Lucian Kim
@luciankim.bsky.social
Senior Ukraine Analyst @crisisgroup.org, former correspondent based in Berlin and Moscow, author of new @columbiaup.bsky.social book on why Russia invaded Ukraine. Rarely seen on social media.
Pinned
Lucian Kim
@luciankim.bsky.social
· Feb 13
Putin's Revenge | Columbia University Press
cup.columbia.edu
The war in Ukraine is not a quarrel in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing. We know exactly who started it and that his aggression is directed as much against Ukraine as against the US and its allies. I wrote a whole book about it: cup.columbia.edu/book/putins-...
Reposted by Lucian Kim
Thanksgiving (Thursday) deadline was meant to focus minds and reflects Trump's rush. In any case, Europeans will have to figure out how to keep funding Ukraine by Christmas.
Putin will wait. Reconquering Ukraine is about Russia's place in the world—and his historical legacy. ⌛️
Putin will wait. Reconquering Ukraine is about Russia's place in the world—and his historical legacy. ⌛️
November 24, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Thanksgiving (Thursday) deadline was meant to focus minds and reflects Trump's rush. In any case, Europeans will have to figure out how to keep funding Ukraine by Christmas.
Putin will wait. Reconquering Ukraine is about Russia's place in the world—and his historical legacy. ⌛️
Putin will wait. Reconquering Ukraine is about Russia's place in the world—and his historical legacy. ⌛️
Reposted by Lucian Kim
The fundamental contradiction of this conflict has still not been resolved: Ukrainians require the wherewithal to deter future aggression; the Kremlin will not rest until Ukraine is subordinated (and Zelensky out of office). ⚔️
November 24, 2025 at 8:04 PM
The fundamental contradiction of this conflict has still not been resolved: Ukrainians require the wherewithal to deter future aggression; the Kremlin will not rest until Ukraine is subordinated (and Zelensky out of office). ⚔️
Reposted by Lucian Kim
That's how we got to where we are now. A traditional US administration would have met with the Ukrainians and European allies to come up with a joint position to take to Moscow. It is mind-boggling that the exact opposite has happened. 🤯
November 24, 2025 at 8:04 PM
That's how we got to where we are now. A traditional US administration would have met with the Ukrainians and European allies to come up with a joint position to take to Moscow. It is mind-boggling that the exact opposite has happened. 🤯
Reposted by Lucian Kim
The Witkoff-Dmitriev channel is useful to Trump as a direct conduit to Moscow without institutional interference. For Putin, the channel allows for the floating of ideas without the Kremlin's imprimatur. Typical plausible deniability: "We haven't seen this proposal." 🤷♂️
November 24, 2025 at 8:02 PM
The Witkoff-Dmitriev channel is useful to Trump as a direct conduit to Moscow without institutional interference. For Putin, the channel allows for the floating of ideas without the Kremlin's imprimatur. Typical plausible deniability: "We haven't seen this proposal." 🤷♂️
Reposted by Lucian Kim
The question I get asked most often is how to understand Trump's push-me-pull-me Ukraine policy. To me there are a few constants that don't change:
1) He really wants to end the war fast. Results over process.
2) He respects Putin and wants a good relationship with Russia. 👉
1) He really wants to end the war fast. Results over process.
2) He respects Putin and wants a good relationship with Russia. 👉
November 24, 2025 at 7:54 PM
The question I get asked most often is how to understand Trump's push-me-pull-me Ukraine policy. To me there are a few constants that don't change:
1) He really wants to end the war fast. Results over process.
2) He respects Putin and wants a good relationship with Russia. 👉
1) He really wants to end the war fast. Results over process.
