Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Olya Oliker aka Dr. Olga Oliker (she/her) @olyaoliker.bsky.social · 2h

Really interesting analysis from @massdara.bsky.social on what Russian military is learning, & its learning challenges. Paired with @gabrielairosa.bsky.social's recent work on Russian strategic thinking & threat perceptions www.cna.org/analyses/202..., it's got me thinking. So join me in a 🧵 1/7

How Russia Recovered

What the Kremlin is learning from the war in Ukraine.

www.foreignaffairs.com

1 4 12

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

OC Media @ocmedia.bsky.social · 5h

The US State Department has confirmed that Georgian Ambassador was summoned over allegations that the US is funding ‘radicals’ in Georgia through its embassy in Thailand. Previously, PM Irakli Kobakhidze claimed that reports of her summons were a ‘lie’.

oc-media.org/us-confirms-...

US confirms Georgian Ambassador was summoned, contradicting Kobakhidze

Earlier, Georgia’s security chief Mamuka Mdinaradze claimed the US was funding ‘radicals’ in Georgia through its embassy in Thailand.

oc-media.org

1 1

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Cristian Canțâr @cristiancantir.bsky.social · 4h

An update: scanned PDF reports for polling stations inside Moldova have been posted on the Central Electoral Commission's website. Still sifting through them, but, as expected, it looks like PDA, affiliated with Romania's far-right AUR, did very well in many localities ...

Cristian Canțâr @cristiancantir.bsky.social · 2d

Moldova's ruling pro-EU PAS undeniably won the Sep. 28 legisl. elections and Moldovans supported the continuation of EU integration efforts. If I were PAS, though, I'd still pay attention to a few worrying trends in the election results. First, results in Gagauzia ...

1 1 1

Nicolas Bouchet @nickbouchet.bsky.social · 7h

"Moldova’s elections have showed that determined institutions, an active civil society, and international solidarity can resist Russia’s hybrid campaigns."

Glad to have published this new brief by @gmfus.bsky.social
ReThink.CEE Fellow Alina Doroftei

Lessons in Resilience: Moldova’s Response to Russia’s Hybrid Interference

www.gmfus.org

4

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 9h

Lithuanian authorities emphasized that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya remains an official guest of the state and that Vilnius's stance toward the Belarusian regime led by Alexander Lukashenko remains unchanged.

10 75

Nicolas Bouchet @nickbouchet.bsky.social · 9h

"like Milosevic in the late 1990s, Vucic seems to have underestimated the force of inat of the Serbian people."

The Stubborn Politics of Aleksandar Vucic - Transitions

Clinging to power through repression and pride, Aleksandar Vucic faces a test of how long Serbia’s strongman politics can withstand public defiance. From The Conversation.

tol.org

3

Nicolas Bouchet @nickbouchet.bsky.social · 9h

"Putin’s deep suspicion toward non-Russians reflects his anxiety that the country’s regions...might one day follow the path of the former Soviet republics and break away. And yet, by russifying the leadership of his security services, Putin may be only weakening his most important tool of control."

Center for European Policy Analysis @cepa.org · 4d

Russia Cleanses Its Spy Agencies | "Something odd and largely unnoticed is happening to Russia’s spies." @andreisoldatov.bsky.social and Irina Borogan

Russia Cleanses Its Spy Agencies

Putin’s intelligence services are being cleansed of non-Russians. Something odd and largely unnoticed is happening to Russia’s spies.

cepa.org

2 8

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 18h

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

1 11

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Cristian Canțâr @cristiancantir.bsky.social · 21h

If you want to know what the propaganda environment is like in Transnistria and how it helps foster loyalty to Moscow and Tiraspol, the Promo-LEX NGO has an extensive study covering May-August 2025. Lots of great stuff in there (the report is about 90 pages), but the dominant ...

1 4 4

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Zsuzsanna Vegh @veghzsuzsanna.bsky.social · 1d

I'm at @cidobbarcelona.bsky.social today to discuss the normalization of the far right and its impact on democracy and Europe's future w/ Camil Ungureanu (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Carme Colomina and Héctor Sánchez Margalef (CIDOB).

Tune in at 18:30 CET ⤵️
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tkb...

"What’s going on in the world?" The normalisation of the far-right

YouTube video by CIDOB Barcelona

www.youtube.com

1

Nicolas Bouchet @nickbouchet.bsky.social · 1d

Big win for nominative determinism

The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 1d

⚡️ Controversial ex-adviser to Zelensky's office hit with Russian international arrest warrant.

Russian authorities have accused Oleksiy Arestovych of terrorism and spreading "fake news about the Russian army."

Controversial ex-adviser to Zelensky's office hit with Russian international arrest warrant

Russian authorities have accused Oleksiy Arestovych of terrorism and spreading "fake news about the Russian army."

kyivindependent.com

1

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 1d

Rarely has so much creativity been poured into the creation of euphemisms: "tradition-bucking, " "norm-breaking," etc. ...

