Russia- and eastern 🇺🇦-watcher, editor at @liberalemoderne. Past @OSCE SMM, @MoscowTimes, @warstudies; 📧 [email protected] @niktwick elsewhere

Berlin, Deutschland
Joined January 2009
Good Politico report that cites @freedomhouse's latest freedom in the world report, partially compiled by yours truly: freedomhouse.org/country/rus…
Discriminatory policies are permeating every aspect of residents’ lives in Russian-occupied territories. Many wonder what, if anything, Ukrainian will remain. 🔗 link: politico.eu/article/ukraine-…
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Nikolaus von Twickel  🇪🇺 retweeted
It's not surprising that Putin would waste their time given that he appears to have no interest in any genuine talks, but it's a sign of how isolated and detached from reality he is that he didn't think this would just make him look ridiculous.
NEW: Vladimir Putin spent most of his call with the leaders of Finland and Norway ranting about Slavic history, underscoring Europe's tough task backing Ukraine in peace talks. The planned 20-minute call dragged on for 90. A ceasefire barely came up: ft.com/content/a384acd1-c90c…
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Very good.
The intensive course on Votic and Ingrian by Fedor Rozhanskiy and Elena Markus from the University of Tartu has started at the institute, and we are all very excited!
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What would Nikita Khrushchev say if he found out that his state limo was stored in an LA vault? And almost next to a papal Cadillac?
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»Vulgar list of countries«
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE President Trump escalated his invective against Norway, calling it a ‘shit house country’ and saying Norwegian immigrants are not welcome in the United States because the Nobel committee, based in the capital Oslo, has not awarded him a Peace Prize reut.rs/3U1joSt
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Notice at the Malibu Newsstand.
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Nikolaus von Twickel  🇪🇺 retweeted
Guess what the regime’s propagandists called today’s protest gathering in Tbilisi, in their warning to people not to attend? That’s right: Gay Pride. Different day, same old lies.
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Nikolaus von Twickel  🇪🇺 retweeted
Daily protests continue across Georgia 🇬🇪 Bigger than normal gathering in Tbilisi today, as Ivanishvili’s regime moves ahead with a plan to ban major opposition parties. This will not end well for the regime in the end. We shall overcome ✊🏻
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Sea otters today in Morro Bay, CA
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Nikolaus von Twickel  🇪🇺 retweeted
Nach Amerikas Ausfall wird Deutsch­land als Füh­rungs­macht in Europa immer wichtiger. Kann die Bundesregierung dieser Ver­ant­wor­tung gerecht werden? Darüber haben wir mit Politikern und Experten bei unserer jährlichen Veranstaltung "Russland und der Westen" diskutiert. Auf den Panels waren unter anderem Deborah Düring, @juergenhardt, @nilsschmid, @khodorkovsky_en, @alegucka, @mariemendras, @zygispavilionis, @fuecks, @maria_sannikova. Zum Bericht von @niktwick, sowie Fotos und Videos: russlandverstehen.eu/de/russ…
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Nikolaus von Twickel  🇪🇺 retweeted
Jesus.
The GRU hacked into Jared Kushner's iPhone. Dutch military intelligence (MIVD) then recruited a GRU spy who gave them access to the hacked phone. What MIVD discovered was that Kushner had access to two bank accounts --one Azerbaijani, the other Israeli --where Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emirati ruler Mohammed bin Zayed deposited money. It sounds like a slightly far-fetched episode of "Slow Horses," but it's real. And it proves just how eye-poppingly corrupt this administration was and continues to be as its "special envoy" decides the fate of tens of millions in Europe in the Middle East. Simply incredible reporting by Matthew Cole, drawn from his new book on Kushner. vanityfair.com/story/jared-k…
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Nikolaus von Twickel  🇪🇺 retweeted
An important note from a true humanitarian and Ukraine’s Nobel laureate.
I have read dozens of outraged posts because the US special envoy Witkoff called Putin a "humanist." But no one is writing about the fact that the American negotiators are simply not doing their job. Let me explain. Peace negotiations are important in their own right. Even if they do not lead to a lasting peace, the process itself is an opportunity to resolve urgent humanitarian issues. If, of course, the human dimension is a priority for the negotiators. But it is entirely obvious that neither Witkoff nor Kushner cares about people's fates in this war. The Pope calls on Putin to save thousands of people from starvation in occupied Oleshky and the surrounding villages. The UN speaks about a humanitarian catastrophe and asks Russia to allow the evacuation of the civilian population. European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno goes on a hunger strike to draw attention to this tragedy unfolding before the eyes of the whole world. And what are Witkoff and Kushner doing? That's right, almost nothing. Except for passing along greetings from Putin’s aide to the First Lady. Thousands of people are already eating grass to survive and begging to save their lives. The Ukrainian side raises the issue of Oleshky at every meeting. And I can name dozens of such urgent humanitarian issues off the top of my head where American negotiators must be proactive. Trump’s peace negotiations have already gone down in history as the deadliest years for Ukraine’s civilian population since the start of the full-scale invasion. I don’t know if anyone will remember the names of Witkoff and Kushner. But history will certainly record how American negotiators, who had the opportunity to save a huge number of people, refused to raise uncomfortable questions before "humanist Putin."
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Nikolaus von Twickel  🇪🇺 retweeted
Yes, hearing the same.
New. I’m told by frontline drone commanders in Ukraine that Starlink speed restrictions have likely been lifted. They are still doing tests but “this looks to be the case”
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Nikolaus von Twickel  🇪🇺 retweeted
Trump on Ukraine War: The Russians had a thousand tanks riding up a concrete highway. They would have been in Ukraine in four hours, going maximum tank speed, which is 48 miles an hour, to be exact. Nothing to stop them. The war would have been over in one day. And this very stupid general—I have no idea who he is. I doubt he’s still with us. I doubt he’s still living. He decided to hang a right onto the farmland and then take a left and go up to Kyiv, rather than staying on the highway—the concrete highway, perfectly good highway—where they were doing very nicely. It would have been three and a half, four hours, and the whole war would have ended. He ended up getting stuck in the mud.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Russian tanks did use highways to Kyiv in 2022 and took heavy losses. The main reason the 40-mile convoy failed was it lacked fuel and food. Ukraine blew bridges, flooded the Irpin, and ambushed columns. nbcpalmsprings.com/2025/08/15/fac… rusi.org/explore-our-re… npr.org/2022/03/01/108… mwi.westpoint.edu/urban-warfare-… euronews.com/my-europe/2025…
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Nikolaus von Twickel  🇪🇺 retweeted
BREAKING: Ukraine has carried out the world’s first medical evacuation of a human via a drone from the battlefield the 30th mechanised brigade of Ukraine managed to save their injured comrade from a minefield. Just absolutely insane.
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Nikolaus von Twickel  🇪🇺 retweeted
This should be viewed as a gift to China and India primarily as they were on the receiving end of massive U.S. tariffs. Does not affect Russia much sanctions wise, all existing sanctions still in place, no sanctions relief. Also everyone knew this would happen working on the bill
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Nikolaus von Twickel  🇪🇺 retweeted
I often ask who’s running the country, but perhaps it’s even more alarming to need to ask who’s running the military.
Q: Was it you or was it Elon Musk who decided to temporarily pause Starlink access for the Ukrainian military? TRUMP: I don't know if it was anybody, because it wasn't me, and I don't think it was Elon
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