2) He respects Putin and wants a good relationship with Russia. 👉
Reposted by Lucian Kim
Trump's hurry to check off the war hobbles the US position, especially as Putin believes time is on his side as he hacks off more of Ukraine and waits for Western allies to turn on each other. ⏳
November 24, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Trump's hurry to check off the war hobbles the US position, especially as Putin believes time is on his side as he hacks off more of Ukraine and waits for Western allies to turn on each other. ⏳
Reposted by Lucian Kim
3) Trump associates Zelensky with his first impeachment and views Ukraine as a secondary power. Even if Trump has come to admire Ukrainians' incredible pluck, he still regards Russia as the greater power. 🥇
November 24, 2025 at 8:00 PM
3) Trump associates Zelensky with his first impeachment and views Ukraine as a secondary power. Even if Trump has come to admire Ukrainians' incredible pluck, he still regards Russia as the greater power. 🥇
The question I get asked most often is how to understand Trump's push-me-pull-me Ukraine policy. To me there are a few constants that don't change:
1) He really wants to end the war fast. Results over process.
2) He respects Putin and wants a good relationship with Russia. 👉
1) He really wants to end the war fast. Results over process.
2) He respects Putin and wants a good relationship with Russia. 👉
November 24, 2025 at 7:54 PM
The question I get asked most often is how to understand Trump's push-me-pull-me Ukraine policy. To me there are a few constants that don't change:
1) He really wants to end the war fast. Results over process.
2) He respects Putin and wants a good relationship with Russia. 👉
1) He really wants to end the war fast. Results over process.
2) He respects Putin and wants a good relationship with Russia. 👉
"To Putin, this proposal is proof of his victory. If the US is offering terms like these, then in his view it has surrendered and is ready to accept his demands," says Boris Bondarev, who quit Russia's diplomatic service in protest over the war. www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/11/21/t...
Trump’s Peace Plan Favors Russia. Putin Still Won’t Accept It. - The Moscow Times
Opinion | The Ukraine war peace plan proposed by the Trump administration has, unsurprisingly, triggered a storm of reactions across the press, social media and among experts.
www.themoscowtimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:06 PM
"To Putin, this proposal is proof of his victory. If the US is offering terms like these, then in his view it has surrendered and is ready to accept his demands," says Boris Bondarev, who quit Russia's diplomatic service in protest over the war. www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/11/21/t...
"Ageing and declining capacity within the senior ranks further deepen the crisis inside Putin's governance system. Lavrov turned 75 this year, and the president's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, is 78."
nestcentre.org/the-crisis-o...
nestcentre.org/the-crisis-o...
The crisis of influence: How war and administrative stagnation undermine Russia’s foreign policy
Russia’s foreign policy is in crisis, weakened by war, ageing leadership, and a steady loss of regional influence
nestcentre.org
November 17, 2025 at 6:46 PM
"Ageing and declining capacity within the senior ranks further deepen the crisis inside Putin's governance system. Lavrov turned 75 this year, and the president's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, is 78."
nestcentre.org/the-crisis-o...
nestcentre.org/the-crisis-o...
Kremlinology 101, by Alexander Baunov: "The failure of the Budapest summit is the result of the Russian system of artificially creating a foreign policy crisis. When one such crisis proves insufficient to intimidate the enemy, a new one is needed." carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras...
How the Kremlin Lost Trump
The collapse of the Budapest summit is an inevitable result of the Russian system of artificially creating foreign policy crises in order to achieve a desired outcome.
carnegieendowment.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Kremlinology 101, by Alexander Baunov: "The failure of the Budapest summit is the result of the Russian system of artificially creating a foreign policy crisis. When one such crisis proves insufficient to intimidate the enemy, a new one is needed." carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras...
Pokrovsk, Ukraine. Portrait of a city in war by Tyler Hicks. View for free: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/w...
What Our Photographer Saw as a Safe City Became a Blood Bath
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Pokrovsk, Ukraine. Portrait of a city in war by Tyler Hicks. View for free: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/w...
Rewatched Aki Kaurismäki’s “Le Havre” (2011). It does not pretend to offer any solutions to the migration crisis, but it does answer the question of how to retain your humanity when a destitute stranger washes up on your doorstep. As timely as ever. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqhA...
