Pinned Tweet
Friends:
Hein Goemans and I have a piece in Foreign Affairs explaining why negotiated peace is very unlikely because of Russia.
foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/obstac…
Hein Goemans and I have a piece in Foreign Affairs explaining why negotiated peace is very unlikely because of Russia.
foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/obstac…
79
189
617
315,859
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
NEW!! UK to boost financial support for Ukraine by $13.4B in today’s budget, Burnham tells Zelenskyy.
Package includes $670M for air defense, $9.4B in economic support and $4B in export finance as London vows to ramp up pressure on Putin.
gov.uk/government/new…
Package includes $670M for air defense, $9.4B in economic support and $4B in export finance as London vows to ramp up pressure on Putin.
gov.uk/government/new…
8
55
232
3,881
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
For my English-speaking followers, let's get the facts straight about the Stubb–Støre call with Putin.
New reporting from Finland provides important details missing from much of the international debate. Some of the initial accusations now look rather premature.
First, why did ding to President Stubb, Ukraine's peace negotiations were close to collapsing last week, with relations between Kyiv and Washington in serious trouble. Finnish sources suggest there was even a risk of the US disengaging from the process.
At Zelenskyy's request, Finland and Norway organised the Oslo talks with American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, alongside other European representatives.
The subsequent call to Putin was prepared with Ukraine and the US. According to Finnish sources, key allies were informed beforehand and briefed afterwards. Helsinki also wanted Ukraine to publicly confirm its support for the initiative.
Zelenskyy has since explicitly defended the call and praised its transparency.
Second, the controversy surrounding European coordination deserves clarification.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen accused Finland and Norway of acting independently and failing to coordinate with other European countries.
But Stubb and Støre have both stated that allies were informed in advance and received detailed briefings afterwards. New reporting from Finnish news agency STT supports their account.
There is an important distinction between not being informed, not being consulted on the decision, and fundamentally disagreeing with that decision.
Frederiksen's criticism increasingly appears to reflect a disagreement over whether direct contact with Putin should happen at all, rather than simply a lack of notification. Her initial framing therefore risks creating a misleading impression of an uncoordinated diplomatic operation.
Political disagreement should not be confused with evidence that Finland and Norway acted behind their allies' backs.
Third, what actually happened during the call?
Finnish broadcaster Yle and news agency STT have challenged the Financial Times' account of Putin delivering a lengthy history lecture to passive Nordic listeners.
Their sources describe a substantive exchange in which Stubb and Støre questioned Putin about the upcoming Abu Dhabi negotiations and stressed that prolonging the war would not diminish European support for Ukraine.
Freedom of navigation in the Baltic Sea, keeping maritime routes open and Russia's shadow fleet were also discussed.
Finnish-Russian bilateral relations reportedly were not discussed at all. The parties agreed to keep the communication channel available.
Fourth, the risks were understood from the beginning.
Finnish sources say criticism and possible Russian propaganda exploitation were anticipated. One source described the initiative as values-based realism, which sometimes requires accepting political risks and their consequences.
This was a calculated decision, not an improvised attempt to normalise relations with Moscow.
Zelenskyy has also reminded critics that Putin's diplomatic isolation effectively ended with Trump's Alaska summit in 2025. Other European governments have maintained contacts with Russia, sometimes without comparable transparency towards Ukraine.
Ukraine requested diplomatic assistance, and Finland and Norway responded in coordination with Kyiv and Washington.
Supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary must also mean supporting it in the ways Ukraine actually asks for. That includes diplomacy.
Europe needs military strength, economic pressure and diplomatic influence. These are complementary instruments, not competing alternatives.
New reporting from Finland provides important details missing from much of the international debate. Some of the initial accusations now look rather premature.
First, why did ding to President Stubb, Ukraine's peace negotiations were close to collapsing last week, with relations between Kyiv and Washington in serious trouble. Finnish sources suggest there was even a risk of the US disengaging from the process.
