Tanja Maier

NEWS: President Trump plans to welcome President Zelenskyy in Washington on Friday, three people familiar with the plans tell me. This comes after two phone calls between the presidents last weekend during which they discussed Tomahawk missile sales and how to end Russia's war.

Free link: on.ft.com/435Cvfi Ukraine hit Russian energy sites with US help

All over the place This week, I share a bunch of what I have been reading and watching. Some weeks I feel like I have nothing to say. This week, it feels like too much!

All over the place

tanjamaier.substack.com/p/all-over-t...

Russia destroys 60% of Ukraine’s gas production ahead of winter [FREE TO READ] Moscow’s intensified bombing campaign seeks to ‘break our spirit’, says head of state energy group

A series of massive Russian air strikes in the past week have disabled nearly 60 per cent of Ukraine’s gas production, raising fears of winter shortages.

"We need billions of cubic meters of gas more during the heating season."

Our interviews with CEOs of Naftogaz and DTEK:
on.ft.com/439o4qs

Einziges Ukraine-Ankunftszentrum am Limit Das Ankunftszentrum und Notquartier Schlossberg im 13. Bezirk ist momentan der einzige Anlaufpunkt für Flüchtlinge aus der Ukraine in Österreich. Aktuell erreicht es täglich seine Kapazitätsgrenze von...

Austrian for “we’re closed”

wien.orf.at/stories/3325...

The Pushkin job: unmasking the thieves behind an international rare books heist The long read: Between 2022 and 2023, as many as 170 rare and valuable editions of Russian classics were stolen from libraries across Europe. Were the thieves merely low-level opportunists, or were bi...

What a bonkers story!

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...

How Russia Recovered What the Kremlin is learning from the war in Ukraine.

“Ukraine is likely to face even greater destruction in the months ahead.”

www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/how-r...

There is — in our firsthand experience — zero help on the ecard for sufferers of long covid etc. The only help we have received so far has been from private specialists. Everyone else shrugs and suggests fresh air.

No, actually they didn’t. Only how oil prices factor into the budget.

Shifts An update on the state of the Russian economy, plus a documentary about guns in the Balkans, an interesting read on China, and Ukrainian families feel the squeeze in Austria.

Shifts

tanjamaier.substack.com/p/shifts-7f5

China Goes on Offense Beijing’s plans to exploit American retreat.

I feel like this shift hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves:

www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

So we don’t have the law yet?

Oh geez but usually in those cases they get an explanatory letter for Caritas. Unfortunately Finanzamt will probably not accept a similar letter 🤷‍♀️

This move essentially mirrors what was already done this summer with access to ÖGK state health insurance. It is now limited to those who are working or those in Grundversorgung, who have been required for some time to be registered with AMS as a prerequisite; usually they are sent to German class.

Verschärfte Sozialhilferegeln für Ukrainer kommen Laut „Krone“-Informationen soll mit Anfang November beim Bezug von Sozialhilfeleistungen für Ukrainer eine verschärfte Nachfolgeregelung in Kraft ...

So now only those working or registered with AMS will receive Familienbeihilfe and I suppose everyone will have to reapply. The bureaucratic cost makes me 🤯

www.krone.at/3913780?fbcl...

From a legal perspective, if one if working and paying taxes, it seems illegal to discriminate. One mother’s reaction:

For now, I am told that the govt is in discussions and in any case, if Familienbeihilfe is extended, every Ukrainian family will have to re-apply, just like they had to do last spring when the law expired and was then extended. Can you imagine the bureaucratic cost of this processing? Oh Austria.

For those working and paying taxes, but not yet on a RWR+ card, it would seem unfair for them to be the only group of working people not apply to apply for this help for their kids.

For those not yet working, in Grundversorgung, the child benefit helps very modest family budgets immensely.

Considering Ukrainians now living in Austria have no access to Mindestsicherung or any other social programs, no access to Gemeindebau, all due to their temporary status (ok, fair enough), the child benefit was the one thing that really helped mothers. Most of them sole parenting here.

...many Ukrainians started to receive letters from Finanzamt explaining they will no longer be paid Familienbeihilfe and must reapply. But of course one cannot reapply if there is no legal basis for this. I have asked a dozen times and there is still no official word as to what will happen.

This "child benefit" has helped keep many families afloat. Because of their still "temporary" status in the EU, Ukrainians were not automatically entitled to these payouts. This law is expiring at the end of this month. We have no visibility if it will be renewed. And now...

When Ukrainian mothers began arriving with children to Austria in the spring of 2022, one of the most powerful thing the then government did (and I didn't realize how powerful it was at the time), was to give access to Familienbeihilfe.

Ironically I stumbled across this because a local Montenegrin newspaper wrote about the documentary.

Balkan · Im Bann der Waffen? | Weltspiegel Doku: Balkan · Im Bann der Waffen? - hier anschauen Balkan · Im Bann der Waffen? Ein Film von Anna Tillack und Zoran Ikonic Der Balkan ist Europas Waffenlager. Durch die Jugoslawienkriege ist immer noch ein großer Bestand alter Waffen in Umlauf. In de...

An excellent documentary (in German) about the Balkans’ gun problem but it doesn’t cover the underlying role of drug trade & organized crime which I suppose is no surprise but should be mentioned.

www.ardmediathek.de/video/balkan...

Ongoing battles Some thoughts on Russia, Ukraine, and this new movie.

Ongoing battles

tanjamaier.substack.com/p/ongoing-ba...

Is Trump’s Attack on the Media Following Putin’s Playbook? What it was like to live through the takeover of one of Russia’s most influential television stations—and what the experience suggests about the state of free expression in the U.S. today.

I remember this like it was yesterday

www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

Trump, Putin, and the End of American Power — with Dr. Fiona Hill Podcast Episode · The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway · 09/25/2025 · 1h 9m

A very timely conversation

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

The U.A.E. Got A.I. Chips. Trump’s Inner Circle Got Crypto Riches. Podcast Episode · The Daily · 09/24/2025 · 25m

The Tylenol story is just noise — this is what Americans should be focused on.

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

The Bell — A webinar with Alexandra Prokopenko and Alexander Kolyandr When Will Russia Run Out of Money?

Big econ news out of Russia today: VAT increase.

The Bell, the leading independent media covering Russia's economy, will be hosting a live webinar next Tuesday. Participation is limited to paid subscribers; subs are now available for just $1 for the first month.

pro.thebell.io/webinar_sept...

Not sure how to DM here I’m on Insta at @tanjamaier17 would be great if my daughter might ask you a few questions