Sam Breazeale

Президент Кыргызстана отправил в отставку Камчыбека Ташиева с поста председателя ГКНБ и вице-премьера Президент Кыргызстана Садыр Жапаров освободил Камчыбека Ташиева от должности председателя Государственного комитета национальной безопасности и заместителя председателя правительства. Соответствующий ...

Big story coming out of Kyrgyzstan: President Japarov just dismissed his second-in-command Kamchybek Tashiev from his position as head of the country’s security services

The two had been effectively ruling in tandem since Japarov came to power in 2021

www.azattyqasia.org/a/33674147.h...

Trump’s Greenland gambit gives Russia a historic opportunity but could be a mixed blessing for Putin, experts tell Meduza — Meduza U.S. President Donald Trump’s preoccupation with Greenland has rapidly grown from an odd fixation to an unprecedented crisis for NATO. In early January, Trump told reporters that the United States…

“This disruption to NATO is the greatest gift Trump has offered Putin so far,” Russia expert Keir Giles said. A Russian political scientist said Europe is now stuck between “one military aggressor on the eastern border and another aggressor on the western side.”
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Last summer, an exiled Russian journalist friend reflected to me that his country had felt totally “normal” until it didn’t, and that “meat-grinder operation” had been a term from the early 20th c - until suddenly it was part of daily life. Then he said, “Trump will start a war.”

Thank you!

Is Trump’s Venezuela operation a ‘gift to Putin,’ and what is the state of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’? — Meduza At first glance, the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro might look like an obvious disaster for Vladimir Putin. Russia has lost a key partner, and the prospect of Venezuelan oil…

Venezuela looks like a defeat for Moscow, but is it actually a gift to Putin’s worldview? The Naked Pravda asked political scientist Seva Gunitsky and Russian oil-industry expert Craig Kennedy about "spheres of influence" and Moscow's money problems. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Behind the contact line How would the 20-point peace plan impact the millions of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation? — Meduza President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called territorial control the “most difficult” of the 20 points in the new peace plan drafted by Ukraine and the United States. For the agreement to take e...

The 20-point peace plan under negotiation left me with a nagging question — how would it impact the millions of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation? Big thanks to @karolinahird.bsky.social for helping me unpack this complex humanitarian issue. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

Is Trump’s Venezuela operation a ‘gift to Putin,’ and what is the state of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’? — Meduza At first glance, the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro might look like an obvious disaster for Vladimir Putin. Russia has lost a key partner, and the prospect of Venezuelan oil flood...

putin doesn't seem to be doing too well -- so what can he get from Trump's ongoing destruction of Nato and the liberal order? I had a good conversation with Sam Breazeale from Meduza:
meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Is Trump’s Venezuela operation a ‘gift to Putin,’ and what is the state of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’? — Meduza At first glance, the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro might look like an obvious disaster for Vladimir Putin. Russia has lost a key partner, and the prospect of Venezuelan oil flood...

This week's Naked Pravda is out. My colleague @sambreazeale.bsky.social put some excellent questions to @seva.bsky.social and Craig Kennedy about this whole Venezuela business. I really enjoyed this episode; if you're like me, or if you like the podcast but hate my voice, you will too.

I couldn’t be prouder of the reporting The Beet has produced. That’s why I’m sorry to say that the newsletter will be pausing publication. Read my letter to subscribers here: mailchi.mp/meduza.io/le...

Historian Marci Shore reflects on the promise of Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution and the nihilism of Russia’s war — Meduza When Ukrainians began protesting on Kyiv’s Independence Square in November 2013, historian Marci Shore was watching from Vienna. Ukraine’s then-president, Viktor Yanukovych, had backtracked…

What made the Maidan a revolution? Meduza talks to historian @marcishore.bsky.social about Ukraine’s “existential transformation” and the “systemic nihilism” of Russia’s war. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Excellent episode here from @sambreazeale.bsky.social 👇

western interference in us democracy must be stopped

Russia’s elites once dreaded war. Now, they fear peace. — Meduza In his 2024 state-of-the-nation address, Vladimir Putin declared that the word “elite” had lost much of its credibility. Russia’s “real elite,” he said, are those who serve their country: “the…

Putin’s war reshaped Russia’s elite, making them fear peace most of all. On the latest Naked Pravda, Meduza’s @eilishhart.bsky.social talks with journalist @faridaily.bsky.social about the pressure, the paranoia, and what a post-war future could unleash. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

"После 22:00 отключить им свет". Ташиев запретил кафе и ресторанам работать в ночное время Камчыбек Ташиев возмутился тем, что закон о тишине не работает, и запретил кафе и ресторанам работать. В противном случае им отключат свет.

Hard to keep up with the absurd news coming out of Kyrgyzstan. Tashiev, the head of national security, just unilaterally banned cafes and restaurants from being open past 10pm. Anyone who doesn’t respect these quiet hours will have their electricity cut off

kaktus.media/doc/535201_p...

