Kristof Bender
@kristofbender.bsky.social
For a strong & democratic Europe. Balkans, Moldova, Ukraine. Asylum policy, HR
Deputy chairperson European Stability Initiative (ESI), Europe’s Futures @iwm.at
www.kristofbender.eu, www.esiweb.org
Deputy chairperson European Stability Initiative (ESI), Europe’s Futures @iwm.at
www.kristofbender.eu, www.esiweb.org
Pinned
Kristof Bender
@kristofbender.bsky.social
· Sep 19
It can happen very quickly
A long out-of-print book offers insights into the collapse of democracy in Austria’s First Republic. Today it is more relevant than ever.
www.esiweb.org
G.E.R. Gedye lived in Vienna as Central Europe correspondent from 1925-1938. I had the privilege to write about his extraordinary yet forgotten book "Fallen Bastions", describing Austria's descent into dictatorship, for @datum.at. It's now also available in English:
www.esiweb.org/cafe-europe/...
www.esiweb.org/cafe-europe/...
Reposted by Kristof Bender
"Ukrainian medics have begun documenting cases of gas gangrene, a severe bacterial infection once associated with the trenches of World War I ... Doctors say the condition has reappeared due to delays in evacuating wounded soldiers from front-line areas under constant Russian drone attacks."
Trench Disease Returns: WWI-Era Gas Gangrene Reappears Among Wounded Soldiers
Ukrainian medics report a rise in gas gangrene cases, a historical infection re-emerging due to delays in evacuating wounded under continuous attacks.
united24media.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:55 PM
"Ukrainian medics have begun documenting cases of gas gangrene, a severe bacterial infection once associated with the trenches of World War I ... Doctors say the condition has reappeared due to delays in evacuating wounded soldiers from front-line areas under constant Russian drone attacks."
Reposted by Kristof Bender
Ein großer Teil des offiziellen Österreich hat gestern der Opfer der mörderischen antisemitischen Nazi-Novemberpogrome von 1938 gedacht. Ein anderer Teil, nämlich Nationalratspräsident Rosenkranz, huldigt heute im Parlament einem Nazi & Antisemiten. Rosenkranz ist eine Schande. Rücktritt, sofort!
November 11, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Ein großer Teil des offiziellen Österreich hat gestern der Opfer der mörderischen antisemitischen Nazi-Novemberpogrome von 1938 gedacht. Ein anderer Teil, nämlich Nationalratspräsident Rosenkranz, huldigt heute im Parlament einem Nazi & Antisemiten. Rosenkranz ist eine Schande. Rücktritt, sofort!
Reposted by Kristof Bender
The Telegraph had to correct its multiple lies about "illegal immigrants" in London at least three separate times.
It takes an obscene amount of hubris to lecture the BBC when you have The Telegraph’s record on truth-telling.
Some of the paper’s errors this year are so bad they’re almost laughable 👇🏻
Some of the paper’s errors this year are so bad they’re almost laughable 👇🏻
The Telegraph’s BBC hypocrisy
A paper that knows a thing or two about editorial f*ck-ups...
writesbright.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:06 PM
The Telegraph had to correct its multiple lies about "illegal immigrants" in London at least three separate times.
“The soldiers who agreed to talk confirmed the IDF’s routine use of human shields, contradicting official denials, and gave details of Israeli troops opening fire unprovoked on civilians racing to reach food handouts”, @julianborger.bsky.social in @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Israeli soldiers speak out on killings of Gaza civilians
IDF soldiers tell documentary of opening fire unprovoked and arbitrary designations of who was an enemy
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:05 AM
“The soldiers who agreed to talk confirmed the IDF’s routine use of human shields, contradicting official denials, and gave details of Israeli troops opening fire unprovoked on civilians racing to reach food handouts”, @julianborger.bsky.social in @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Reposted by Kristof Bender
And as to the Trump speech to the January 6 mob - yes, he encouraged them. Listen to the speech.
And if you still don't believe that Trump sided with the violent insurrectionists, remember that on the first day of his second term, Trump pardoned them all - some 1600 people charged or convicted.
And if you still don't believe that Trump sided with the violent insurrectionists, remember that on the first day of his second term, Trump pardoned them all - some 1600 people charged or convicted.
