John Kaye
@johnkaye.bsky.social
Russia, international relations, security, human rights, gender and LGBTQIA+
📚📝: Doctoral researcher, Aleksanteri Institute, Uni. Helsinki
📚📝: Doctoral researcher, Aleksanteri Institute, Uni. Helsinki
Reposted by John Kaye
I expect to be reposting this every three months or so until the end of the Trump administration.
The more that members of the Trump administration talk, the more it sounds as if Plan A to stop the war was to coerce Ukraine into capitulation and Plan B was to keep repeating Plan A until it worked. When it became apparent that wasn't going to happen, they were out of ideas.
November 22, 2025 at 1:37 PM
I expect to be reposting this every three months or so until the end of the Trump administration.
Reposted by John Kaye
Lesia Bidochko and Oleksandr Siedin: Homophobia has taken center stage in Russia’s ideological presentation, not for its positive meaning to the regime, but as a moral argument for existential confrontation and escalation with the West.
commons.com.ua/en/gomofobiy...
commons.com.ua/en/gomofobiy...
October 28, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Lesia Bidochko and Oleksandr Siedin: Homophobia has taken center stage in Russia’s ideological presentation, not for its positive meaning to the regime, but as a moral argument for existential confrontation and escalation with the West.
commons.com.ua/en/gomofobiy...
commons.com.ua/en/gomofobiy...
Reposted by John Kaye
What strikes me most about Andrey Grachev’s propaganda film "Tolerance" is that all the violence in the movie is perpetuated by its conservative, reactionary characters. In what's meant to be a cautionary tale about permissiveness, the bad guys are still the bigots. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
The terror of ‘Tolerance’ Russia’s government funded a propaganda film this summer that sold 192 tickets on its opening weekend. The movie presents Europe as a nightmare of liberal values. — Meduza
Close your eyes and feel yourself transported to mythical “Franglia,” where liberal values have triumphed over tradition, and human rights now reign. Gender identity is fluid, and refugees from the Mu...
meduza.io
October 3, 2025 at 11:35 PM
What strikes me most about Andrey Grachev’s propaganda film "Tolerance" is that all the violence in the movie is perpetuated by its conservative, reactionary characters. In what's meant to be a cautionary tale about permissiveness, the bad guys are still the bigots. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Reposted by John Kaye
October 2, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Reposted by John Kaye
Sanonpa tästä kyselystä vielä sen, että olisi hirmu kiva, jos Perussuomalaiset ottaisivat sodan Venäjää vastaan yhtä vakavasti kuin oman sotansa sukupuolineutraaleja vessoja vastaan.
Mutta prioriteettinsa kullakin, ilmeisesti.
www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/mt...
Mutta prioriteettinsa kullakin, ilmeisesti.
www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/mt...
October 2, 2025 at 6:11 AM
Sanonpa tästä kyselystä vielä sen, että olisi hirmu kiva, jos Perussuomalaiset ottaisivat sodan Venäjää vastaan yhtä vakavasti kuin oman sotansa sukupuolineutraaleja vessoja vastaan.
Mutta prioriteettinsa kullakin, ilmeisesti.
www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/mt...
Mutta prioriteettinsa kullakin, ilmeisesti.
www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/mt...
Reposted by John Kaye
My wide-ranging interview about the Russo-Ukrainian war for the Forum for Ukrainian Studies. One take-away: "The only reason there is an inkling of hope that the international world order will survive this enormous challenge is because Ukraine is resisting."
ukrainian-studies.ca/2025/09/23/i...
ukrainian-studies.ca/2025/09/23/i...
ukrainian-studies.ca
September 24, 2025 at 7:29 PM
My wide-ranging interview about the Russo-Ukrainian war for the Forum for Ukrainian Studies. One take-away: "The only reason there is an inkling of hope that the international world order will survive this enormous challenge is because Ukraine is resisting."
ukrainian-studies.ca/2025/09/23/i...
ukrainian-studies.ca/2025/09/23/i...
Reposted by John Kaye
this exists it is called thinking
September 20, 2025 at 12:15 PM
this exists it is called thinking
Of all the good arguments against the ”Finlandisation” of Ukraine, this one really should stop the conversation in its tracks. The ”Russian obsession scale” for Ukraine is off the charts and confining Ukrainians to neutrality (ergo, subjugation) would not be a sustainable resolution.
Second, Ukraine’s position may be better on the battlefield than ours was, but Ukraine is much higher on the Russian obsession scale than we ever were.