At Zelenskyy's request, Finland and Norway organised the Oslo talks with American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, alongside other European representatives.
The subsequent call to Putin was prepared with Ukraine and the US. According to Finnish sources, key allies were informed beforehand and briefed afterwards. Helsinki also wanted Ukraine to publicly confirm its support for the initiative.
Zelenskyy has since explicitly defended the call and praised its transparency.
Second, the controversy surrounding European coordination deserves clarification.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen accused Finland and Norway of acting independently and failing to coordinate with other European countries.
But Stubb and Støre have both stated that allies were informed in advance and received detailed briefings afterwards. New reporting from Finnish news agency STT supports their account.
There is an important distinction between not being informed, not being consulted on the decision, and fundamentally disagreeing with that decision.
Frederiksen's criticism increasingly appears to reflect a disagreement over whether direct contact with Putin should happen at all, rather than simply a lack of notification. Her initial framing therefore risks creating a misleading impression of an uncoordinated diplomatic operation.
Political disagreement should not be confused with evidence that Finland and Norway acted behind their allies' backs.
Third, what actually happened during the call?
Finnish broadcaster Yle and news agency STT have challenged the Financial Times' account of Putin delivering a lengthy history lecture to passive Nordic listeners.
Their sources describe a substantive exchange in which Stubb and Støre questioned Putin about the upcoming Abu Dhabi negotiations and stressed that prolonging the war would not diminish European support for Ukraine.
Freedom of navigation in the Baltic Sea, keeping maritime routes open and Russia's shadow fleet were also discussed.
Finnish-Russian bilateral relations reportedly were not discussed at all. The parties agreed to keep the communication channel available.
Fourth, the risks were understood from the beginning.
Finnish sources say criticism and possible Russian propaganda exploitation were anticipated. One source described the initiative as values-based realism, which sometimes requires accepting political risks and their consequences.
This was a calculated decision, not an improvised attempt to normalise relations with Moscow.
Zelenskyy has also reminded critics that Putin's diplomatic isolation effectively ended with Trump's Alaska summit in 2025. Other European governments have maintained contacts with Russia, sometimes without comparable transparency towards Ukraine.
Ukraine requested diplomatic assistance, and Finland and Norway responded in coordination with Kyiv and Washington.
Supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary must also mean supporting it in the ways Ukraine actually asks for. That includes diplomacy.
Europe needs military strength, economic pressure and diplomatic influence. These are complementary instruments, not competing alternatives.
58
269
1,111
65,183
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
I look forward to all the people here who think that only battle-tested veterans should be making war plans defending the firing of a three-star with *six* Bronze Stars because he disagreed with
*checks notes*
Elbridge Colby
*checks notes*
Elbridge Colby
34
262
1,598
42,841
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
Here’s another clip of a woman reading Trump’s words verbatim from a recent rally in Mississippi that puts a giant magnifying glass over how gone he is cognitively and unfit he is for office.
432
3,417
14,776
550,387
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
Lavrov should not be allowed in the country. As long as Putin is waging war against Ukraine and bombing cities, Russian leaders should not be welcomed in any of these forums. They lead a pariah state.
NEW!! Russia’s Lavrov is expected in Atlanta later this week to attend the G20 ministerial meeting.
Just today, he declared that the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine will continue and could even escalate.
291
830
3,969
40,488
All institutions are only as good as the people staffing them. And here, the people are failing us.
SCOOP: The DoD Inspector General is declining to investigate Musk and Starlink slowdowns in Ukraine despite a bipartisan request from 9 Senators.
