Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 8d

Awesome to be recognised alongside great journalists:

maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 8d

This!

I’ve been longlisted for Freelance Journalist of the Year at this year’s
@rorypecktrust.bsky.social
Awards! There are some incredible journalists on the list – with work I really admire and get inspiration from: rorypecktrust.org/awards/2025-... #rorypeck

2025 Longlists | Rory Peck Trust

rorypecktrust.org

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 10d

On asset transfers, including the timing of property ownership changes just before U.S. sanctions were imposed, revealing strategies to bypass asset freezes and maintain control through family members and complex corporate structures.

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 10d

This investigation, by iStories/The Post and Courier, into sanctioned Russian bankers' homes in exposes how high-profile Russian bankers linked to Sovcombank have maneuvered to invest millions in luxury real estate and commercial properties in the U.S:

www.postandcourier.com/news/special...

Sanctioned Russian bankers plowed millions into this South Carolina resort

Russian bankers hit by U.S. sanctions bought multimillion-dollar homes in South Carolina’s Palmetto Bluff neighborhood and retail centers in Atlanta, Georgia.

www.postandcourier.com

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 10d

Lack of clarity is one of the characteristics of these attacks. The unknown perpetrator cannot be identified or stopped for some time, despite the damage or minor inconvenience. Anticipation and uncertainty are another problem.

maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 10d

According to a military official, these conscripts will serve only within Russia and will not be deployed to the war in Ukraine.

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 10d

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree for the autumn military draft from October 1 to December 31, 2025. The draft will conscript 135,000 men aged 18 to 30 who are not in the reserve: meduza.io/news/2025/09...

Путин подписал указ об осеннем призыве. В армию заберут 135 тысяч человек — Meduza

Президент России Владимир Путин подписал указ об осеннем призыве граждан РФ на военную службу. Документ опубликован на официальном портале правовой информации.

meduza.io

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 10d

watching this week: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5wa...

on the problem of mephedrone use among Russian teenagers, a synthetic drug known as “meow” or “the poor man's cocaine” - following the entire drug chain from Chinese precursors, to Russian production labs, to the lives destroyed by addiction.

Meow Meow: Inside Russia's Mephedrone Teen Crisis - BBC World Service Documentaries

YouTube video by BBC World Service

www.youtube.com

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 13d

To water a garden is to remember your own.

maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 13d

”Gospodinov’s style lies in his ability to weave individual experience into the broader tapestry of Bulgarian history.”
mariageorgieva.substack.com/p/a-garden-o...

A Garden of Grief: On Georgi Gospodinov's Death and the Gardener

“My father was a gardener. Now he is a garden”. This metaphor becomes the soil from which the novel grows, tracing the final months of Gospodinov’s father as he succumbs to cancer.

mariageorgieva.substack.com

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Reposted by maria georgieva

Alec Luhn @alecluhn.bsky.social · 13d

Rat activity is ⬆️ 400% in Washington DC, 300% in San Francisco, 180% in Toronto & 160% in New York.
A big reason is climate change: Rats have gotten esp numerous in cities that warmed more, since they breed better in warm conditions
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ratmageddon: Why rats are overrunning our cities

Rats are multiplying at speed in urban areas. So, what's really behind the boom - and is it now unstoppable?

www.bbc.co.uk

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 13d

An in-depth look at everyday life in Kursk, #Russia, during and after the occupation of the region by Ukrainian armed forces in 2024. By independent Russian sociologists who spent months in the area, documenting how war is experienced and discussed by ordinary residents: meduza.io/feature/2025...

«А что война? Ты ощущаешь здесь какую-то войну?» Независимые социологи провели четыре месяца в Курске — в период оккупации части региона ВСУ. Вот что они увидели — Meduza

После полномасштабного вторжения Вооруженных сил РФ в Украину российским социологам стало очень трудно исследовать настроения россиян. Сколько людей внутри страны поддерживают войну, как отличаются мн...

meduza.io

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 14d

reading Death and the Gardener and re-experiencing how my language is felt.

“My father was a gardener. Now he is a garden”. This metaphor becomes the soil from which the novel grows, tracing the final months of Gospodinov’s father as he succumbs to cancer
mariageorgieva.substack.com/p/a-garden-o...