There’s no way that Russia will accept a mere Finlandisation of Ukraine and let it go. If Trump’s ”peace efforts” have shown one thing, that’s it
There’s no way that Russia will accept a mere Finlandisation of Ukraine and let it go. If Trump’s ”peace efforts” have shown one thing, that’s it
September 3, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Of all the good arguments against the ”Finlandisation” of Ukraine, this one really should stop the conversation in its tracks. The ”Russian obsession scale” for Ukraine is off the charts and confining Ukrainians to neutrality (ergo, subjugation) would not be a sustainable resolution.
Reposted by John Kaye
These pleas for money have become routine, unfortunately, but the bottom line is that Meduza needs nearly to double its support base over the next few months, or it will cease to exist as it has for a decade. Without this dramatic donation growth, the Meduza you know goes away.
Dear readers, we urgently need your help.
Without at least 15,000 regular supporters, Meduza as you know it will cease to exist. But if you come through, you know we’ll keep working for you.
Please, read our full statement here:
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
Without at least 15,000 regular supporters, Meduza as you know it will cease to exist. But if you come through, you know we’ll keep working for you.
Please, read our full statement here:
meduza.io/en/feature/2...
We need your help An urgent appeal from the Meduza team — Meduza
Dear Meduza in English readers,
meduza.io
September 2, 2025 at 2:36 PM
These pleas for money have become routine, unfortunately, but the bottom line is that Meduza needs nearly to double its support base over the next few months, or it will cease to exist as it has for a decade. Without this dramatic donation growth, the Meduza you know goes away.
Reposted by John Kaye
“Putin tries to play with words, but Trump thinks it’s a yes.”
@juliaioffe.bsky.social’s source sums up why Trump, Witkoff et al. are out of their depth when it comes to dealing with Russia. The irony is they wouldn’t have this problem if they’d just listen to Ukraine. puck.news/witkoff-trum...
@juliaioffe.bsky.social’s source sums up why Trump, Witkoff et al. are out of their depth when it comes to dealing with Russia. The irony is they wouldn’t have this problem if they’d just listen to Ukraine. puck.news/witkoff-trum...
Getting to Nyet
In recent days, Trump and his team have announced a series of breakthroughs in Russia-Ukraine negotiations, only to find out they’ve misunderstood the Russian position. Now it seems the only security ...
puck.news
August 22, 2025 at 7:27 PM
“Putin tries to play with words, but Trump thinks it’s a yes.”
@juliaioffe.bsky.social’s source sums up why Trump, Witkoff et al. are out of their depth when it comes to dealing with Russia. The irony is they wouldn’t have this problem if they’d just listen to Ukraine. puck.news/witkoff-trum...
@juliaioffe.bsky.social’s source sums up why Trump, Witkoff et al. are out of their depth when it comes to dealing with Russia. The irony is they wouldn’t have this problem if they’d just listen to Ukraine. puck.news/witkoff-trum...
Reposted by John Kaye
“Trump and Steve Witkoff are clearly no match for [the Russian state]. They are so illiterate in the context, culture, and even the reality of what they’re dealing with that it is, frankly, embarrassing. Even worse, they clearly don’t even realize how badly they are out of their depth.”
Getting to Nyet
In recent days, Trump and his team have announced a series of breakthroughs in Russia-Ukraine negotiations, only to find out they’ve misunderstood the Russian position. Now it seems the only security ...
puck.news
August 22, 2025 at 7:28 PM
“Trump and Steve Witkoff are clearly no match for [the Russian state]. They are so illiterate in the context, culture, and even the reality of what they’re dealing with that it is, frankly, embarrassing. Even worse, they clearly don’t even realize how badly they are out of their depth.”
Reposted by John Kaye
Yhdysvaltojen Suomea koskevasta ihmisoikeusraportista katosivat mm. tasa-arvokysymykset, naisiin kohdistuva väkivalta, vähemmistöjen kohtaama syrjintä, vammaisten, sukupuoli- ja seksuaalivähemmistöjen, saamelaisten ja romanien oikeudet. www.aamulehti.fi/ulkomaat/art...
Yhdysvaltain Suomea koskevasta ihmisoikeusraportista katosivat seksuaalivähemmistöt
Suurlähetystö perustelee ”virtaviivaistetun” raportin olevan helpommin luettava ja lähestyttävä. Lähetystön mukaan raporttien ei ole tarkoituskaan olla kaikenkattavia.
www.aamulehti.fi
August 22, 2025 at 6:49 AM
Yhdysvaltojen Suomea koskevasta ihmisoikeusraportista katosivat mm. tasa-arvokysymykset, naisiin kohdistuva väkivalta, vähemmistöjen kohtaama syrjintä, vammaisten, sukupuoli- ja seksuaalivähemmistöjen, saamelaisten ja romanien oikeudet. www.aamulehti.fi/ulkomaat/art...
