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Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

@isadesisto.bsky.social

2.2K followers 440 following 43 posts

PhD candidate in Politics at Princeton | Formerly Harvard Gov & Cambridge POLIS | Studying politics in Eastern Europe 🇲🇩🇺🇦🇷🇺 | isabelledesisto.com | @russiawatcher

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Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦 @isadesisto.bsky.social · 3d

Check out my new piece on Moldovan 🇲🇩 elections with @grigopop.bsky.social

Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · 5d

Despite Russian meddling, Moldova’s pro-Europe party wins a majority.

Russia’s social media campaign fell short.

Read: goodauthority.org/news/despite...

Despite Russian meddling, Moldova’s pro-Europe party wins a majority

Russia’s social media campaign fell short.

goodauthority.org

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 8h

Up to 25,000 Cubans could soon be fighting for Russia.

It is reported that Cubans are promised about $2,000 per month - far more than they can earn at home. It is also possible that they are promised jobs in construction but then sent to the frontlines.

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Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦 @isadesisto.bsky.social · 1d

My new piece analyzing Moldovan election results in Russian language version of Postimees (top Estonian daily newspaper): rus.postimees.ee/8337362/ot-p....

ОТ ПОЛИТОЛОГА ⟩ Парламентские выборы в Молдове: проевропейская партия получила большинство, но общество остается разделенным

В последнее воскресенье сентября в Молдове состоялись парламентские выборы. Изабель ДеСисто, аспирантка кафедры политологии Принстонского университета, пишет о том, что достигнутая при высокой явке по...

rus.postimees.ee

Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Robert P. Jones @robertpjones.bsky.social · 1d

My latest: Experts’ rating of U.S. as a democracy in newest Bright Line Watch Survey fell from 67 out of 100 before the 2024 election to 55 in Feb and to 54 in Sep. Experts also now project that the U.S. democracy rating will drop further to 47 by 2027.
www.whitetoolong.net/p/all-the-br...

All the Bright Lines Behind Us

There is still time to act before the darkness fully overtakes us.

www.whitetoolong.net

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Jonathan Bernstein @jonathanbernstein.bsky.social · 2d

The GOP has a huge structural advantage for shutdown public opinion but may manage to screw that up too. Plus links! @dcinbox.bsky.social @normornstein.bsky.social @mirandayaver.bsky.social @isadesisto.bsky.social @dandrezner.bsky.social etc. goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/underminin...

Undermining The GOP's Advantage?

Plus all the links

goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 2d

Up to 5,000 Cuban fighters are actively participating in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing an internal US State Department cable

reuters.com/world/americas…

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Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦 @isadesisto.bsky.social · 3d

Check out my new piece on Moldovan 🇲🇩 elections with @grigopop.bsky.social

Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · 5d

Despite Russian meddling, Moldova’s pro-Europe party wins a majority.

Russia’s social media campaign fell short.

Read: goodauthority.org/news/despite...

Despite Russian meddling, Moldova’s pro-Europe party wins a majority

Russia’s social media campaign fell short.

goodauthority.org

4 6

Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Vlad Surdea-Hernea @vladsurdea.bsky.social · 11d

🚨 Why do people protest against authoritarian regimes even when facing extreme danger? 🚨

In our new paper on Romania's 1989 Revolution, we find that communities exposed to the communist Gulag showed 5x higher dissent levels.

doi.org/10.1177/0010...

1/🧵

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Russia Watcher @russiawatcher.bsky.social · 5d

In Russia, approval of Trump increased significantly leading up to and after the “Alaska Summit.” But in the past month, disapproval has crept back up to the level it was when Trump took office.

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Sascha O. Becker @essobecker.bsky.social · 5d

🥂 Another German Unity Day (3 Oct) is round the corner 🎉

Sascha O. Becker @essobecker.bsky.social · Oct 3

Happy German Unity Day 🎉

That day of the year to share some maps we produced a few years back with @lukasmergele.bsky.social @woessmann.bsky.social

👉 www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

East European Politics Graduate Workshop @eepgworkshop.bsky.social · 6d

In 2026, we'll reconvene on Jan 23 with "The Enemy of My (Historical) Enemy Is My Friend?: Evidence from the Wołyń Massacre" from @francescayton.bsky.social and @isadesisto.bsky.social + comments via Robert Lipinski

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

East European Politics Graduate Workshop @eepgworkshop.bsky.social · 6d

We kick off next week w/ papers from our Estonia time-sharing survey:
1️⃣ "The Democratising Effects of the 1989 Baltic Way Demonstration," Robert Lipinski
2️⃣ “The Historical Determinants of Eastern European Solidarity with Ukraine," @isadesisto.bsky.social
➕ Discussion from @krisztiszabo.bsky.social!

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · 23d

Some updates from the Good Authority team on Ukraine 🇺🇦.

1) In Ukraine, fewer women are having children: goodauthority.org/news/in-ukra...

2) Rethinking how Europe can lead peacekeeping in Ukraine: goodauthority.org/news/rethink...