@SenatorShaheen calls it “concerning”
The IG says the lawmakers should direct their questions to the @usairforce and @USSpaceForce
0
5
23
528
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
Ua losses updated their count, methodology and map on Ukrainian 🇺🇦 losses in the war, following KIA, MIA and POW
Ukrainian losses :
🔸29k losses in 2022
🔸31k losses in 2023
🔸47k losses in 2024
🔸51k losses in 2025
🔸30k losses in 2026
The database is very useful : we have POW, a map of losses and the possibility to track key battles of the war. The recent data is much better than the Russian one and includes MIA, which is the main difference with Mediazona's count of Russian losses (it is also less conservative).
🔸 ~2k Ukrainian soldiers died during the Kostiantynivka battle, most of which are MIA
🔸~4k Ukrainian soldiers died during the Pokrovsk battle
🔸~1.2k Ukrainian soldiers died in Krinky, Kherson oblast
🔸~6k Ukrainian soldiers died in the Bakhmut battle
🔸~2k soldiers died in the Robotyne counter-offensive and ~1k in the Velika Novosilka counter-offensive
🔸~8k Ukrainian soldiers died during the Kursk operation (all lenght of it)
Check @LossesUA for details
Ukrainian losses :
🔸29k losses in 2022
🔸31k losses in 2023
🔸47k losses in 2024
🔸51k losses in 2025
🔸30k losses in 2026
The database is very useful : we have POW, a map of losses and the possibility to track key battles of the war. The recent data is much better than the Russian one and includes MIA, which is the main difference with Mediazona's count of Russian losses (it is also less conservative).
🔸 ~2k Ukrainian soldiers died during the Kostiantynivka battle, most of which are MIA
🔸~4k Ukrainian soldiers died during the Pokrovsk battle
🔸~1.2k Ukrainian soldiers died in Krinky, Kherson oblast
🔸~6k Ukrainian soldiers died in the Bakhmut battle
🔸~2k soldiers died in the Robotyne counter-offensive and ~1k in the Velika Novosilka counter-offensive
🔸~8k Ukrainian soldiers died during the Kursk operation (all lenght of it)
Check @LossesUA for details
199
397
2,574
388,911
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
Merchant ship attacked off the coast of Bulgaria was the ninth civilian vessel to be struck near NATO coasts this month
While NATO countries have the capabilities to counter naval drones, they hesitate to act for fear of escalation with Russia.
theins.press/en/news/298873
While NATO countries have the capabilities to counter naval drones, they hesitate to act for fear of escalation with Russia.
theins.press/en/news/298873
1
31
37
1,254
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
Everyone should be asking themselves why, even with all the negotiators involved, it seems that they still were incapable of getting the agreement where the trapped Ukrainian citizens could get to the Ukraine-controlled territory just across the river, a much shorter trip
So, do I correctly understand that Russian forces, who have been starving the population of Oleshky, are now taking them through ‘filtration’ camps where we know Russia has arbitrarily detained, subjected to torture and separated people from their children.
6
124
352
4,006
RT @Olivier1Schmitt: Very interesting focus groups with Russians on their view of the war.
“A striking feature across all groups is a lack…
“A striking feature across all groups is a lack…
0
149
0
52
I shouldn’t be surprised but even I didn’t expect the depths to which these people have sunk.
1
2
31
509
Yeah well, the SecDef cosplayer probably didn’t like what the professionals were telling him. The idiot thinks he knows best. Expect some especially incompetent and likely illegal escapade.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ousted Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s top military planner, without explanation, as the U.S. considers renewed strikes on Iran.
Sylvia is the second official removed from the position in a year, with no replacement announced.
Source: The Atlantic
0
0
13
510
Unbelievably weak and inexcusable. They could have just asked him to remove the 5 second clip or credit them appropriately. But no. Instead they chose to copyright strike him. For those who don’t know, YouTube counts these and can eventually demonetize and ban channels. It’s no small matter the way @olya_rudenko portrays it here.
Since a few Kyiv Independent readers have asked, I’d like to explain what happened with Caolan Robertson’s video, out of respect for our supporters.
Our team found that a video on Caolan’s @CaolanReports YouTube channel included a fragment of an earlier Kyiv Independent video, used without permission and without a request for permission. It wasn’t just footage. It was an animated map that takes our team a lot of work to produce.
