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Kevin Rothrock

@kevinrothrock.me

23K followers 530 following 13K posts

Russia watcher supreme. @meduza.io English-language managing editor. Ugly American based in Portland, Oregon. Signal: @KevinRothrock.01 / Find all my junk here: https://linktr.ee/kevinrothrock

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 2h

I finally finished this (abridged) translation of a field report from Russia’s Astrakhan region, where the climate crisis, destabilized grazing practices, and massive hydroelectric meddling have jeopardized one of Russia’s most beloved ecosystems. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

‘Another pointless interview’ A report from Russia’s Astrakhan region, where the climate crisis and government indifference are accelerating a once-lush ecosystem’s desertification — Meduza

Astrakhan is famous throughout Russia for its watermelons and produce, but it could soon be known instead as a lifeless desert. That prognosis might sound alarmist, but the once-flourishing region is ...

meduza.io

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 1m

i don't fully understand this post, but i love it

Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 4m

I wouldn't be in my line of work w/o social media. I became active here anonymously at first, seeking an outlet for venting frustrations while working at a DC think tank. People read my junk, and it connected me with people I wanted to read. For all its downsides, social media has lifted me up.

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 11h

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 14m

Tatiana Stanovaya reminds Ukraine war observers that the battlelines aren't all visible on a map.

Tatiana Stanovaya
@Stanovaya
A question: do people really think that if Russia takes all four regions it claimed in 2022, the war will stop?

Every winter, the same discussion reappears: that Russia is stuck, that winter will stall any major offensive, and that another mobilisation might be needed—so maybe Moscow will have to rethink the war. But that misses the real point. Capturing more territory is not the main goal; it is just a tool. Putin’s real aim is to pressure Kyiv into accepting Russia’s demands. One of these—though not the key one—is to make Ukraine formally concede the annexed areas in talks, admitting it cannot win militarily. But Putin is not fighting for land alone, even though he has a clear idea of which parts he wants. Territory matters, but it is secondary to the bigger objectives.

The Istanbul drafts of 2022 made that clear. The Kremlin’s focus was on turning Ukraine into a demilitarised state, without any Western military presence and governed under politically compliant conditions. Even if Russia were to take full control of the four regions it annexed in September 2022, that would not mean victory for Putin. It would not bring him closer to his wider goals: keeping Ukraine out of NATO, limiting its armed forces, and pushing political changes favourable to Moscow.

When people look only at the front line and say that Russia is not winning (which, in military terms, is true), they miss the wider picture. Nothing prevents Putin from continuing intense strikes across Ukraine to pressure Kyiv back into talks—on “Istanbul plus” terms—to end the war on Russian maximalist conditions. That could change only if Ukraine were able to launch a successful counteroffensive and regain lost territory. Yet such a move would also bring the risk of nuclear escalation.

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 44m

Heat 2: The AARP Years. the ultra-realistic colonoscopy scenes will blow your mind

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 47m

guys, please don't

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 1h

ICE in Portland is limiting media access to Fox News and right-wing influencers, while stonewalling the local news media.

www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 2h

‘Another pointless interview’ A report from Russia’s Astrakhan region, where the climate crisis and government indifference are accelerating a once-lush ecosystem’s desertification — Meduza

meduza.io

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 3h

Capacity and interest point to the USA. But all that matters are the facts, and Ukraine appears to be the culprit based on what's been reported most reliably here.

Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 3h

Obviously it would be geopolitically embarrassing, but I consider it very strange to suggest that sweeping it under the rug is a service to German democracy.

Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 8h

They still exist, and I wouldn't entirely rule out US involvement even now.

Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 10h

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day in Portland. I had no idea that Noem was even in town. Such is life in the Oregonian war zone.

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 16h

Kristi Noem confronts enemy combatants in the Portland war zone today.

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 13h

awful

Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 14h

how can you not be romantic about baseball?

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 14h

lol, the fan who caught it has several layers of "DUMP HERE" jerseys

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 14h

Almost nobody stuck it out for the ninth and missed the Big Dumper's first playoff homer.

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 14h

I believe it, but c'mon! Gotta stick it out, especially if you're getting seats behind the plate! I'd be furious with my fan base if I weren't rooting for the Mariners.

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 14h

man, I know it's been raining in Detroit, but this is pathetic fan support behind home plate at tonight's playoff game. shameful, Motor City!

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 16h

nah, US media wrote about the USSR that way for decades

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 16h

The EU hasn't even managed to figure out its "reparations loan" yet, but Ukraine is already lobbying to get the money without strings attached. So much for that unmitigated stimulus to European defense spending?

www.ft.com/content/d639...

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 16h

Imagine showing this headline to Brezhnev.

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 16h

If you've ever thought about getting into the business of supplying fake flags to sanctioned oil tankers, now might be the time to jump in, as the supply could contract soon.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

EU Eyes Sanctions on Fake Flags Used by Russia Shadow Oil Fleet

The European Union has proposed restrictions on three firms that have provided fake flags to sanctioned oil tankers in Russia’s shadow fleet, according to documents seen by Bloomberg.

www.bloomberg.com

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 16h

Exiled Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Lithuanian security detail is getting downgraded from "Executive Protection" to the Criminal Police Bureau, ie, witness protection. Since 2020, Lithuania has spent 1M euros a year on her security. www.lrt.lt/ru/novosti/1...

Литва понизила уровень физической охраны Светланы Тихановской

Литва уменьшает уровень физической охраны лидера белорусской оппозиции Светланы Тихановской, проживающей в Вильнюсе. Об ...

www.lrt.lt

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 17h

Semyon Karmanov, the intellectually disabled man recruited into Russia's army from prison through a service contract he couldn't even read, was killed in Ukraine last August. His mother and sister are convinced that he enlisted without understanding what he was signing. zona.media/news/2025/10...

На войне погиб завербованный в колонии кемеровчанин с инвалидностью; он не умел писать и читать

Житель Кемерово Семен Карманов, еще в детстве получивший инвалидность третьей группы из-за диагностированной задержки ин...

zona.media

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Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 18h

The sabotage team allegedly traveled through Poland, w the yacht used in the attack reportedly rented by a Warsaw-based firm, so I doubt very much that Poland merely spectated. I assume Germany wants to hold the bombers accountable for an act that would be considered terrorism by anyone but Ukraine.

Reposted by Kevin Rothrock

Julia Ioffe @juliaioffe.bsky.social · 19h

MOTHERLAND is a National Book Award finalist! She made the shortlist! I can hardly believe it—and I am humbled to be in such illustrious company.

www.nationalbook.org/2025-nationa...

2025 National Book Awards Finalists Announced

Twenty-five Finalists to contend for National Book Awards in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature

www.nationalbook.org

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