NPR @npr.org · 1d

President Trump is bucking tradition and legal precedent in pushing to deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led cities like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago due to what he says is rampant crime and to support his crackdown on illegal immigration.

Trump's power to deploy National Guard, explained

President Trump is bucking tradition and legal precedent in pushing to deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led cities like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago due to what he says is rampant crime and to support his crackdown on illegal immigration.

n.pr

4 30 120

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 1d

Generally it would be helpful if more UK journalists took a closer look at how far Reform, Conservative Party and even Blue Labour figures have become immersed in an American MAGA Trump social media world that is increasingly using the language of civil war

3 16 42

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Cristian Canțâr @cristiancantir.bsky.social · 1d

I. Dodon, the most popular pro-Russian politician in Moldova, whose Patriotic Bloc won 24.2% in the Sep. 28 legisl. election (to the Kremlin's disappointment), was asked if the pro-RU opposition made any mistakes in the race. Some English-lang. highlights from his answer: ...

1 1 2

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Nate Schenkkan @nateschenkkan.bsky.social · 1d

Really good piece, based on interviews with recently departed State Dept officials, about how the administration sees Europe, social media platform policy, and support for the international far right: www.techpolicy.press/trumps-state...

Trump’s State Department Wants to Use Tech Policy to Remake Europe In Its Image | TechPolicy.Press

Tech policy is a key part of the Trump administration's dramatic project to replace the US's traditional European alliances, Dean Jackson writes.

www.techpolicy.press

1 2

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

European Democracy Hub @europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu · 1d

📖 The US has shifted towards engaging with Lukashenka's regime in #Belarus, a move that threatens to dismantle years of coordinated pressure.

The EU must not repeat the mistake of re-engagement, instead should sustain sanctions and double down on support for democratic forces.

Continue reading 👇

Why the EU Must Not Engage With Lukashenka’s Regime in Belarus

EU sanctions on Belarus Lukashenka remain vital to curb authoritarianism, counter Russia’s influence, and support democratic forces.

europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu

1

Nicolas Bouchet @nickbouchet.bsky.social · 1d

Not yet. Working on a JKPOA.

1

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Jakub Jaraczewski @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 1d

There's just way too much of the current rule of law crisis in the US that's a copy-paste of something that happened before elsewhere (with some local American variations) yet a lot of reaction boils down to a combination of "I can't imagine it could happen here/it has never happened before" 2/

1 5 26

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Jakub Jaraczewski @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 1d

🇺🇸🇸🇰🇭🇺🇵🇱 Once again, NGOs in the US would benefit greatly from talking to civil society in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia (and several other places) about how to deal with a government that's hostile to the part of the third sector that doesn't align with its ideology. 1/

3 22 50

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Daniel Hegedus @danielhegedus.bsky.social · 1d

We had an extremely informative and in-depth election readout with Andrea Michalcová, @petraguasti.bsky.social & Vít Dostál about the domestic and EU & foreign policy implications of the 🇨🇿 elections.
Key takeaway & video in THREAD
@gmfus.bsky.social
@authlibeu.bsky.social
@engagingce.bsky.social

1 3 3

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Zselyke Csaky @zecsaky.bsky.social · 1d

So awful and so familiar, of course. The difference with Hungary is that after this happened there, it was the US that stepped in (and the EU, but later) www.ft.com/content/68bf...

‘Enormous fear’: Trump’s threats against George Soros chill US non-profits

Civil society groups funded by billionaire’s charitable foundation feel vulnerable to administration’s attacks

www.ft.com

2 5

Nicolas Bouchet @nickbouchet.bsky.social · 1d

I see what happened there

1

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Katie Shoshiashvili @kshoshiashvili.bsky.social · 2d

Without greater urgency from the UK and its allies, we will soon find ourselves marking not 300 days of protests, but the death of Georgia’s democracy itself.”

1 2 9

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Katie Shoshiashvili @kshoshiashvili.bsky.social · 2d

“Given the current pace of action from the UK, and seeming indifference from a distracted US, Georgia’s slow and crushing descent into authoritarianism remains unchallenged by its supposed allies.

www.transparency.org.uk/news/without...

Without greater urgency from the UK and allies, we will soon mark the death of Georgia’s democracy

Amidst a growing clampdown against civil society and 300 days of protests on Tbilisi's streets, Western hesitation is emboldening Georgia's slide into authoritarianism

www.transparency.org.uk

3 19 42

Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet

Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 2d

I see a lot of "what did you expect?!?" posts on bluesky this week regarding the American electorate and Trump.

I'll be honest with you. I study authoritarianism elsewhere and I expected much of this. I did not expect any of it to happen so quickly or for institutions to surrender so abjectly.

7 28