Tomek Jankowski

I've already posted about this but it's fun. Putin claimed Russian forces had taken Kupyansk...and so here's Zelensky standing in Kupyansk, proving Putin is wrong.

This is Русский мир: the world that Putin is offering you.

Your maps at home may differ..... ;)

Keeping those minority populations under foot: neweasterneurope.eu/2025/12/12/s...

Just another day indistinguishable from any other in the Russian Imperium.

Nationalist racism.

YouTube video by Bouli Travel Christmas Market in Plzen and Pilsner Urquell Brewery

Today's Christmas market: Plzeň, in the western half of Bohemia in the Czech Republic. (Sorry, still getting used to "Czechia.") And yes, "Pilsner" comes from this city, meaning a beer from Plzeň. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHVJ...

Polish city tears down Red Army monument The removal is part of a process to rid Poland of monuments exalting communism.

I've said many times that if had Moscow ever learned how to treat its Eastern Bloc countries as (relative) equals instead of as minions, there would be genuine gratitude for liberation in World War II. Instead, in 1945 one empire was replaced by another in the region. tvpworld.com/90492686/sov...

Russia’s Threats Put Europe’s Borderlands on Edge The Baltic countries are fortifying their frontier regions as a deterrent to Russian aggression. Close to the border, communities now have to reckon with the price of peace.

Narva is a beautiful city but it sits right on the border with Mordor, with an aggressive, expansionist, neo-fascist state that has said aloud that it plans on obliterating Estonia. And given what Putin is doing in Ukraine, those threats must be taken seriously. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

Bulgarian Premier Quits as Crisis Hits Before Euro Entry Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov stepped down after a wave of protests, deepening political chaos just weeks before the Balkan country joins the euro area.

And, t he results: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

YouTube video by József Terbe ⭐️ Szeged ünnepi fényben – Így készült a karácsonyi varázs 🎄

Today's Christmas market -- well, Christmas light displays, actually -- is Szeged in southeastern Hungary. Funny note: this city is pronounced (with English phonetics) "SEH-ged" but to a Polish tourist it looks like 'SHEH-ged' which means "your butt" in Hungarian. www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2xx...

The Russian Orthodox priests who refuse to give their blessing for war RAAM – op Rusland, Oekraïne en Belarus. Platform voor kennis, analyse en debat.

Stalin suppressed the Russian Orthodox Church, razing Казанский собор/Kazan cathedral in Red Square in 1936. But in 1941 he realized it could serve his interests. Priests repeated state propaganda and informed on their flock for the KGB. Putin continues that strategy: platformraam.nl/uit-andere-m...

A day out in the Death Strip: How a symbol of communist paranoia became a wild paradise | CNN The Cold War border that once split Germany was a tightly guarded “death strip.” Against all odds, it turned into a thriving refuge — and may now hold lessons for European nations urgently seeking new...

I wrote about this in my book, that what was once the Iron Curtain dividing Cold War Europe is now a series of parks, biking paths, and nature preserves. www.cnn.com/travel/germa...

Rising prices push Romanians toward smaller holiday budgets, survey finds Nearly nine in ten Romanians expect to spend less or no more than last year on Christmas shopping, according to a new survey by tbi bank that highlights the impact of rising prices on household budget...

Global geopolitical instability and supply chains being shredded by protectionist policies are driving inflation, making life more expensive for everybody -- pointlessly. www.romania-insider.com/smaller-holi...

Serbia: Vučić’s quiet offensive to capture the judiciary The Serbian government is intensifying its long-term campaign to bring the country’s courts and prosecutors ...

And speaking of democratic frameworks under attack.... eualive.net/serbia-vucic...

Nearly one million Bulgarians protest oligarchy as Borissov hints at January resignation Nearly a million Bulgarians took to the streets on 10 December in protests of a ...

Democracy is framed by institutions and laws but as is evident everywhere nowadays (including the US), those can fail. All successful democracies are bottom-up things, and those in power must continuously be reminded where their power * really * derives from: eualive.net/nearly-one-m...