November 10, 2025 at 8:27 AM
And as to the Trump speech to the January 6 mob - yes, he encouraged them. Listen to the speech.
And if you still don't believe that Trump sided with the violent insurrectionists, remember that on the first day of his second term, Trump pardoned them all - some 1600 people charged or convicted.
And if you still don't believe that Trump sided with the violent insurrectionists, remember that on the first day of his second term, Trump pardoned them all - some 1600 people charged or convicted.
Peter Magyar whose Tisza party leads the polls in 🇭🇺:
“We are in the EU and Nato, after all, our fundamental alliances that set our security and our daily lives. The current government does not act in concert with that.”
www.ft.com/content/e804...
“We are in the EU and Nato, after all, our fundamental alliances that set our security and our daily lives. The current government does not act in concert with that.”
www.ft.com/content/e804...
Orbán nemesis vows to bring Hungary back into the fold
Péter Magyar is ready to recommit to Nato and EU if he becomes prime minister after spring elections
www.ft.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Peter Magyar whose Tisza party leads the polls in 🇭🇺:
“We are in the EU and Nato, after all, our fundamental alliances that set our security and our daily lives. The current government does not act in concert with that.”
www.ft.com/content/e804...
“We are in the EU and Nato, after all, our fundamental alliances that set our security and our daily lives. The current government does not act in concert with that.”
www.ft.com/content/e804...
Great: The EU plans faster #train connections between European capitals until 2040.
4 1/2 hours from #Berlin to #Vienna, instead of more than 8.
www.zeit.de/mobilitaet/2...
4 1/2 hours from #Berlin to #Vienna, instead of more than 8.
www.zeit.de/mobilitaet/2...
Schienenverkehr: EU plant schnellere Zugverbindungen zwischen europäischen Hauptstädten
Von Berlin nach Kopenhagen in vier Stunden? Die EU plant Schnellzüge zwischen mehreren europäischen Hauptstädten. Sie hat ihren Aktionsplan in Brüssel vorgestellt.
www.zeit.de
November 8, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Great: The EU plans faster #train connections between European capitals until 2040.
4 1/2 hours from #Berlin to #Vienna, instead of more than 8.
www.zeit.de/mobilitaet/2...
4 1/2 hours from #Berlin to #Vienna, instead of more than 8.
www.zeit.de/mobilitaet/2...
Reposted by Kristof Bender
Will 'war profiteer' #Norway come to Ukraine's financial rescue? Norway has grown vastly richer after overtaking #Russia as Europe's main gas supplier. www.thelocal.no/20251108/wil... #Ukraine #Putinswar
Will 'war profiteer' Norway come to Ukraine's financial rescue?
Norway has grown vastly richer after overtaking Russia as Europe's main gas supplier following the invasion of Ukraine, sparking calls in Oslo for the Scandinavian nation to use its colossal sovereign...
www.thelocal.no
November 8, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Will 'war profiteer' #Norway come to Ukraine's financial rescue? Norway has grown vastly richer after overtaking #Russia as Europe's main gas supplier. www.thelocal.no/20251108/wil... #Ukraine #Putinswar
Reposted by Kristof Bender
„Die quälende Frage nach der eigenen Verstrickung, nach einer Komplizenschaft der israelischen Gesellschaft, trieb etwa den Menschenrechtsanwalt Michael Sfard aus Tel Aviv an den Rand einer Identitätskrise.“ www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/ha-ar...
"Zwei Völker, ein Schicksal": Intellektuelle und Politiker sprechen über die Zukunft Gazas und Israels
Intellektuelle und Politiker sondieren, wie die Zukunft aussehen könnte. Das ist oft bitter, aber dann auch verblüffend hoffnungsvoll.
www.sueddeutsche.de
November 7, 2025 at 3:08 PM
„Die quälende Frage nach der eigenen Verstrickung, nach einer Komplizenschaft der israelischen Gesellschaft, trieb etwa den Menschenrechtsanwalt Michael Sfard aus Tel Aviv an den Rand einer Identitätskrise.“ www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/ha-ar...
