I finally bothered to read about Russia's Larisa Dolina scandal. Not knowing her work as a singer, I resisted the story because I assumed it was эстрада bullshit that only appeals if you care about these stars. The Dolina case, it turns out, is actually quite interesting.

Meduza

Cherta Media’s look at the Larisa Dolina scandal Why Russia’s civil courts side with scam victims while criminal courts refuse leniency for the duped — Meduza

The U.S. reportedly wants Europe to "take over the majority of NATO's conventional defense capabilities," from intelligence to missiles. Washington threatened to withdraw from "some NATO defense coordination mechanisms" if Europe doesn't meet a 2027 deadline. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-sets-2027-deadline-europe-led-nato-defense-officials-say-2025-12-05/

move over, Pentagon Pizza Index

I've been mocked all my life for pronouncing the word robot as "robutt" and I'm done apologizing

i guess Bloomberg wasn't looking at the color of the carpet Trump rolled out for Putin in Alaska

Putin “must have” authorized the nerve agent poisoning attack that accidentally killed Dawn Sturgess in 2018, & he bears “moral responsibility” for her death, the chair of a British inquiry said today. (The Novichok was meant for former double agent Sergei Skripal.

As West Faces Russian Sabotage, U.K. Blames Putin for 2018 Poisoning Death

A British woman died from exposure to a nerve agent because of a botched assassination plot that the Russian leader must have authorized, an offici...

While I share Thomas Friedman’s hope that Russia had poured its resources into AI instead of invading Ukraine, I’m not convinced his “Hey, Putin” mic drop would land with Vladimir Vladimirovich the way he imagines.

Opinion | The ‘Useful Idiots’ From America Whom Putin Is Playing Like a Flute

Having “real estate deal guys” as America’s negotiators on the war in Ukraine is a liability, not an advantage. You want a statesman.

In India, Putin says Russia will take all the Ukrainian lands it has annexed. “All this boils down to one thing: Either we take back these territories by force, or eventually Ukrainian troops withdraw." Also, Trump's initial 28-point peace plan had points he "can’t agree to."

AP News

Putin says there are points he can't agree to in the US proposal to end Russia's war in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin says some proposals in a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to the Kremlin.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever says he hopes to have a "fruitful discussion" with Merz on Friday about the EU plan to "use" Russian frozen assets to support Ukraine. If Europe doesn't make this happen, it's very hard to take their anything-for-Ukraine politics seriously. https://www.reuters.com/business/belgian-pm-hopes-have-fruitful-discussion-russian-frozen-assets-with-germanys-2025-12-04/

"There is a chance that the U.S. will betray Ukraine on territory without clarity on security guarantees," Macron reportedly warned Zelensky in a call on Monday. Merz reportedly said U.S. negotiators are "playing games" and that Ze should be "very careful" over the next few days. 👀 https://www.reuters.com/world/german-french-leaders-wary-us-push-ukraine-peace-spiegel-reports-2025-12-04/?utm_source=chatgpt.com