Andris Gobiņš

⚡️ Russia is now losing more troops on the battlefield than it can recruit.

🔗 united24media.com/war-in-ukrai...

The budget deficit of Russia's regions shouldn't have been a surprise: Regional budget balances was worsening throughout 2025. War costs of Russian regions increased, while tax revenues (especially profit tax) fell.
Source of data: Russian Finance Ministry.

Ukrainian man helps neighbors charge phones and receives sweets as thanks.

Turklāt krietna biedru daļa ir valsts īpašumā esoši vai no valsts naudas plūsmām atkarīgi uzņēmumi.

Strong and clear message from Latvia's award-winning caricaturist, Gatis Šļūka.

Russia’s consolidated budget deficit reached almost 4% of GDP in 2025 As Russian regions shoulder more war costs and social security funds are depleted, the consolidated budget balance has deteriorated far more than expected.

Russia's fiscal situation is worse than expected: The consolidated budget had a deficit of nearly 4% of GDP in 2025. Regions are under pressure from increasing war costs. Social funds were forced to draw down their reserves after federal transfers were cut. Read: open.substack.com/pub/janisklu...

In freezing Kyiv, Ukrainians endure without heat, power In Kyiv, hundreds of thousands of residents are facing subzero temperatures without any heat or electricity. Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said municipal services are "working around the clock" to restore heat to homes.

Hundreds of thousands of Kyiv residents are facing subzero temperatures without heat or power. They told DW that surrender is not an option.

Galīgi negribas mediju "bashingu", jo mums ir labāk par citiem, bet uzlabojumi vienmēr ir iespējami&vēlami. Tavs virziens ir īstais, īpaši uzsverot ilgtermiņa(!) rezultātu -to prasīt ir vēl grūtāk.
Papildu dimensija: mediju (un sabiedrības) pieejā, manuprāt jāpopulārizē kritiski KONSTRUKTĪVA pieeja.

Even Russia Is Starting to Admit the War Is Failing The Lie That's Breaking

For the first time Russian politicians are admitting the war is a failure. Great article by @olddogua.bsky.social

"Today, the EU reduces the oil price cap on seaborne Russian crude oil to USD 44.10 per barrel. The next step should be a full maritime services ban."

There is no basis to talk about a decrease in repression in #Belarus - the situation is getting worse. Even the release of some political prisoners doesn't mean less pressure: dismissals, workplace coercion & "social risk" labeling are repression 👉 Belarusian Helsinki Committee

2025. gada vārds: dienžēl nevis "trampampiņš", bet gan jaunvārds "klausiņas" (vārda "austiņas" vietā/papildinājumam)
2025. gada nevārds: "trigerēt" (vārdu izraisīt, nokaitināt u.c. vietā)
2025. gada spārnots teiciens: "Mēs visi esam vienā laivā!" G.Zilbalodis
Arī labs: "Mūsu nākotne ir vējā!"

Jau tūlīt paziņos 2025. Gada vārdu, nevārdu un spārnoto teicienu. Prieks, ka kopā ar savu māmiņu pirms 23. gadiem izdevās šo skaisto tradīciju iedibināt.

"The world is not collapsing, but our illusions are. We can't continue as before."-Foreign Minister Baiba Braže at opening of the Latvian Foreign and Security Policy Yearbook.
President Egils Levits 2019—2023: sad, but the rules-based world order has ended. The EU must switch from observer to actor.

"The world is not collapsing, but our illusions are. We can't continue as before." -Foreign Minister Baiba Braže at opening of the Latvian Foreign and Security Policy Yearbook.
President Egils Levits 2019—2023: sad, bu the rules-based world order has ended. The EU must switch from observer to actor.

Moving on from "Post-Soviet" States by John Daniszewski

The Associated Press decided in June 2023 to stop referring to the 14 countries that emerged independent of Russian occupation in 1991 countries as “former Soviet republics.” The decision was taken on the advice of our journalists working in the region, and it has been generally well-received.

Chasiv Yar today.

A city in the Donetsk region that was alive long ago is now reduced to total ruins. Where there were streets-debris. Where there were homes-ash and smoke.

This is the trace left behind by the Russian army.

"Liberation" that leaves nothing behind.
📹the_theme_of_war_/Instagram

No doubt we'll be discussing this in detail in Bellingcat's upcoming Stage Talk
bsky.app/profile/bell...

In “simulation,” the functions invert. Verification becomes loyalty testing. Deliberation becomes spectacle. Accountability becomes partisan punishment. Democratic form remains, but democratic function is gone. Sound familiar? 🇺🇸

Verification, Deliberation, Accountability: A new framework for tackling epistemic collapse and renewing democracy Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

As I've written before, people don’t trust institutions because institutions aren't doing the job. Democracy rests on three pillars: Verification, Deliberation, Accountability, which can be understood as being substantial, performative, and simulated.

demos.co.uk/research/ver...

Verification (establishing truth), Deliberation (arguing about it), and Accountability (binding power to it). When these work, you have substance. When they break, you slide into performance, and eventually, simulation, and people recognise this, even if they don't use a shared terminology.

More than 200,000 Danish citizens have signed a petition to buy California as a response to Trump’s attempt to take Greenland.

They say they will provide Californians with “rule of law, universal health care, fact-based politics, and a lifetime supply of Danish pastries.”

And to the extent that European forces that could be defending Europe's borders against Russia are now obliged to defend Danish territory against Trump, an absolute gift to Putin.

Greenland PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen:

"If we have to choose between the US & Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU."

"Greenland does not want to be owned by the US. Greenland does not want to be governed by the US" he later added.

Despite billions in natural wealth, Russia’s "Diamond Capital," Yakutsk, is collapsing.

A shame. No, a crime!

I agree, & have been advocating this for months.

It is equally easy & possible to write, "Trump weighs violating US treaty commitments under the UN and NATO by seizing the sovereign territory of one of our closest allies" You don't have to normalize & sanewash reality. Other purely factually accurate, more serious choices remain readily available.

Vācijā 10 vadošie banku un apdrošināšanas uzņēmumi/jumti algo vairāk nekā 450 lobistus likumu ietekmēšanai. Sabiedrības balsi šādā apskaņojumā bieži ir grūti sadzirdēt, raksta vadošs DE ziņu žurnāls.

Šķiet, ka Latvijā ar LDDK u.c. pēdējā laikā nereti agresīvo retoriku pret SIF/NVO, ir vēl drūmāk.

Venezuela: The Precedents And America: The Future

Trump is weak at home, and he can be stopped – so long as the domestic political logic of foreign intervention is recognized and turned against him. This act of war is about regime change in the United States. It only succeeds if Americans allow it to do so.
snyder.substack.com/p/venezuela-...