some coding but the tool is free.
Imagine when this kind of thing becomes widely adopted and integrated into everyone's workflows.
Imagine when this kind of thing becomes widely adopted and integrated into everyone's workflows.
December 23, 2025 at 2:40 PM
This, via @ClaireSilver12 on X, is Claude building a mansion in Unreal Engine. Doing this requires some coding but the tool is free.
Imagine when this kind of thing becomes widely adopted and integrated into everyone's workflows.
Imagine when this kind of thing becomes widely adopted and integrated into everyone's workflows.
How cool is this
Ukrainian soldiers say the most effective defense against fiber-optic FPV drones remains the combo of a “Safari” shotgun and the “Ptashka” net launcher. If the drone survives buckshot, it’s caught by a 4x4m net fired up to 30m.
December 23, 2025 at 10:14 AM
How cool is this
These are reportedly Bari Weiss's notes on the reasons for the delay, as reported by Isabella Simonetti at the WSJ.
I honestly take no pleasure in defending Bari Weiss — I'm not a fan. But...
I honestly take no pleasure in defending Bari Weiss — I'm not a fan. But...
December 22, 2025 at 9:22 PM
These are reportedly Bari Weiss's notes on the reasons for the delay, as reported by Isabella Simonetti at the WSJ.
I honestly take no pleasure in defending Bari Weiss — I'm not a fan. But...
I honestly take no pleasure in defending Bari Weiss — I'm not a fan. But...
I'm not a fan of Bari Weiss's work, but if you're a journalist, be honest: Your newsroom has probably held up a story that was almost ready to go, for non-nefarious reasons.
Getting editorial workflows exactly right is really hard, and things happen.
Getting editorial workflows exactly right is really hard, and things happen.
December 22, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I'm not a fan of Bari Weiss's work, but if you're a journalist, be honest: Your newsroom has probably held up a story that was almost ready to go, for non-nefarious reasons.
Getting editorial workflows exactly right is really hard, and things happen.
Getting editorial workflows exactly right is really hard, and things happen.
Why does Barack Obama have more time to watch movies and read books than I do?
December 19, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Why does Barack Obama have more time to watch movies and read books than I do?