Le Havre (2011) Movie Trailer HD - TIFF - New York Film Festival NYFF
YouTube video by Rotten Tomatoes Trailers
www.youtube.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Rewatched Aki Kaurismäki’s “Le Havre” (2011). It does not pretend to offer any solutions to the migration crisis, but it does answer the question of how to retain your humanity when a destitute stranger washes up on your doorstep. As timely as ever. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqhA...
I've often heard about wounded Ukrainian troops getting evacuated by robots but never understood exactly how. No longer—this brilliant piece of reporting by C.J. Chivers is a harrowing trip into the kill zone and back. Read for free: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/m...
A Harrowing Escape From the Drone-Infested Hellscape of Ukraine’s Front Lines
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:32 PM
I've often heard about wounded Ukrainian troops getting evacuated by robots but never understood exactly how. No longer—this brilliant piece of reporting by C.J. Chivers is a harrowing trip into the kill zone and back. Read for free: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/m...
When in doubt, say that you've tested another nuclear weapon.
October 29, 2025 at 5:02 PM
When in doubt, say that you've tested another nuclear weapon.
Pokrovsk is on the brink—one more reason Putin doesn't want a ceasefire now.
"Pokrovsk faces its own final act in an environment of asphyxiating drone saturation at a level we have not seen in previous battles," warns Francis Farrell. kyivindependent.com/analysis-pok...
"Pokrovsk faces its own final act in an environment of asphyxiating drone saturation at a level we have not seen in previous battles," warns Francis Farrell. kyivindependent.com/analysis-pok...
Analysis: Pokrovsk on the brink as Russian troops, drones infiltrate deeper into Ukraine’s fortress city
At first, the pictures went viral for another reason.
Two Ukrainian civilians were shot dead and another injured on the roadside, the victims of another Russian war crime that was as everyday as it w...
kyivindependent.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Pokrovsk is on the brink—one more reason Putin doesn't want a ceasefire now.
"Pokrovsk faces its own final act in an environment of asphyxiating drone saturation at a level we have not seen in previous battles," warns Francis Farrell. kyivindependent.com/analysis-pok...
"Pokrovsk faces its own final act in an environment of asphyxiating drone saturation at a level we have not seen in previous battles," warns Francis Farrell. kyivindependent.com/analysis-pok...
No, Putin's phone call didn't sink a big Tomahawk announcement. But Trump heard Zelensky ask for weapons while Putin suggested more summitry.
We are not back to square one but at least back to Anchorage. truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
We are not back to square one but at least back to Anchorage. truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
Truth Social
Truth Social is America's
truthsocial.com
October 17, 2025 at 10:07 PM
No, Putin's phone call didn't sink a big Tomahawk announcement. But Trump heard Zelensky ask for weapons while Putin suggested more summitry.
We are not back to square one but at least back to Anchorage. truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
We are not back to square one but at least back to Anchorage. truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
The chill in the Trump-Putin relationship, if there ever was one, is over. With today's phone call, and a follow-on summit in Budapest, Putin will have the first and last word on Zelensky's White House meeting. truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
Truth Social
Truth Social is America's
truthsocial.com
October 16, 2025 at 6:02 PM
The chill in the Trump-Putin relationship, if there ever was one, is over. With today's phone call, and a follow-on summit in Budapest, Putin will have the first and last word on Zelensky's White House meeting. truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
Reposted by Lucian Kim
Putin is right about one thing—the root causes of Russia's war against Ukraine will not go away.
Now you can listen to my book on the war's origins, from what really happened in 2014 to the fateful steps leading up to the full-scale invasion. Sample here: rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...
Now you can listen to my book on the war's origins, from what really happened in 2014 to the fateful steps leading up to the full-scale invasion. Sample here: rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...
RBmedia | Putin's Revenge
Listen to the audiobook Putin's Revenge, written by Lucian Kim, narrated by David Lee Huynh.
rbmediaglobal.com
October 7, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Putin is right about one thing—the root causes of Russia's war against Ukraine will not go away.