Importantly, Caolan’s video cropped out our logo from the fragment. Instead of crediting our work, it fully removed the attribution to the Kyiv Independent. That isn’t citation or fair use.
Our team member did what is standard when your content is used this way on YouTube: They filed a copyright report. YouTube reviewed the case and removed the video. We follow the same process whenever our work is used without permission, regardless of who the creator is.
Worth noting that a removal like this doesn’t kill the creator’s work: The video can simply be re-uploaded without the copyrighted material.
So I was surprised that Caolan instead chose to publicly attack the journalists whose work he lifted, and to appeal to journalistic solidarity in a case where he didn’t demonstrate any.
Our team has been reporting on the ground in Ukraine since before the full-scale invasion. We’re independent, funded mostly by our readers, and we earn every dime. We’re very proud of our work, from front-line reporting to war crimes investigations. We respect the work of other journalists and expect the same for ours.
I wish Caolan all the best in telling his audience about Ukraine. If he ever wants to use our work, he’s welcome to ask, like anyone else.
We are all on the same side when it comes to this: We want as many voices as possible telling the world about Ukraine. But being on the same side means respecting and crediting each other’s work. Credit matters because the reporting everyone draws on has to come from somewhere.
Thank you.
11
7
95
2,273
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
The Times: Vučić was talked out of staging a violent coup after losing the election
According to Serbian politicians and a former senior police officer, Aleksandar Vučić was prepared to hold on to power by force but unexpectedly backed down on Sunday.
Sources cited by The Times was the Student List’s lead of 500,000 votes and phone calls urging him not to continue the fight.
Former head of Serbia’s anti-terrorism unit Spasoje Vulević said Vučić had deployed 4,000 police officers and 3,000 supporters to central Belgrade to prevent a change of power.
Student List candidate Radomir Saičić claims that the plan to overturn the election results by force was changed following calls from the police and other agencies.
Vučić conceded defeat 90 minutes after the polls closed. According to unconfirmed rumours, former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán may have influenced his decision.
Vulević also suggests that Vučić received calls from European governments, although MEP Sandro Gozi believes the election result itself came as a shock to him.
According to Serbian politicians and a former senior police officer, Aleksandar Vučić was prepared to hold on to power by force but unexpectedly backed down on Sunday.
Sources cited by The Times was the Student List’s lead of 500,000 votes and phone calls urging him not to continue the fight.
Former head of Serbia’s anti-terrorism unit Spasoje Vulević said Vučić had deployed 4,000 police officers and 3,000 supporters to central Belgrade to prevent a change of power.
Student List candidate Radomir Saičić claims that the plan to overturn the election results by force was changed following calls from the police and other agencies.
Vučić conceded defeat 90 minutes after the polls closed. According to unconfirmed rumours, former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán may have influenced his decision.
Vulević also suggests that Vučić received calls from European governments, although MEP Sandro Gozi believes the election result itself came as a shock to him.
42
432
2,473
188,810
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
⚡️Lavrov to travel to US for G20 meeting amid warming Washington-Moscow ties.
The Russian delegation will use the two-day meeting, held from Oct. 30 to Oct. 31, to "promote Russian ideas, aimed at strengthening the foundations of a multipolar world," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
kyivindependent.com/lavrov-to-trav…
The Russian delegation will use the two-day meeting, held from Oct. 30 to Oct. 31, to "promote Russian ideas, aimed at strengthening the foundations of a multipolar world," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
kyivindependent.com/lavrov-to-trav…
24
28
87
27,782
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
🇺🇸👀 Trump's deal with Putin had little impact on lowering diesel prices in the US, - WSJ.
The average price of a gallon of diesel fuel in the US has risen by 7 cents to $6.35 since the Russian diesel supply agreement was announced.
