Anton Barbashin

How sanctions are depriving Russia of its shot at LNG global leadership – Riddle Russia Vakhtang Partsvania on why Russia

Russia is losing LNG not as an operating industry but as a development project. It may continue exporting gas in liquefied form, but it is no longer capable of building a credible strategy for world leadership around it.
#sanctions
ridl.io/how-sanction...

YouTube video by Russia Talk Санкции: кумулятивный эффект достигнут - Russia Talk S02E15 (Вахтанг Парцвания)

EU and US have been imposing sanctions against Russia for many years. For a long time it seemed that Russia was coping quite successfully with their negative consequences. What has changed recently? Why exactly now have sanctions started to noticeably hit the economy?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=og9M...

(Re)Building a Garrison State: Imagining Russia’s Economy Post-war – Riddle Russia Nicholas Trickett on embedded macroeconomic distortions and the illusion of wartime resilience

How did the war change Russian economy and what the end of the war would mean for Russia?
@ruboyinthehood.bsky.social for Riddle Russia
ridl.io/re-building-...

A Doubtful Guarantor – Riddle Russia Galiya Ibragimova on the decline of Russian paternalism in Central Asia

If Moscow yet again does not come to the aid of Iran it would even further weaken its position in Central Asia

ridl.io/a-doubtful-g...

Damned Lies, Statistics, and Other Bitter Pills – Riddle Russia Nicholas Trickett with the economic summary of the week (February 23−27)

The «winners» of the war in Ukraine, particularly the managerial class and middlemen enriching themselves, are paid handsomely, while everyone else simply struggles to get by.
Thus more pro-war sentiments in Moscow. They are making money.
@ruboyinthehood.bsky.social
ridl.io/damned-lies-...

The Dark Enlightenment and the Return of Political Theology in Russia and the United States – Riddle Russia Maria Engström examines the Dark Enlightenment in Russia and the US: a philosophical doctrine that reintegrates metaphysical elements into political thought and promotes a new authoritarian world…

Dugin revealed that representatives of Thiel had met with him, and that Thiel had read Dugin’s "Foundations of Geopolitics."

Maria Engström for ridl
ridl.io/the-dark-enl...

False Start to Reconciliation – Riddle Russia Alexey Uvarov On the dynamics of Russia-Poland relations in the early 21st century

Here is a long take by @aivengo96.bsky.social for Riddle Russia on how Russia and Poland have approached historic reconciliation and why it failed.
Was it doomed from the start?
ridl.io/false-start-...

On the Death Zone and Other Metaphors – Riddle Russia Nicholas Trickett with the economic summary of the week (February 16−20)

"The Russian economic body began consuming itself in 2023, disguised by the nature of GDP accounting and uncritical acceptance of wage and income data"
What will that look like in the future?
ridl.io/on-the-death...

False Start to Reconciliation – Riddle Russia Alexey Uvarov On the dynamics of Russia-Poland relations in the early 21st century

Russia - Poland history is rough to say the least. The collapse of the Soviet Union created opportunities to heal at least some of the wounds.
Both Warsaw and Moscow genuinely worked towards that end but obviously it all exploded. Still, what lessons could be learned?
ridl.io/false-start-...

The Russian Question in «Alternative» – Riddle Russia Dmitry Stratievsky on how Alternative for Germany finds itself caught between the Kremlin and the White House

There are now factions in German far-right AfD that lobby for distancing from all the "Putin loving". There is a political calculus there. Also, the extensive support from Trump's administration makes it easier.
ridl.io/the-russian-...

The Russian Question in «Alternative» – Riddle Russia Dmitry Stratievsky on how Alternative for Germany finds itself caught between the Kremlin and the White House

There are now factions in German far-right AfD that lobby for distancing from all the "Putin loving". There is a political calculus there. Also, the extensive support from Trump's administration makes it easier.
ridl.io/the-russian-...

If "all Russians who pay taxes are criminals" then all nations that buy Russian products are criminals as well.
If it's about budget revenue (that funds the war), it is clearly not just the Russians.
Or maybe, criminals are the ones planning, supplying and executing the war?

On the Death Zone and Other Metaphors – Riddle Russia Nicholas Trickett with the economic summary of the week (February 16−20)

"The Russian economic body began consuming itself in 2023, disguised by the nature of GDP accounting and uncritical acceptance of wage and income data"
What will that look like in the future?
ridl.io/on-the-death...

False Start to Reconciliation – Riddle Russia Alexey Uvarov On the dynamics of Russia-Poland relations in the early 21st century

Russia - Poland history is rough to say the least. The collapse of the Soviet Union created opportunities to heal at least some of the wounds.
Both Warsaw and Moscow genuinely worked towards that end but obviously it all exploded. Still, what lessons could be learned?
ridl.io/false-start-...

False Start to Reconciliation – Riddle Russia Alexey Uvarov On the dynamics of Russia-Poland relations in the early 21st century

Here is a long take by @aivengo96.bsky.social for Riddle Russia on how Russia and Poland have approached historic reconciliation and why it failed.
Was it doomed from the start?
ridl.io/false-start-...