Now you can listen to my book on the war's origins, from what really happened in 2014 to the fateful steps leading up to the full-scale invasion. Sample here: rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...
Now you can listen to my book on the war's origins, from what really happened in 2014 to the fateful steps leading up to the full-scale invasion. Sample here: rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...
Putin is right about one thing—the root causes of Russia's war against Ukraine will not go away.
Now you can listen to my book on the war's origins, from what really happened in 2014 to the fateful steps leading up to the full-scale invasion. Sample here: rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...
Now you can listen to my book on the war's origins, from what really happened in 2014 to the fateful steps leading up to the full-scale invasion. Sample here: rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...
RBmedia | Putin's Revenge
Listen to the audiobook Putin's Revenge, written by Lucian Kim, narrated by David Lee Huynh.
rbmediaglobal.com
October 7, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Putin is right about one thing—the root causes of Russia's war against Ukraine will not go away.
Now you can listen to my book on the war's origins, from what really happened in 2014 to the fateful steps leading up to the full-scale invasion. Sample here: rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...
Now you can listen to my book on the war's origins, from what really happened in 2014 to the fateful steps leading up to the full-scale invasion. Sample here: rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...
Join @crisisgroup.org for a 7-minute tour of Africa, from São Tomé and Príncipe to Libya and Mali, tracing the growing reach of Russia's Africa Corps (né Wagner). www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0yI...
MAPPING CONFLICT | Russia’s Growing Influence in Africa
YouTube video by International Crisis Group
www.youtube.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Join @crisisgroup.org for a 7-minute tour of Africa, from São Tomé and Príncipe to Libya and Mali, tracing the growing reach of Russia's Africa Corps (né Wagner). www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0yI...
Reposted by Lucian Kim
My thoughts on the Quantico meeting
Trump’s Speech to Generals Was Incitement to Violence Against Americans
Military leaders’ quiet professionalism offers hope amid a maelstrom.
foreignpolicy.com
October 1, 2025 at 3:39 PM
My thoughts on the Quantico meeting
As someone who has covered Putin for 20+ years, I'm always surprised by how much speculation surrounds his intentions. Although Putin dissembles, he also says what he thinks—it's just that people don't want to hear him. Here's what he said today about Zelensky and a peace deal:
September 5, 2025 at 7:21 PM
As someone who has covered Putin for 20+ years, I'm always surprised by how much speculation surrounds his intentions. Although Putin dissembles, he also says what he thinks—it's just that people don't want to hear him. Here's what he said today about Zelensky and a peace deal:
"First they swarm us with drones and bomb drops. Then they come in to clear the position. We hear their voices, it's usually two of them, and the firefight starts."
Essential reporting on the Ukrainian troops holding the line, by @francisjfarrell. kyivindependent.com/behind-ukrai...
Essential reporting on the Ukrainian troops holding the line, by @francisjfarrell. kyivindependent.com/behind-ukrai...
Behind Ukraine’s manpower crisis lies a bleak new battlefield reality for infantry
Editor’s Note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only.
DONETSK OBLAST – Since he first v...
kyivindependent.com
September 5, 2025 at 6:21 PM
"First they swarm us with drones and bomb drops. Then they come in to clear the position. We hear their voices, it's usually two of them, and the firefight starts."
Essential reporting on the Ukrainian troops holding the line, by @francisjfarrell. kyivindependent.com/behind-ukrai...
Essential reporting on the Ukrainian troops holding the line, by @francisjfarrell. kyivindependent.com/behind-ukrai...
Reposted by Lucian Kim
President lifts golden weight bar in front of his applauding cabinet. www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0Pd...
Turkmenistan's president lifts golden weight bar in front of his applauding cabinet
YouTube video by The Telegraph
www.youtube.com
August 27, 2025 at 2:24 PM
President lifts golden weight bar in front of his applauding cabinet. www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0Pd...