A Garden of Grief: On Georgi Gospodinov's Death and the Gardener

“My father was a gardener. Now he is a garden”. This haunting metaphor becomes the soil from which the novel grows, tracing the final months of Gospodinov’s father as he succumbs to cancer.

mariageorgieva.substack.com

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 22d

Yulia Navalnaya said that foreign laboratory tests on biological samples obtained from Alexei Navalny showed that he was poisoned. ”Labs in two different countries reached the same conclusion”. meduza.io/feature/2025...

Алексея Навального отравили в колонии — это подтвердили результаты исследований в лабораториях двух западных стран Команда политика смогла передать туда его биологические образцы — Meduza

После гибели Алексея Навального в заполярной колонии в Харпе 16 февраля 2024 года команда политика смогла получить образцы его биологических материалов и переправить их за границу — в лаборатории двух...

meduza.io

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 22d

In English: theins.ru/en/inv/284980

Our Jan in Moscow: The secret Russian life of Europe's most notorious fugitive-turned-spy

Ever since the summer of 2020, when German payments giant Wirecard collapsed after failing to account for €1.9 billion in missing assets, its former COO Jan Marsalek has been a wanted man. The Insider...

theins.ru

maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · 22d

Jan Marsalek, the fugitive billionaire fraudster, has resurfaced in Moscow— recruited by the FSB and now reportedly taking part in Russian special operations in Ukraine: theins.ru/inv/284979 @christogrozev.bsky.social @dobrokhotov.bsky.social

Ян на службе ФСБ. Как завербованный мошенник-миллиардер Ян Марсалек обосновался в Москве и участвует в спецоперациях в Украине

Один из самых разыскиваемых преступников в мире, бывший операционный директор Wirecard Ян Марсалек живет Москве и почти не прячется, выяснил The Insider. Лишь немного изменив внешность, он свободно гу...

theins.ru

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Reposted by maria georgieva

Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · Sep 4

Congratulations to journalist Andrey Zakharov for a rare legal victory against an oligarch in a Russian court. The Moscow City Court has rejected Konstantin Malofeev’s appeal against Zakharov and the publisher of Zakharov’s book, “Crypto,” about Malofeev’s Wex exchange links. t.me/NetFreedomsP...

Сетевые Свободы

Олигарх Малофеев проиграл в суде журналисту Андрею Захарову дело о крахе криптобиржи BTC-e/Wex Опубликовано апелляционное постановление Мосгорсуда по иску Константина Малофеева к журналисту Андрею За...

t.me

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Reposted by maria georgieva

David Baas @davidbaas.bsky.social · Sep 4

Polisen har gjort razzior mot den svenska nazibutiken Midgård – som är ökänd för att förse Europas nazister och högerextremister med musik, kläder och annan propaganda. Missa in polisens bilder inifrån Midgårds omfattande lager. Daniel Olsson och jag rapporterar.

www.expressen.se/nyheter/sver...

Polisens jätterazzia mot nazistbutiken Midgård

Här slår polisen till mot nazistbutiken Midgård i Alingsås. Bilderna inifrån butikens lager visar på tusentals skivor och mängder med kläder som är redo att skickas till Europas nazister. Nu åtalas de...

www.expressen.se

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · Sep 2

Pirin.

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · Sep 2

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · Sep 2

Peak Polezhan, 2850 m.

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · Aug 31

in my little town

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · Aug 30

Om du missat – läs mina avslöjanden om ryska propagandaprojektet Det Odödliga Regementet och de svenska bilkaravanerna. När organisatören tar emot Segerns fana flätas historisk symbolik samman med nutida geopolitik och det ryska anfallskriget mot Ukraina

mariageorgieva.substack.com/p/hon-ar-put...

Hon är Putins svenska poster girl: ”Förbannad”

Om du missat – läs mina avslöjanden från Expressen om det statliga ryska propagandaprojektet Det Odödliga Regementet och de svenska bilkaravanerna.

mariageorgieva.substack.com

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maria georgieva @mariageorgieva.bsky.social · Aug 30

A court in the city of Vladimir has placed acclaimed violinist Asya Sorshneva under house arrest on charges of “financing extremist activities,” Russian media reported on Friday.

I know people who know her. They are devastated. www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/08/08/a...

Award-Winning Violinist Placed Under House Arrest Over Navalny Donations - The Moscow Times

A court in the city of Vladimir has placed acclaimed violinist Asya Sorshneva under house arrest on charges of “financing extremist activities,” Russian media reported on Friday.

www.themoscowtimes.com

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