Seriously, Russian soldiers; what are you fighting for? The fevered imperial dreams of one mediocre man? Any vision he has of the world sees you as a serf. You could be more.

YouTube video by Jet Set Together Lviv Christmas Market | Ukraine Travel Vlog

This Christmas market video is dated (for obvious reasons) but it is in far western Ukraine: Lviv (Львів,Polish = Lwów; in Soviet times known by Russian name Lvov/Львов, and under Habsburg rule - Lemberg >>> all derived from лев/lew: "city of lions") www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCuL...

National Identity Rethink Confronts Armenians With Hard Truths The Armenian government’s efforts to reshape foreign policy after Baku seized control of Nagorno-Karabakh require the country to grapple with its national identity: something far from all Armenians ar...

This is about Armenia in the Caucasus but it is a very Eastern European problem: historical borders move, minorities trapped abroad, nationalists demanding recovery of everything. Identity in the region is fractured. It makes for unstable politics and economy. carnegieendowment.org/russia-euras...

I just realized this story uses the same phot as an unrelated Reuters story I posted a day ago.

‘Number of our deserters is too high’: Ukrainians flee fight against Russia Thousands of soldiers have fled the army despite the threat of jail or social isolation.

Both sides are struggling with manpower issues. Ukraine's technical forces are doing well but the regular, "grunt" infantry are widely seen as a death sentence in the meat-grinder of the front. And this war has kept soldiers away from families and jobs for 4 years. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...

YouTube video by Moja Kamera Tak wygląda Jarmark Bożonarodzeniowy w Poznaniu 2025! - Spacer z kamerą (4K-60fps)

Today's Christmas market, Poznań (in German, Posen) in western Poland. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns6q...

YouTube video by Elvira Bary Why Ukraine Broke Free, But Russia & Belarus Stayed in Chains

A nice overview by Russian Expat Elvira on how/why Ukraine did not turn out like Russia after the Soviet break-up: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiVD...

You mean there are consequences in the real world?

'It's scary, but we live on': inside Ukraine’s besieged east Hunkered in the basement of his battle-scarred building in eastern Ukraine, 65-year-old Volodymyr rarely emerges as Russian forces press at the doorstep of his city of Kostiantynivka.

Living in a war zone: www.reuters.com/world/europe...

YouTube video by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Once A Safe Haven, This Ukrainian Town Is Reduced To Rubble

What Russia has to offer the world. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2sq...

In the West this is simplistically treated as left-vs.-right wing, but it was a far more complex experience that involved dictatorships, imperialism, ethnic angst, industrialization, World War II, feudal societies (and their elites), and distrust of democracy. neweasterneurope.eu/2025/12/08/g...

TVP probe reveals online network recruiting saboteurs in Poland An undercover reporter was offered cryptocurrency for arson attacks.

Nothing to do this weekend? Social life a little slow? Why not betray your country, have some fun, and along the way ensure utter misery for everyone you know including, eventually yourself? tvpworld.com/90357033/pol...

YouTube video by Gabbett Family Travels Is This Slovakia’s MOST UNDERRATED Holiday Destination?!! Košice Christmas Market Guide (With Kids!)

Today's Christmas market is Košice in eastern Slovakia. Once Hungarian Kassa, this city really is off the beaten tourist path but deserves more attention. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEC-...

New Britain Prof Pens Book on Eastern European Roots - New Britain Progressive Newspaper Dr. Lisa Wisniewski’s Book Shares Oral Histories from Communities in Connecticut and Massachusetts So Migrants’ Culture and Heritage Will Not Be “Forgotten” By John McNamara The migration of Eastern E...

A pretty bad 19th and 20th century in Eastern Europe (spiced up with wars, imperial oppression, ethnic tensions, and impeded economic development) translates into most Eastern European peoples having large ex-pat emigre communities abroad. newbritainprogressive.com/2025/12/06/n...