Reposted by John Kaye
Wednesday's excited reporting of Trump's "very severe consequences" threat feels like a long time ago.
August 17, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Wednesday's excited reporting of Trump's "very severe consequences" threat feels like a long time ago.
Reposted by John Kaye
*taps the sign*
August 16, 2025 at 7:08 PM
*taps the sign*
Reposted by John Kaye
Today, Putin signed a series of laws that will dramatically expand state control in Russia. Soon, it will be illegal to even search for “extremist materials”.
Read about that part here: en.zona.media/article/2025...
1/4
Read about that part here: en.zona.media/article/2025...
1/4
Search and be fined. New Russian law targets VPN usage and mere access (!) to “extremist” content
Russia’s State Duma has advanced new legislation that would introduce fines for searching prohibited material online, including when using VPNs. Until now, even amid sweeping crack...
en.zona.media
July 31, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Today, Putin signed a series of laws that will dramatically expand state control in Russia. Soon, it will be illegal to even search for “extremist materials”.
Read about that part here: en.zona.media/article/2025...
1/4
Read about that part here: en.zona.media/article/2025...
1/4
Reposted by John Kaye
Citizen by gender: How transgender people fought discrimination in the USSR
Between Stalin's ban on sexuality studies and Putin's crackdown on LGBTQ+, there have been successful cases of gender-affirming surgery and even times of relative freedom.
Between Stalin's ban on sexuality studies and Putin's crackdown on LGBTQ+, there have been successful cases of gender-affirming surgery and even times of relative freedom.
Citizen by gender: How transgender people fought discrimination in the USSR
A May 2025 study by the Sfera Foundation and the human rights group Vykhod recorded a sharp rise in pressure on Russia’s LGBT community — not surprising given that Moscow outlawed the non-existent “in...
theins.press
July 9, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Citizen by gender: How transgender people fought discrimination in the USSR
Between Stalin's ban on sexuality studies and Putin's crackdown on LGBTQ+, there have been successful cases of gender-affirming surgery and even times of relative freedom.
Between Stalin's ban on sexuality studies and Putin's crackdown on LGBTQ+, there have been successful cases of gender-affirming surgery and even times of relative freedom.
Reposted by John Kaye
In Russia even declassified information can be considered classified for the purpose of prosecuting you for *treason*. It’s been like that for quite a while. meduza.io/en/news/2025...
Russian photographer gets 16 years in prison for giving publicly available book to U.S. journalist — Meduza
A court in the Russian city of Perm has sentenced photographer Grigory Skvortsov to 16 years in a high-security prison on treason charges, according to a Telegram channel run by his supporters.
meduza.io
June 26, 2025 at 12:06 PM
In Russia even declassified information can be considered classified for the purpose of prosecuting you for *treason*. It’s been like that for quite a while. meduza.io/en/news/2025...
Reposted by John Kaye
Tucker Carlson's not doing a very good job at pushing back against the allegation he promotes pro-Russian propaganda:
April 28, 2025 at 5:06 AM
Tucker Carlson's not doing a very good job at pushing back against the allegation he promotes pro-Russian propaganda:
Reposted by John Kaye
A must-read that walks you through the messianism and traditional values, i.e. beating your wife/kids, conquering your neighbours, and viewing unlimited state power as sacred, which Pu is enshrining in law, school textbooks, and public life. Yet some twist into pretzels to claim Pu isn't ideological
Make Russia Medieval Again! How Putin is seeking to remold society, with a little help from Ivan the Terrible
@us.theconversation.com
Dina Khapaeva
theconversation.com/make-russia-...
@us.theconversation.com
Dina Khapaeva
theconversation.com/make-russia-...
Make Russia Medieval Again! How Putin is seeking to remold society, with a little help from Ivan the Terrible
A new textbook soon to be taught in Russian schools leans on the works of a 16th-century monk. It fits a pattern of ‘political neomedievalism’ by the Kremlin.
theconversation.com
April 22, 2025 at 5:53 PM
A must-read that walks you through the messianism and traditional values, i.e. beating your wife/kids, conquering your neighbours, and viewing unlimited state power as sacred, which Pu is enshrining in law, school textbooks, and public life. Yet some twist into pretzels to claim Pu isn't ideological
Reposted by John Kaye
"Pu lied abt Crimea when Obama was president, lied abt Syria during Trump’s first term, lied to Biden abt having no plans to invade Ukraine —and he is lying now. It’s hard to find a single instance where Pu wasn’t lying— manipulating, embarrassing or demeaning Western leaders he holds in contempt."