On the Death Zone and Other Metaphors – Riddle Russia Nicholas Trickett with the economic summary of the week (February 16−20)

In her thorough recent Economist article Alexandra Prokopenko
speaks of a "death zone" that Russian economy has entered in 2026.
@ruboyinthehood.bsky.social in his weekly Riddle Russia
econ review suggest it happened earlier - in 2023. Read why
ridl.io/on-the-death...

YouTube video by Russia Talk Война на истощение, а не победа - Russia TalkS02e12(Эрик Вудс)

Why, despite the numerical and quantitative-technical superiority of the Russian army, has Moscow not yet fully captured the Donetsk region completely? Is the Ukrainian army on the brink of collapse? Will active hostilities continue at least until 2027?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3kg...

Burning Down the House – Riddle Russia Nick Trickett on Russia’s commodity dependence in 2026

Macroeconomic bill for RU's dependence on oil, gas, coal, grain, and metals exports under financial sanctions keeps rising. 2026 will likely be worst year regardless of whether individual or groups of commodities perform well, bringing in more $
@ruboyinthehood.bsky.social
ridl.io/burning-down...

"The beauty of Russian economic policy is that it can always be worse. This year, it likely will be."

Burning Down the House – Riddle Russia Nick Trickett on Russia’s commodity dependence in 2026

Macroeconomic bill for RU's dependence on oil, gas, coal, grain, and metals exports under financial sanctions keeps rising. 2026 will likely be worst year regardless of whether individual or groups of commodities perform well, bringing in more $
@ruboyinthehood.bsky.social
ridl.io/burning-down...

Panicking With Few Options Left – Riddle Russia Nicholas Trickett with the economic summary of the week (February 9−13)

🇷🇺 government is now simultaneously trying to help SMEs survive a downturn, reduce cost of food, medicine; expand tax base on backs of migrant labor needed to meet needs of an economy losing 30k working-age men KIA and thousands more wounded every month
ridl.io/panicking-wi...

Panicking With Few Options Left – Riddle Russia Nicholas Trickett with the economic summary of the week (February 9−13)

Russian Central Bank cutting the key rate to 15.5% signals confidence that the combination of fiscal headwinds and a cooling labor market will limit the scale of inflation risks.
@ruboyinthehood.bsky.social for Riddle Russia explains
ridl.io/panicking-wi...

The Shrinking Quota for the Systemic Opposition – Riddle Russia Andrey Pertsev sums up the political week (February 9−13)

A good explanation of how the Kremlin controls and manipulates its loyal opposition and undermines leaders who might start to build an independent regional power base. ridl.io/the-shrinkin...

The Shrinking Quota for the Systemic Opposition – Riddle Russia Andrey Pertsev sums up the political week (February 9−13)

Even the "movers and shakers" were caught off guard by the attempts to kill Telegram for good.
Pertsev here claims full ban is inevitably but suggests Kremlin will keep it half-alive until the Duma elections are over
ridl.io/the-shrinkin...

Panicking With Few Options Left – Riddle Russia Nicholas Trickett with the economic summary of the week (February 9−13)

Russian Central Bank cutting the key rate to 15.5% signals confidence that the combination of fiscal headwinds and a cooling labor market will limit the scale of inflation risks.
@ruboyinthehood.bsky.social for Riddle Russia explains
ridl.io/panicking-wi...

Neutral in Name Only – Riddle Russia Rasmus G. D. Hardt and Lærke Holst on Moldova’s Westward Security Shift and Its Significant Risks

#Moldova is adapting a new security approach backed by EU and NATO. However Russia is spinning it to help convince Moldovan electorate that this approach is the opposite of what ruling party wants to achieve.
ridl.io/neutral-in-n...

YouTube video by Russia Talk Крепость "Ростех" и амбиции Сергея Чемезова - S02e11(Андрей Перцев)

How has Sergey Chemezov's role changed since the beginning of full-scale war? Why is Rostec allowed to openly lobby for the lifting of sanctions in the United States? Why does Chemezov oppose further rapprochement with China? Does Chemezov advocate for ending the war?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOtI...

Neutral in Name Only – Riddle Russia Rasmus G. D. Hardt and Lærke Holst on Moldova’s Westward Security Shift and Its Significant Risks

#Moldova is adapting a new security approach backed by EU and NATO. However Russia is spinning it to help convince Moldovan electorate that this approach is the opposite of what ruling party wants to achieve.
ridl.io/neutral-in-n...

The Dark Enlightenment and the Return of Political Theology in Russia and the United States – Riddle Russia Maria Engström examines the Dark Enlightenment in Russia and the US: a philosophical doctrine that reintegrates metaphysical elements into political thought and promotes a new authoritarian world orde...

There is a new ideological and cultural phenomenon that is becoming increasingly visible in both Russia and the United States: the Dark Enlightenment movement. This movement represents a hybrid of illiberalism, techno-optimism, and Christian metaphysics
ridl.io/the-dark-enl...

The Dark Enlightenment and the Return of Political Theology in Russia and the United States – Riddle Russia Maria Engström examines the Dark Enlightenment in Russia and the US: a philosophical doctrine that reintegrates metaphysical elements into political thought and promotes a new authoritarian world orde...

There is a new ideological and cultural phenomenon that is becoming increasingly visible in both Russia and the United States: the Dark Enlightenment movement. This movement represents a hybrid of illiberalism, techno-optimism, and Christian metaphysics
ridl.io/the-dark-enl...