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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 7h

Must have been exhausting juggling book deals, concert planning, and rehearsals while his country is in crisis. Truly the mark of a dedicated leader. No wonder Trump is giving him $20 billion. Grifters stick together

AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 16h

🇦🇷 VIDEO: Argentina's Milei plays rock star as Argentina's economy crashes

Argentine President Javier Milei headlines a concert in Buenos Aires to mark the release of a book he hopes will revive his sagging fortunes, as the country continues to navigate a period of political and economic uncertainty

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 8h

Sanctions work

Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13h

Putin often claims that sanctions hurt the West more than they hurt Russia, but he also keeps asking us to remove them. If that were really true, he’d be asking for more sanctions, not fewer

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 9h

Russia is still losing the war

Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 10h

1/7 Why is Ukraine still winning and Russia still losing the war?

This thread lists a few key facts that Putin would prefer you forget

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 9h

Hope is back!

Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13h

1/7 Ukraine: Hope is slowly coming back.

After years of brutal war, 2025 has brought a renewed sense of possibility for Ukraine and its supporters.

The war remains devastating, but recent developments are starting to shift the narrative and reshape international perceptions

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 9h

Time is not on Russia’s side in Ukraine

Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 14h

1/7 Several ongoing and upcoming developments are turning out to be very unfavorable for Russia

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 10h

7/7 Ukraine is winning because Russia cannot achieve its strategic goal.

In war, if the aggressor fails to reach its strategic goal, it loses.

Ukraine’s resilience has turned Russia’s invasion into a long, costly, and unsustainable failure. Things will only get worse for Russia

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 10h

6/7 Russia cannot stop the war because stopping would lock in defeat.

Ukraine is still standing strong.

Finland and Sweden joined NATO.

Russia is more isolated than before the war. It is also weakened and stuck in a war it cannot afford to win or end

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 10h

5/7 Russia’s strategic goal was total domination over Ukraine. It failed.

If you break into your neighbor’s house but cannot get past the second door, you have not succeeded. You have failed.

Russia started this war. It is the active side. And it is losing

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 10h

4/7 The cost?

Over 1 million Russian casualties. A war that is draining Russia financially and demographically.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is more sovereign, more militarized, and more united than ever before.

NATO has also expanded

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 10h

3/7 At its peak in March 2022, Russia occupied nearly 30% of Ukraine. Now it holds about 19%.

It has failed to capture any of the 23 regional capitals Ukraine controlled at the start of the war.

0 out of 23. A staggering failure!

Map: ISW

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 10h

2/7 Russia launched its full-scale invasion over 3.5 years ago to overthrow Ukraine’s government and turn it into a satellite state.

Today, it is further from that goal than ever before, even more so than before the war.

That is a clear strategic failure

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 10h

1/7 Why is Ukraine still winning and Russia still losing the war?

This thread lists a few key facts that Putin would prefer you forget

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13h

7/7 The war may still last, but the direction is right.

Russia keeps failing to reach its strategic goals.

Ukraine is adapting, Europe is stepping up, and Russia is feeling the consequences.

Let’s support Ukraine fully and help end this unjust war

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13h

6/7 These strikes are not just tactical wins. They are strategic tools that bring the war home to Russia and increase its cost.

The more effective Ukraine’s strikes become, the more pressure Russia will face

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13h

5/7 Ukraine’s corps reform is progressing, even if slower than expected.

Zelensky’s leadership remains stable.

Strike capabilities are improving, and attacks on Russian refineries are having real impact, much bigger than before

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13h

4/7 Europe is finally waking up.

It is preparing to unlock frozen Russian assets for Ukraine. This move could help fund the war effort and send a clear message to Moscow: Ukraine will not be outlasted

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13h

3/7 Trump’s election raised doubts about Western support.

Zelensky and European leaders managed to limit the damage.

Ukraine can still buy US weapons, and Trump has failed to force a bad deal with Moscow

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13h

2/7 Ukraine still faces serious challenges: mobilization issues, slow command reforms, hesitation from allies, and internal political battles.

Russia keeps advancing slowly and at extremely high cost.

Many supporters lost hope, and there were valid reasons to worry

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13h

1/7 Ukraine: Hope is slowly coming back.

After years of brutal war, 2025 has brought a renewed sense of possibility for Ukraine and its supporters.

The war remains devastating, but recent developments are starting to shift the narrative and reshape international perceptions

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13h

Will he achieve that by pardoning all his friends?

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 13h

Putin often claims that sanctions hurt the West more than they hurt Russia, but he also keeps asking us to remove them. If that were really true, he’d be asking for more sanctions, not fewer

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 14h

7/7 Russia gambled on outlasting Ukraine and the West. But Ukraine is adapting, Europe is waking up, and the costs for Moscow are rising.

The war is coming home to Russia. And that is exactly what needs to happen

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 14h

6/7 This is not just about justice. It is about deterrence.

If Russia pays no price for its aggression, it will keep going.

Financing Ukraine with Russian assets is both morally right and strategically necessary

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 14h

5/7 Europe must do everything it can to find a legal path to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.

Russia does not deserve to ever see that money again. It continues to escalate its illegal war and commit daily war crimes

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 14h

4/7 The longer the war lasts, the higher the cost for both sides. But Russia is now regularly feeling the war far from the front lines.

Strategic infrastructure is under threat. The illusion of distance is gone. Russia’s oil production is facing a real threat

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