"moscow can end its criminal war any day by pulling troops back to russia. If 🇺🇸 want to be treated with respect, we must stop projecting weakness and offering ourselves up for ridicule."
my latest for @thehill.com
#UkrainianView
thehill.com/opinion/inte...
my latest for @thehill.com
#UkrainianView
thehill.com/opinion/inte...
April 7, 2025 at 9:09 PM
"Pu lied abt Crimea when Obama was president, lied abt Syria during Trump’s first term, lied to Biden abt having no plans to invade Ukraine —and he is lying now. It’s hard to find a single instance where Pu wasn’t lying— manipulating, embarrassing or demeaning Western leaders he holds in contempt."
Reposted by John Kaye
Off the charts level of institutional vandalism this past week. Kennan Institute long gathered superb Russian military expertise at a time when the subfield was not terribly fashionable. DOGE & co actively destroying DoD intellectual capacity in their mindless rampage through the bureaucracy.
Trump is eliminating Wilson Center, a stellar US foreign policy study establishment. Along with it goes the Kennan Institute - one of the best Russia study institutions.
I was fortunate to be a Kennan Fellow in 2017.
Such a loss
I was fortunate to be a Kennan Fellow in 2017.
Such a loss
Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.
www.whitehouse.gov
March 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Off the charts level of institutional vandalism this past week. Kennan Institute long gathered superb Russian military expertise at a time when the subfield was not terribly fashionable. DOGE & co actively destroying DoD intellectual capacity in their mindless rampage through the bureaucracy.
Reposted by John Kaye
Trump is eliminating Wilson Center, a stellar US foreign policy study establishment. Along with it goes the Kennan Institute - one of the best Russia study institutions.
I was fortunate to be a Kennan Fellow in 2017.
Such a loss
I was fortunate to be a Kennan Fellow in 2017.
Such a loss
Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.
www.whitehouse.gov
March 15, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Trump is eliminating Wilson Center, a stellar US foreign policy study establishment. Along with it goes the Kennan Institute - one of the best Russia study institutions.
I was fortunate to be a Kennan Fellow in 2017.
Such a loss
I was fortunate to be a Kennan Fellow in 2017.
Such a loss
Reposted by John Kaye
NEW: BBC bosses will make push for government to take back costs of the World Service, amid an “aggressive” Russian state disinformation drive
Now “undeniable” case for using world service to push western values, they say. State media moves in when WS moves out.
All part of charter renewal chat:
Now “undeniable” case for using world service to push western values, they say. State media moves in when WS moves out.
All part of charter renewal chat:
World Service must be fully state-funded to counter disinformation, say BBC bosses
Ministers must cover full costs of championing western values abroad, senior BBC figures to argue
www.theguardian.com
March 12, 2025 at 8:14 AM
NEW: BBC bosses will make push for government to take back costs of the World Service, amid an “aggressive” Russian state disinformation drive
Now “undeniable” case for using world service to push western values, they say. State media moves in when WS moves out.
All part of charter renewal chat:
Now “undeniable” case for using world service to push western values, they say. State media moves in when WS moves out.
All part of charter renewal chat:
Reposted by John Kaye
I am a broken record on this one, but gender is an incredibly important part of war legitimation in Russia
Russia church official says Russians should not celebrate 8th of March cause it’s about women freedom and that not good for traditional values.
Previously another church official stated that the war in Ukraine happened because of moral collapse and masturbation
www.moscowtimes.ru/2025/03/08/v...
Previously another church official stated that the war in Ukraine happened because of moral collapse and masturbation
www.moscowtimes.ru/2025/03/08/v...
В РПЦ призвали не отмечать 8 марта, поскольку праздник связан с женской свободой и «не отвечает традициям» - Русская служба The Moscow Times
www.moscowtimes.ru
March 8, 2025 at 12:54 PM
I am a broken record on this one, but gender is an incredibly important part of war legitimation in Russia
Reposted by John Kaye
So the Trump administration deal is that Ukraine hand over $500bn of assets - far more than the value of US aid to Ukraine - in exchange for...nothing. Meanwhile, the White House is discussing developing economic links with Russia and readmitting Russia to the G8.
Ukraine on Saturday was seriously considering a revised American proposal to relinquish revenues from its natural resources. According to a draft document, the new proposal contains virtually the same provisions that Kyiv previously rejected, and some tougher terms.
U.S. Pressing Tough Demands in Revised Deal for Ukraine’s Minerals
The Trump administration appears to be insisting that Ukraine relinquish half of its revenues from natural resource extraction, with no security guarantee in exchange.
www.nytimes.com
February 22, 2025 at 5:08 PM
So the Trump administration deal is that Ukraine hand over $500bn of assets - far more than the value of US aid to Ukraine - in exchange for...nothing. Meanwhile, the White House is discussing developing economic links with Russia and readmitting Russia to the G8.