Civ-mil, M&E, and RU affairs. Now in @kennaninstitute, @ResearchUI, @TSPMI. Ex @ecfr, Verian Group. PhD @ceu. Book in @HurstPublishers & @OxUniPress
Joined January 2011
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My book on Russian civil-military relations under Putin has been sent to the press. It will be published in Europe next month. American and Canadian customers will be able to buy it from Oxford University Press in July. New endorsements: 1/6 hurstpublishers.com/book/imp…
Kirill S. retweeted
The Russian bookstore chain Chitai-Gorod has spent around 100 million rubles removing books that do not comply with Russia’s new censorship laws. The company has spent tens of millions more on labeling books containing references to drugs, the chain’s CEO, Alexander Brychkin, told RBC.
“We can’t just throw these books in the trash. They are toxic waste. So they have to be destroyed, and we have to pay for that too,” Brychkin added.
According to him, a significant share of the costs comes from the fact that the books cannot be returned to suppliers. Instead, the company has to write them off as losses and pay for their destruction. The books are sent through industrial shredders, and the process is recorded on camera. Additional costs include removing the books from shelves, transporting them to warehouses, and processing them.
Millions of books in the nowadays Russia are “toxic waste”
Kirill S. retweeted
Introducing the Kennan Giving Circles.
Help sustain rigorous scholarship and public dialogue.
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Kirill S. retweeted
European Commission sounds the alarm (now !!!) about the number of oil refineries closing in the region over the last 20 years. "We need to counter this trend," says EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen. "This crisis is a wake-up call." Quite.
Kirill S. retweeted
⚡️️Zelensky backs Norway-Finland talks with Putin, says Trump already ended Russia's isolation.
Zelensky praised Norway and Finland for putting their diplomacy "completely out in the open: discussions in advance, a full briefing, and transparent objectives," saying that not all countries had taken the time to speak with Ukraine beforehand.
kyivindependent.com/zelensky…
Kirill S. retweeted
Come chat with me on Zoom about Russia's civ-mil and Putin's control over the military. October 30, 11 am EST, @kennaninstitute with Masha Lipman and @mkimmage. Signup link below.
Kirill S. retweeted
NEW: We got the list of “Business Deals” the US and Russia are discussing.
They include a potential return by US companies to the Russian oil market as part of wider talks to end Putin’s war, including JVs in Sakhalin and restoring the Druzhba pipeline:
ft.com/content/d703aaae-f607…
Kirill S. retweeted
So if you're interested in AI you might like this podcast with Dr Eleonora Mattiaci from @UMassAmherst. Discussing my book AI, Automation and War. Thanks for having me on.
🎧 on Apple Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
Or Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/7dh…
"with the Russian leader" -- quite a change of rhetoric
Spoke with President of Finland @alexstubb and Prime Minister of Norway @jonasgahrstore following their call today with the Russian leader and as a continuation of our discussions in Oslo with representatives of America, Europe, and NATO. I am grateful for the detailed briefing and for their active support for our diplomacy and the peace efforts we are pursuing together with all our partners.
Alex and Jonas made it clear to the Russian leader that real de-escalatory steps are needed regarding our energy and infrastructure. We discussed preparations for the trilateral meeting planned for November at the team level – Ukrainian, American, and Russian. Finland and Norway, as countries that border Russia, have a particular interest in sound and reliable security arrangements. We also discussed various formats for our engagement with partners in Europe that could be useful in further supporting diplomacy, our defense, and our shared security.
There must be peace, de-escalation is needed, and Russia must stop dragging out the war. I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine!
Kirill S. retweeted
🔴 One Year of Independence. Fifty-Two Years Strong.
As we approach our first anniversary as an independent institution, we invite you to help sustain the scholarship, conversations, and ideas that have defined Kennan for 52 years.
Support our future: kennaninstitute.org/giving
Kirill S. retweeted
Finnish president Alexander Stubb and Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre spoke to Vladimir Putin as part of efforts to back Ukraine in upcoming peace talks with Russia, the first time Putin had spoken to any of Kyiv's European allies since last year:
ft.com/content/a384acd1-c90c…
Kirill S. retweeted
It's Russian film week in Pyongyang this week, and Russian and North Korean filmmakers are negotiating joint projects and filming Russian films on North Korean soil. North Korean film week was held in Moscow earlier this month.
