Letter From the Editors

As speculation mounts about where the next round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia should be held (Switzerland? The Vatican? Turkey?), a ceasefire appears increasingly remote. Naturally, pundits have differing views on why this is the case. In an interview with AiF, Fyodor Lukyanov says, “The general direction is shifting slowly – but still shifting – toward what Russia has consistently offered. The EU and Ukraine sense this. And they see that Donald Trump is not resisting Putin’s offers in the same way.” Conversely, in an interview with Republic, Vytis Jurkonis says it is “wrong to portray [Putin] as a strong player who is calling all the shots. In reality, he is afraid of making decisions, [and] he avoids direct contacts and responsibility. This behavior is of the weak, not the strong.”

So what is Russia’s actual situation on the battlefield? The answer comes from a surprising place – the army of war bloggers on Telegram, who are quick to (loyally and respectfully) point out inconsistencies between the government’s words and deeds. In an article for Kholod, Ivan Filippov explains that these bloggers are highlighting the “chasm that separates official reports from the actual situation on the front line.” For example, Putin recently spoke of the need to create a “buffer zone” along the Ukrainian border. But, one war blogger objected, “If we are to create a buffer zone, we will need people, drones and armor.*** Which means, we need mobilization.” Thus, Filippov concludes, the Z community is unwittingly doing a very good job showing Russians that “everything the tsar and his boyars say is a lie.”

Meanwhile, it’s safe to assume that war bloggers are pleased by Russia’s growing influence in Africa. As Tamid Aief reports in Meduza, after French President Macron declared an end to “Françafrique” in 2023, Russia moved in to expand its commercial and political interests throughout the continent. It has created the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, opened a media outlet in Ethiopia to serve as a propaganda machine, and sent unsavory operatives like Viktor Boyarkin and the late Yevgeny Prigozhin to provide security and advisory services to equally unsavory leaders. As it moves full speed ahead in Africa, though, Russia’s criticism of Western neocolonialism becomes harder to take seriously.

For its part, France is turning to Southeast Asia, where President Macron arrived this week to sign a series of treaties with three countries. According to Izvestia, France is “eager to show that it is a reliable partner for Southeast Asian countries,” which are facing stiff tariffs of up to 46% imposed by the Trump administration and destabilization from Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Speaking of China, that country is currently at the center of a spy scandal in the UK. According to The Guardian, MI5 has unearthed a convoluted connection between Yu Xiong, a professor at the University of Surrey, and the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Department. Xi Jinping says this department is a “magical weapon” that helps China achieve its goals abroad. However, Yu, who has met King Charles III and numerous members of the House of Lords, categorically denies any involvement with espionage. Whatever the case, with the Labour Party making overtures to Taiwan, it’s not surprising that China would be keeping an eye on the British.

Back in Russia (itself no stranger to UK spy scandals), LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky is hoping to rebrand his party as the “party of diplomacy.” According to a Meduza source, political parties abroad will have an easier time working with the LDPR than with United Russia because the LDPR doesn’t carry the taint of being the ruling party. Another source even went so far as to suggest that Slutsky could become a sort of James Bond figure, “saving Russia every day on an invisible front.” Somehow, though, “Slutsky. Leonid Slutsky.” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.