The Eastern Border

A long and complex chat about geopolitics with History Impossible, Secret Police Podcast and When Diplomacy Fails.

Vatniks are confused about Russia's relationship with the USA, Putin's secret service officers get paid 900$ per month so have to become part-time delivery workers and Ukraine has a clear superiority in drones.

I was supposed to have a day off today, but then Trump and Vance literally destroyed the geopolitical, rules-based order of the world that had been in place since the end of WW2. However, Happiness is Mandatory. Things are going be rough, but not catastrophic.

I made this breather episode about a truly great animated movie from Latvia that's got a golden globe and is now nominated for an Oscar, because it is truly a masterpiece and I highly recommend it to everyone. I just did not know I'd post it in an evening as fucked up as this one.

A dictionary of the terms used by soldiers on the front and Z-vatniks, made with the help of my Ukrainian friends at the front - so that the western analysts (and You, comrades) know what's what and don't get confused.

The third anniversary of this nightmare. Vatniks are full of doom and sadness, same as the Russian economy. There's also some news from Girkin.

Everyone's going full WTF right now, because Trump's made a massive blunder in the peace negotiations. Including vatniks. We've no idea what's going on, and I'm having to explain this not only to you, but also to my friends on the front lines. Russia's problems haven't gone anywhere, of course - a collapse of Ukraine simply won't happen. But USA's reputation has now reached an all-time low at this point.

What to watch for in the incoming peace talks. What Putin wants and why – and what he probably doesn’t care about. Z-vatniks lament the degeneration of Russia, and I take a look at their economy once again, to show why it looks extremely bad in the long run.

Z-vatniks continue to react to Ukraine peace talks. They are NOT happy, and they don't see it as any form of victory. Instead, they're becoming more and more disillusioned with Putin. Oh, also Russian economy is continuing to go down, and nobody seems to care.