Read our latest on Ukraine at the links👆.

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Russia Watcher @russiawatcher.bsky.social · Sep 8

As talk of negotiations continues, ordinary Russians remain uncompromising. Around 40% say that troops should withdraw only after annexing part of Ukraine & regime change (i.e., ousting Zelensky). Only 10% support an unconditional, immediate withdrawal.

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Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦 @isadesisto.bsky.social · Sep 2

Tagging accts/ppl who might be interested! @mfaestonia.bsky.social @kajakallas.bsky.social @balticstudies.bsky.social @errnews.bsky.social @estoniangovt.bsky.social @eeineu.bsky.social @kasekamp.bsky.social @lauradean.bsky.social @eeriknkross.bsky.social @siobhanhearne.bsky.social

Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦 @isadesisto.bsky.social · Sep 2

Especially interested in younger generations who have stories from parents and grandparents. Even if you don't have loads of info or precise details, I'm still interested in talking to you! The goal is to help understand how historical repression affects politics today.

Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦 @isadesisto.bsky.social · Sep 2

Tere! I'm in Estonia 🇪🇪 at Uni of Tartu Skytte Institute for 2 months researching the intergenerational effects of Soviet repression. I'm interviewing Estonians whose family experienced deportation/other repression. Interested? Please DM me, email [email protected] & share widely. Aitäh!

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · Aug 26

Ukrainians don’t think much of Putin’s ‘peace’ plan.

Our surveys from earlier this summer show overwhelming opposition to a Russian land grab.

See the data here: goodauthority.org/news/ukraini...

Ukrainians don’t think much of Putin’s ‘peace’ plan.

Our surveys from earlier this summer show overwhelming opposition to a Russian land grab.

goodauthority.org

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Russia Watcher @russiawatcher.bsky.social · Aug 25

How has Russian public opinion shifted in the wake of the "Alaska Summit," which took place on August 15. One notable change: approval of Donald Trump has increased considerably from its all-time low at the beginning of the month.

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Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦 @isadesisto.bsky.social · Aug 25

Found this mug commemorating Kyiv’s 1500 anniversary (1982) in a thrift shop in Tartu, 🇪🇪!

Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Ben Rhodes @rhodesben.bsky.social · Aug 16

So Putin gets a red carpet welcome, a ride in the presidential limo, speaks first at the presser, frames the meeting as a successful talk among equals, while making absolutely no concession on the conduct or outcome of the war.

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Unofficial BBCNews (World) Bot @bbcnews-world-rss.bsky.social · Aug 16

'The world is behaving irrationally' - Putin's warm welcome in Alaska gets cold reaction in Ukraine

In the absence of a deal, Ukrainians focused on the optics of Putin's visit to Trump in Alaska.

www.bbc.com

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Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦 @isadesisto.bsky.social · Aug 13

As the Trump-Putin meeting draws near, it's worth pointing out that although support for negotiations has been increasing steadily in Russia (see linked 🧵), Russians still want to keep the territories Russia already annexed & oust Zelenskyy - hardly a compromising position.

Russia Watcher @russiawatcher.bsky.social · Aug 13

But this doesn't mean Russians are willing to give up much. Our data show that as approval for negotiations has been going up, willingness to compromise has been going down: the % who say they want to annex part of Ukraine & achieve regime change has grown since February 2025. 4/

Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · Aug 13

Yup. that’s why I ended my piece that’s out today with this: “Trump already fooled us into this hope twice—once after the talks in Saudi Arabia in February and a second time in July, when he imposed this deadline. If he does it a third time, the shame will be on all of us.”

Ruth Deyermond @ruthdeyermond.bsky.social · Aug 13

Trump claims there will be "very severe consequences" for Russia if they fail to stop the war. He doesn't want to say what they'll be but they will be severe. With wearying predictability, this wildly implausible claim is now the main headline on the BBC. 🧵

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Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦 @isadesisto.bsky.social · Aug 8

Check out my latest piece on the recent protests in Ukraine 🇺🇦. Includes some interesting figures based on surveys about corruption perceptions in Ukraine from 2015-24.

Good Authority @goodauth.bsky.social · Aug 8

Ukrainians continue to champion the fight against corruption.

When Zelenskyy tried to undercut anti-corruption institutions, Ukrainians took to the streets in protest.

Read the story here: goodauthority.org/news/ukraini...

Ukrainians continue to champion the fight against corruption.

When Zelenskyy tried to undercut anti-corruption institutions, Ukrainians took to the streets in protest.

goodauthority.org

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Reposted by Isabelle DeSisto 🇺🇦

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · Aug 6

"Ru will insist it is prepared to have a ceasefire, but (only) under the conditions that it has formulated for the last two or three years"

Can we stop with the idiotic euphemisms? Ru’s conditions are Ukrainian surrender. Ru wants to win without continuing to fight.

apple.news/ADU72OUGXQX6...

Russia says Putin and Witkoff hold 'useful' talks as Trump's sanctions deadline nears — Reuters

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff held

apple.news

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