For today's newsletter, I look at a recent Mediazona investigation into the Russian soldiers who kill their own compatriots when home for R&R or stationed near the border. Some really brutal shit here. Especially disgusting: courts treat victims’ criticism of the war as a mitigating factor.
Meduza
This was Russia today Thursday, December 11, 2025 — Meduza
Russia's Central Bank is filing a lawsuit in Moscow's Arbitration Court against Euroclear, seeking compensation for losses incurred due to Euroclear's "unlawful actions" and "in light" of the European Commission's deliberations on the "reparations loan" seizure.
Банк России подает иск к Euroclear в Арбитражный суд города Москвы | Банк России
О Банке России
the donald's patience is running thin, folks image
UK banks have pushed back against plans to use about £8bn in frozen Russian assets they hold, warning that the British government has not offered to indemnify them against potential retaliation by Moscow. "Significant legal risk if the assets were used to backstop zero-interest loans to Ukraine."
Client Challenge
Well done, Foreign Affairs, on publishing opposing views by two very insightful observers.
Foreign Affairs
America’s Magical Thinking About Ukraine
A bad deal is worse than no deal.
Foreign Affairs
The Time to End the War in Ukraine Is Now
Trump can defy the skeptics and seal the deal.
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U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll tells FT that Washington is prepared to provide "guaranteed security for Ukraine" as part of a peace deal in would be the world’s “most high-tech demilitarized zone” along the eastern front line. Which begs the question: how soon does enshitification set in?
Client Challenge
Attention, Slavs: you're not White anymore in Oregon. image
Russian pranksters Vovan & Lexus have struck again, this time duping Amanda Sloat, senior director for Europe at Biden’s NSC. The footage they released (and broadcast on Russian state TV) shows her admitting that “the destruction & the loss of life” in Ukraine would have been prevented if Kyiv had caved to Moscow & dropped NATO aspirations in early 2022. In the released video, Sloat also notes that Trump is "clearly not as concerned about Russian retaliation as Biden was," pointing out that he's been more flexible about "lifting constraints on Ukraine being able to fire longer range into Russia and at energy targets."
Telegram
Вован и Лексус
Вторая часть видео-пранка с советниками Байдена. Аманда Слоут сдала нам коллег...
The IOC advises governing bodies to let Russian & Belarusian youth teams & athletes compete with their full identity of national flag and anthem. Athletes have “a fundamental right to access sport across the world, and to compete free from political interference or pressure from govt orgs."
AP News
IOC advises sports bodies to let Russians compete in youth events again with flag and anthem
The IOC has taken a big step toward reintegrating Russia and Belarus into world sports. It’s advising governing bodies of Olympic sports to let t...
Zelensky has reportedly floated the prospect of putting the issue of territorial concessions to Russia to a referendum as his admin comes under mounting pressure to agree to peace terms. Even Merz says: "Above all, it’s about the territorial concessions that Ukraine is ready to make."
Bloomberg.com
Zelenskiy Floats Referendum Over Territory as US Pressure Mounts
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy floated the prospect of allowing Ukrainians to vote on whether to hand the Donbas region to Russia as Kyiv comes unde...