This was Russia today Wednesday, November 12, 2025 — Meduza

For today's newsletter, I reviewed the Russians sentenced to years in prison for "illegal speech" acknowledging the Russian military's atrocities in Bucha and other parts of Ukraine — contrary to claims by a certain former Estonian president. meduza.io/en/brief/202...

Meet the volunteers bringing education to Russian political prisoners through letters — Meduza More than three years into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian prisons continue to fill with people jailed for speaking out against the war and the authorities. As of August 2025, more than…

As of August 2025, more than 1,700 people in Russia were behind bars on political charges. A new volunteer initiative lets them study subjects of their choice with experienced teachers — via snail mail.
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For any followers in NYC: Zere, one of Kyrgyzstan’s most talented musicians, will be performing at Ibeam Brooklyn on November 19 at 09:30pm

Don’t miss out on a chance to see her live!

www.instagram.com/p/DQ8ztCvCFt...

‘Cynical and completely reckless’ Latvia has the highest femicide rate in Europe — including Russia. Its parliament just voted to exit a treaty protecting women from violence. — Meduza In September 2025, a right-wing populist party in Latvia introduced legislation to withdraw the country from the Istanbul Convention, a key international treaty aimed at protecting women from…

Latvia has the highest femicide rate in Europe — ranking above Russia. Its parliament just voted to exit a treaty protecting women from violence.
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Суд признал материалы «Клооп» и «Темиров лайв» экстремистскими Суд признал материалы «Клооп» и «Темиров лайв» экстремистскими – в изданиях не знали об этом деле и намерены обжаловать приговор

A Bishkek court has just ruled that two of the countries most influential independent news sites Kloop and Temirov Live (both in exile abroad) are extremist organizations. This means that liking or reposting their content may be deemed a criminal act in Kyrgyzstan

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‘A lethal, capable, and European-led NATO’ Between Trump’s demands and Russia’s threats, is Europe finally getting serious about its own defense? — Meduza NATO defense ministers gathered in Brussels on Wednesday for the first time since late June, when they agreed to raise national defense spending targets to five percent of GDP under pressure from the…

“Everyone understands that if Ukraine comes under Russian domination, or is even absorbed into a kind of reconstituted Russian empire, then we have a challenge that is so much larger,” a senior NATO official told Meduza in Brussels this week.
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Back to Bukhara How memory, tourism, and the diaspora sustain the last vestiges of Uzbekistan’s Jewish heritage — Meduza Best known as a stop on the Silk Road trade route, Uzbekistan’s ancient city of Bukhara was home to a thriving Jewish community for more than 2,000 years. But since the Soviet Union’s collapse in the…

Reporting from Bukhara, journalist @sashaslobodov.bsky.social explores how tourism and the diaspora sustain the last vestiges of Uzbekistan’s Jewish heritage. The Beet’s latest.
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Four scenarios for the next chapter in Russia’s war against Ukraine — Meduza Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now passed the three-and-a-half-year mark, and there is still no end in sight. The Trump administration’s recent push to negotiate a ceasefire ground…

New podcast alert! For The Naked Pravda, researcher @msnegovaya.bsky.social breaks down the rising costs straining the Kremlin’s war machine — and explores four possible scenarios for the Russia–Ukraine war’s next chapter. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.

More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

‘Americans, don’t take this sitting down’ Russians say the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show feels familiar. Here’s what became of the country’s TV comedy shows that dared to criticize the Kremlin. — Meduza On Wednesday evening, the American TV network ABC announced that it was indefinitely suspending comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show. The news came just hours after the head of the FCC, the…

Russians say the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show feels familiar. Here’s what became of the country’s TV comedy shows that dared to criticize the Putin administration.
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‘I ended up here because of what I wrote’ In their own words, Meduza’s anonymous staff members introduce themselves to readers — Meduza Regular readers have likely noticed that many of our stories simply say “Meduza” in the byline. For safety reasons — since any cooperation with our newsroom is against the law in Russia — only a few…

You may have noticed that many of our stories simply say “Meduza” in the byline. That's a safety precaution, as any cooperation with our newsroom is against the law in Russia. But we'd still like you to know the people who work here. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Any English speakers in Bishkek who’d be interested in informal language exchange/English practice with some local journalists?

Eyewitnesses to a war crime Ukraine’s 20,000 stolen children are on the Trump administration’s radar. But will it help get them back? — Meduza More than two weeks have passed since U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and by all appearances, this controversial show of diplomacy yielded no tangible results. Despite…

Ukraine has verified Russia’s deportation of nearly 20,000 children from occupied territories. Can the Trump administration help get them back? meduza.io/en/feature/2...

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Any English speakers in Bishkek who’d be interested in informal language exchange/English practice with some local journalists?

We need your help An urgent appeal from the Meduza team — Meduza Dear Meduza in English readers,

.@meduza.io calls for immediate support, otherwise they are going to crash.
I got to say - they are the best independent Russian media that does extensive coverage of everything that you need to know about Russia.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...