On October 9, Trump announced that Russia than 300,000 tons of fuel to US and global markets, with another 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons later.
Last week, a tanker departed Primorsk carrying approximately 300,000 barrels of diesel. Initially bound for New York, it was later changed to "for orders," without specifying a specific port.
Analysts doubt the agreement will have a significant impact on prices, as the state of Russian refineries and export restrictions could hinder this.
Moreover, expected supply volumes are small: just over 100,000 barrels per day in October and about 125,000 in November, compared to the approximately 800,000 barrels per day that Russia exported a year earlier.
The average price of a gallon of diesel fuel in the US has risen by 7 cents to $6.35 since the Russian diesel supply agreement was announced.
On October 9, Trump announced that Russia than 300,000 tons of fuel to US and global markets, with another 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons later.
Last week, a tanker departed Primorsk carrying approximately 300,000 barrels of diesel. Initially bound for New York, it was later changed to "for orders," without specifying a specific port.
Analysts doubt the agreement will have a significant impact on prices, as the state of Russian refineries and export restrictions could hinder this.
Moreover, expected supply volumes are small: just over 100,000 barrels per day in October and about 125,000 in November, compared to the approximately 800,000 barrels per day that Russia exported a year earlier.
15
68
365
16,882
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
I’m sending a sledgehammer message to shipping companies whose tankers are transporting illegal Russian diesel to our ports. Reverse course while there’s still time.
4,644
3,006
11,293
606,270
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
NEW!! In a letter to the head of shipping firm EASTMED, Sen. Blumenthal demands a tanker carrying nearly 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel reverse course before reaching New York/New Jersey, warning the shipment could violate U.S. law.
He also demands answers by Oct. 31
👇
He also demands answers by Oct. 31
👇
16
330
969
65,207
Branislav Slantchev retweeted
I am absolutely disgusted by what @KyivIndependent has just done.
They filed a copyright complaint against my YouTube video, which had 1.3 MILLION views, over just FIVE SECONDS of footage.
YouTube has now removed the entire video and issued a copyright strike against my . Not one warning. Not even the courtesy of asking me to remove the clip.
I’m an independent frontline journalist who risks his life reporting from Ukraine. My channel is my livelihood. And another supposedly independent journalism organisation has chosen to jeopardise it.
This is an appalling way to treat another journalist. What happened to solidarity and press freedom?
I’m calling on editor-in-chief @olya_rudenko to explain who authorised this, why nobody contacted me, and why they believe five seconds justified taking down a report seen by 1.3 million people.
I am demanding an immediate retraction and will pursue every available legal avenue to challenge this decision.
You should be ashamed of how this has been handled.
They filed a copyright complaint against my YouTube video, which had 1.3 MILLION views, over just FIVE SECONDS of footage.
YouTube has now removed the entire video and issued a copyright strike against my . Not one warning. Not even the courtesy of asking me to remove the clip.
I’m an independent frontline journalist who risks his life reporting from Ukraine. My channel is my livelihood. And another supposedly independent journalism organisation has chosen to jeopardise it.
This is an appalling way to treat another journalist. What happened to solidarity and press freedom?
I’m calling on editor-in-chief @olya_rudenko to explain who authorised this, why nobody contacted me, and why they believe five seconds justified taking down a report seen by 1.3 million people.
I am demanding an immediate retraction and will pursue every available legal avenue to challenge this decision.
You should be ashamed of how this has been handled.
Community note
The five-second clip was an animated map produced by The Kyiv Independent, used without permission after cropping their logo and removing attribution. Their editor explained this led to a standard YouTube copyright report, not targeting "original reporting."
x.com/olya_rudenko/s…
x.com/CaolanReports/…
kyivindependent.com/about/
kyivindependent.com/assets/files/S…
x.com/olya_rudenko/s…
x.com/CaolanReports/…
kyivindependent.com/about/
kyivindependent.com/assets/files/S…
658
1,053
7,546
226,671