Seems like a good time to share my story on how Russia is embracing North Korea off the battlefield, too.
nytimes.com/2026/04/10/world…
Kirill S. retweeted
The image of the Houthis as a primitive militia fighting barefoot is misleading and increasingly outdated. This cave-based command post features a satellite-connected laptop, tablet, secured landline telephone, two-way radios, printer, and solar-powered electrical systems. Notice the communications reference card hanging around his neck, it contains radio call signs, unit identifiers, and command codes used for coordination and mobilization. This is an organized military communications infrastructure, not simply men with rifles and sandals. This is the result of 22 years of fighting an insurgency, adapting, and learning on the battlefield, combined with lessons drawn from Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraq’s Islamic Resistance, and Iran’s IRGC Quds Force.
Kirill S. retweeted
Сотрудница Роскомнадзора выступила на фоне портрета Сталина на заседании в Госдуме
Роскомнадзор ограничен законом и может заблокировать не все, что считает «деструктивным контентом», заявила сотрудница ведомства Валерия Черетских на заседании рабочей группы экспертного совета при комитете по защите семьи в Госдуме. Эти слова она произнесла по видеосвязи, находясь в это время, по всей видимости, в офисе. За спиной у чиновницы висел портрет Иосифа Сталина.
Детали. Глава комитета Госдумы по защите семьи Нина Останина обратилась к сотруднице Роскомнадзора по имени и отчеству «Валерия Игоревна», не уточнив ее фамилию и должность. Как установило «Агентство», на заседании выступила начальник отдела по экспертно-аналитической работе в сфере массовых коммуникаций управления разрешительной работы, контроля и надзора в сфере массовых коммуникаций Роскомнадзора Валерия Черетских.
▪️Черетских начала выступление со слов о том, что «к сожалению, мы, как Роскомнадзор, в первую очередь, серьезно ограничены законом».
▪️Цитата. «И не все то, что мы считаем деструктивным контентом, сейчас мы можем ограничить доступ к этому», — сказала сотрудница Роскомнадзора.
▪️При этом она уточнила, что «блокировки — это безусловно важно».
▪️Цитата. «Если говорить непосредственно про блокировки, как от механизма защиты не только несовершеннолетних, но и вполне совершеннолетних граждан, конечно же, они нужны», — сказала Черетских.
▪️Она также упомянула о законопроекте, который регулятор направил в Госдуму. Этот документ «о том, чтобы как раз-таки стимулировать наши социальные сети, не допускать распространения запрещенной информации, вообще либо противоправной информации, самостоятельно, то есть усилить порядок самомониторинга социальных сетей». Из слов Черетских было непонятно, имеется ли в виду уже известная инициатива, или речь идет о новом законопроекте.
▪️Во время трансляции наблюдались технические проблемы, из-за которых звук и картинка расходились.
The same goes for the Baltic states. They do not have to deploy nuclear weapons on their territory, but the mere possibility gives them more leverage in any potential negotiations on European security with Russia.
“We don’t have any plans to put nuclear weapons on Finnish soil in peacetime. But we do have plans for creating a strategic dilemma for Russia,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb told me. “We felt it would be useful for our security to get information, to be involved in it. We don’t know where this is going to end, it’s probably a 10- to 15-years process.” @alexstubb wsj.com/world/europe/frances…
Come chat with me on Zoom about Russia's civ-mil and Putin's control over the military. October 30, 11 am EST, @kennaninstitute with Masha Lipman and @mkimmage. Signup link below.
Registration: zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_…
Kirill S. retweeted
“Russia’s 2022 invasion was a geopolitical turning point akin to those the world witnessed in 1914, 1939, and 1989,” wrote @mkimmage in a 2025 essay. “Putin rewrote the rules, and he has not ceased doing so.”
foreignaffairs.com/united-st…
Kirill S. retweeted
GOP
🇺🇦 52%
🇷🇺 4%
MAGA
🇺🇦 50%
🇷🇺 5%
.@EconUS/@YouGovAmerica:
In the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, who do you sympathize with more?
Registered voters
🇺🇦 66%
🇷🇺 3%
Dem
🇺🇦 82%
🇷🇺 1%
GOP
🇺🇦 52%
🇷🇺 4%
Ind
🇺🇦 64%
🇷🇺 4%
Lib
🇺🇦 88%
🇷🇺 1%
Mod
🇺🇦 65%
🇷🇺 2%
Con
🇺🇦 52%
🇷🇺 6%
MAGA
🇺🇦 50%
🇷🇺 5%
Oct. 19-20, 2026
