Karen-Anna Eggen

A strategy for the weak: the role of information confrontation in Russia’s grand strategy This article explains the role of information confrontation (informatsionnoe protivoborstvo) in Russia’s grand strategy and positions information confrontation as a central element in a Russian gra...

📣 New article out in @defencestudies.bsky.social: "A strategy for the weak: the role of information confrontation in Russia’s grand strategy."

Hopefully of interest to anyone seeking to understand Russia's view - and use - of the information domain!

«Arktisk blokade»: en russisk informasjonsoperasjon mot Norge Russlands invasjon av Ukraina bryter med et grunnleggende prinsipp i den europeiske sikkerhetsarkitekturen: respekten for territorielle grenser. I denne casestudien ser vi på en hendelse hvor Russland...

📣 @siristrand.bsky.social og jeg har i dag en rykende fersk artikkel på trykk i tidsskriftet Internasjonal Politikk om russisk påvirkning i Norge og samspillet mellom tekniske (cyber) og psykologiske virkemidler i russiske informasjonsoperasjoner.

Kan leses her 👇

Skip med russisk mannskap seiler sikksakk over rørledninger. – Situasjonen er bekymringsfull. Politiet har avdekket uvanlige seilingsmønstre utenfor Mongstad, Sture og Kollsnes. Bare én prosent av skipene utenfor Vestland blir kontrollert.

Veldig god sak av @bergenstidende.bsky.social:

"Havbunnen utenfor Bergen er full av rørledninger.. – Det er registrert sikk-sakk-kjøring over rørledninger, skip med russisk mannskap som senker farten, stopper opp eller beveger seg i farvann de ikke har noe å gjøre"

This comes on top of weeks with intensified Russian civilian bombings. Trump's refusal to punish Putin is met with more brutality. This is the nature of the Russian regime and will continue to be so until they are shown this is unacceptable. 2/2

Reduced US support is not surprising, given the current US admin's approach to Ukraine and Russia. This has been ongoing for a while across fields since Trump's return. Yet the latest reporting on patriots and artillery is painful given the harsh summer facing UKR's military and civil society. 1/2

NEW: Russia conducted its largest combined strike series of the war on the night of June 28 to 29 by launching over 500 missiles and drones against Ukraine.

Read more in the June 29. 2025 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment: isw.pub/UkrWar062925

Morning in Kyiv.

@drjademcglynn.bsky.social "Imagine being bombed like this while simultaneously being trolled by Moscow and D.C. that Russia is interested in negotiations ... for a ceasefire that the Kremlin says will only be temporary and only after Ukraine capitulates territories Russia cannot take militarily."

“Putin remains confident in Russia’s ultimate victory in Ukraine and is prepared to use military force at least through 2025.”
U.S. Defence Intelligence Agency assessment, May 2025.
armedservices.house.gov/uploadedfile...

Lavrov ups Russia's demands on Ukraine to include a ban on democratic elections.

Do we get it yet?

Jeg tror at når Ukraina hadde momentum og større initiativ på fronten (inkl. amerikansk støtte)så var RU mer tjent med våpenhvile - nå haler de ut tiden fordi de tenker de har mer å tjene på å fortsette - og trolig forventer ULR kollaps på deler av fronten.

Russlands forhandlingsteater fortsetter – det samme gjør krigen - Altinget Forhandlinger brukes som politisk dekke for militær fremdrift. I mangel av sterkt vestlig press utnytter Russland dialogsporet for å vinne tid militært og delegitimere Ukraina, skriver Karen-Anna Egge...

Ny kronikk ute hos @altinget.bsky.social 📢 Her samler jeg noen tanker fra de siste månedenes forhandlingsteater knyttet til Russlands krig i Ukraina - og hvorfor Russland ikke vil avslutte krigføringen sin med det første.

www.altinget.no/forsvar/arti...

Russlands forhandlingsteater fortsetter – det samme gjør krigen - Altinget Forhandlinger brukes som politisk dekke for militær fremdrift. I mangel av sterkt vestlig press utnytter Russland dialogsporet for å vinne tid militært og delegitimere Ukraina, skriver Karen-Anna Egge...

(Åpen for alle) Jeg synes at norsk presse ofte glipper når det kommer nyhetssteg om eventuelle forhandlinger om krigen i Ukraina. Ofte synes jeg at dekningen mangler viktig kontekst om Russlands «forhandlingsdans».

Heldigvis kan Altingets fantastiske spaltist @kaeggen.bsky.social gi god innsikt her

Nobody in Ukraine Thinks the War Will End Soon Ukrainians are confident that they can continue fighting, even without the same level of American support.

"Over several days in Lviv I didn’t meet anybody who believed that the Russian president wants to end the war, or that he will negotiate to do so in Istanbul. Ukrainian reasoning is straightforward: Vladimir Putin has never said he wants to end the war."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Inside the Trump administration’s quiet shift on Ukraine Lack of compromise by Vladimir Putin has led the US to view him as an obstacle to a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv

No show from Putin in IST. Zelenskyy is in this absurd position of having to go to any possible diplomatic meet just to not look like he's the one obstructing peace. www.ft.com/content/9a75...

