For the latest Naked Pravda episode, I spoke to Nikolay Kononov about his new book on Pavel Durov and Telegram. Tech-bro feudalism, massive cryptocurrency schemes, free speechism, and a never-ending quest to evade regulatory oversight.
Meduza
Pavel Durov’s Russian biographer explains the tech-bro feudalism that drives Telegram — Meduza
Earlier this year, Telegram raised $1.7 billion from convertible bonds — funds earmarked to pay off debt due next year, leaving about $745 milli...
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75% of Ukrainians reject major concessions in any peace deal, says new poll by Kyiv Int'l Institute of Sociology. Data shows widespread view that ceding territory or capping army's size "without receiving clear security guarantees" is "completely unacceptable." https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/vast-majority-ukrainians-reject-major-peace-concessions-poll-finds-2025-12-15/
Surprisingly upbeat forum talk, hosted by Harper's, about the state and future of the U.S. news media. As somebody who might one day need a Substack to keep the lights on (you never know), I find these conversations both exciting and terrifying.
Harper's Magazine
Why Doesn’t Anyone Trust the Media?, by Jelani Cobb, Taylor Lorenz, Jack Shafer, Max Tani
Anatomy of a credibility crisis
Commenting on a recent NYT report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says he's unaware of any efforts by prominent Russians to lobby Putin to rehabilitate late night king Ivan Urgant, who's been cancelled for mild criticism of the war.
РБК
Кремль ответил на данные о просьбах «видных россиян» к Путину об Урганте
По данным NYT, «видные россияне» обращались к российскому президенту с попытками ...
Everyone involved in this travesty should be sent to Siberia and made to perform a year's hard labor.
NYT reports details of Ukraine’s counterproposal to Trump’s 28-point peace plan. Kyiv's version rejects ceding the rest of Donetsk, seeks U.S. Congress-approved security guarantees (must be more robust than Budapest Memo), and preserves Ukraine’s NATO aspirations — a long-standing Russian red line.
Trump Wanted Ukraine to Cede Land to Russia. Ukraine Has Another Offer.
A Ukrainian peace plan, sent this week to Washington, pushes back against President Trump’s proposal that Ukraine give up more land for peace, al...
 Needless to say, this is a nonstarter for Moscow. The original 28-pt plan was already insufficient from Moscow’s perspective (contrary to most MSM reporting). Remaining questions: Will Trump see Ze or Putin as more obstructionist? Can Europe pass the reparations loan? How does Ukraine fare in 2026?
dang, Australia's age limits on social media will be enforced through monitoring of photo locations and checking for users' "school holiday" content? yikes image