Trump will skip Ukraine-Russia peace talks as Putin evades negotiations, US official says U.S. President Donald Trump will not attend Ukraine-Russia peace talks to be held on May 15, an unnamed U.S. official said.

⚡️Trump will skip Ukraine-Russia peace talks as Putin evades negotiations, US official says.

U.S. President Donald Trump will not attend Ukraine-Russia peace talks to be held on May 15, an unnamed U.S. official said on May 14.

NEW: Russian officials continue to reiterate Putin's recent call to base future negotiations with Ukraine on the early 2022 Istanbul protocols that included Russian demands for Ukraine's complete capitulation. ⬇️ (1/4)

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 14, 2025: isw.pub/UkrWar051425

They know Putin is very unlikely to agree to a real ceasefire, but the symbolism vis-a-vis Trump matters. As long as Europe fears applying sufficient pressure on Russia, the best strategy is to arm Ukraine with everything it's got for as long as it takes, until Russian exhaustion or collapse.

Russia's promotion of WW2 and Soviet-era memory policy (@kariagam.bsky.social) and religious activity on Svalbard is now part of a trend aiming to reinforce Russia's narrative about its historic presence and rights on the archipelago. Excellent reporting, as always, by @thebarentsobserver.com.

National security strategy This is Norway’s first national security strategy. It has been drawn up against the backdrop of the most serious security situation our country has faced since the Second World War. After decades of p...

Today, as Norway marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the German occupation during WWII, the Norwegian government has published its first-ever national security strategy — a symbolic and timely document that I look forward to reading in full 🇧🇻

www.regjeringen.no/en/dokumente...

📣 On May 26th, the Programme for Ukraine and Full-Spectrum Threats is hosting a seminar on Russia's occupation policy in Ukraine. We've gathered some excellent speakers, and there are still a few seats available if you're in Oslo. More info 👇 @thestudyofwar.bsky.social @unibirmingham.bsky.social

This absolutely cannot, under any circumstances, become normalized. This is the reality of Russia's occupation of Ukraine- don't ever look away.

Trump’s peace deal is terrible. Ukraine should still accept it Hard as it will be for President Zelensky to accept terms so generous to the invader, Russia may find it’s a tainted triumph

Nobody can in good faith recommend Ukraine to take the ”deal” proposed by the US.

Simple as that

Trump says he fears Putin ‘doesn’t want to stop the war’ after Zelenskyy meeting US president admits to concern Russian counterpart is ‘tapping me along’ and ponders new approach to Moscow

Trump says he fears Putin ‘doesn’t want to stop the war’ after Zelenskyy meeting www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Ukraine ramps up artillery production amid fears of falling U.S. support Manufacturing its own artillery will allow Ukraine to rely less on Western countries for support and address a critical frontline shortage.

Instead of tanks — investment. Europe is shifting strategy: funding Ukraine’s defense industry instead of just sending weapons. A move to boost long-term production and avoid depleting their own stocks.

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

I den grad RU ønsker en slutt på krigen, skal det skje på russiske premisser og Kreml tror fremdeles de kan vinne. UKR på sin side vil ikke gå med kompromissene som de forsøkes påtvunget gjennom 'fredsprosessen' - og hvorfor skulle de det? Dette er ingen art og the deal, kun very bad deal. 4/slutt

State Department eliminates key office tasked with fighting foreign disinformation Leading Republicans have long accused the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office of silencing conservative voices.

Ikke veldig overraskende all den tid Det hvite hus og sirkelen rundt Trump vaker i samme informasjonsmiljø som Russland og stadig gjentar russiske talepunkter, men helt absurd likevel. Verre skal det trolig bli 3/: www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

Dette på toppen av en prosess som har vært rigget i russisk favør fra dag en og hvor fraværet av reelt amerikansk press på Russland har vært påfallende. Agressoren belønnes og Ukraina og Europa får skylden for at krigen 'forlenges'. 2/

Putin varsler to dagers våpenhvile: – Som å vise fingeren President Vladimir Putin har erklært en påskevåpenhvile. Litt senere går flyalarmen over Ukraina. –⁠ Absurd, sier norsk ekspert.

Gode kommentarer fra @pydstebo.bsky.social og @atlandkristian.bsky.social om Russlands 'påskevåpenhvile'. Bør sees som et PR-stunt og muligens et blidgjørende bein i USAs retning i det det ryktes om at USA vil anerkjenne Krym som russisk som del av Trumps 'fredsprosess'.1/

www.vg.no/nyheter/i/QM...

Putin declares 30-hour Easter ceasefire in Ukraine Sirens sound in Kyiv as air defences open fire on incoming missiles minutes after announcement

This performative humanitarianism is almost certainly designed as a response to Washington’s performative frustration — but it’s not even enough time for Ukrainians to bury the victims of some of the war’s most wanton attacks on civilians.

on.ft.com/42pyWko