Reposted by Kristof Bender
Stunning investigation by Reuters reveals income from ads for scams and banned goods on Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp may have amounted to 10% of Meta global revenue in 2024, with 15 billion (!) scam ads being shown to users daily - based on company's own figures.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show
Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, and it internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day, company documents show.
www.reuters.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Stunning investigation by Reuters reveals income from ads for scams and banned goods on Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp may have amounted to 10% of Meta global revenue in 2024, with 15 billion (!) scam ads being shown to users daily - based on company's own figures.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Reposted by Kristof Bender
Really wonderful work in general (however bleak) that's worth following, #skystorians!
November 7, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Really wonderful work in general (however bleak) that's worth following, #skystorians!
Interesting analysis on the massive 🇷🇺-financed social media AI campaign ahead of 🇲🇩 elections. Amazing that PAS still won so clearly. The next 4 years are crucial, an opportunity for the EU not to let slip, to fully support 🇲🇩, including the start of accession negotiations.
vsquare.org/russia-propa...
vsquare.org/russia-propa...
24/7 Russian Propaganda Blitz Hit Moldova Before the Elections - VSquare.org
Moldovans had faced months, if not years, of an information onslaught at levels beyond what just about any society has faced. In the end, the pro-European ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) w...
vsquare.org
November 6, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Interesting analysis on the massive 🇷🇺-financed social media AI campaign ahead of 🇲🇩 elections. Amazing that PAS still won so clearly. The next 4 years are crucial, an opportunity for the EU not to let slip, to fully support 🇲🇩, including the start of accession negotiations.
vsquare.org/russia-propa...
vsquare.org/russia-propa...
Reposted by Kristof Bender
💥🔎 Visegrád24 rose to fame on X/Twitter with anti-Muslim posts, anti-migration rants, and waves of disinformation. A new investigation exposes the people, money & political forces behind its Central Europe-based but globally connected propaganda network.
Unmasking Visegrád24: Tracing the People, Money, and Political Connections - VSquare.org
Visegrád24 became famous for its anti-Muslim and anti-migration stance as well as waves of disinformation. A recent report by the Centre for Information Integrity in Africa (CINIA) brings to light a previously little-mentioned person tied to the network.
vsquare.org
November 6, 2025 at 7:30 PM
💥🔎 Visegrád24 rose to fame on X/Twitter with anti-Muslim posts, anti-migration rants, and waves of disinformation. A new investigation exposes the people, money & political forces behind its Central Europe-based but globally connected propaganda network.
Reposted by Kristof Bender
Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast's iconic front-line rail stop, closed for 'indefinite period'
kyivindependent.com/key-train-ro...
kyivindependent.com/key-train-ro...
Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast's iconic front-line rail stop, closed for 'indefinite period'
Trains that ran to Kramatorsk will now have their final destination in the city of Husarivka in Kharkiv Oblast.
kyivindependent.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:47 AM
Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast's iconic front-line rail stop, closed for 'indefinite period'
kyivindependent.com/key-train-ro...
kyivindependent.com/key-train-ro...
Reposted by Kristof Bender
The revealing section of #enlargement package concerns the #Commission’s assessment of the target dates set by some candidates to conclude accession talks.
Reforms in 🇲🇪 and 🇦🇱 are on track, while 🇺🇦 and 🇲🇩 need to accelerate the pace. 👇🏼
Reforms in 🇲🇪 and 🇦🇱 are on track, while 🇺🇦 and 🇲🇩 need to accelerate the pace. 👇🏼
November 4, 2025 at 12:14 PM
The revealing section of #enlargement package concerns the #Commission’s assessment of the target dates set by some candidates to conclude accession talks.
Reforms in 🇲🇪 and 🇦🇱 are on track, while 🇺🇦 and 🇲🇩 need to accelerate the pace. 👇🏼
Reforms in 🇲🇪 and 🇦🇱 are on track, while 🇺🇦 and 🇲🇩 need to accelerate the pace. 👇🏼
Reposted by Kristof Bender
Just perfect.
"Been in Europe 3 yrs, never felt this close to Russia, you are repeating line by line the propaganda on Russian TV," Pussy Riot artist tells a stunned Putin-Versteher Sarah Wagenknecht to her face, on prime-time TV.
"Been in Europe 3 yrs, never felt this close to Russia, you are repeating line by line the propaganda on Russian TV," Pussy Riot artist tells a stunned Putin-Versteher Sarah Wagenknecht to her face, on prime-time TV.
Pussy Riot Künstlerin Maria Aljochina, Gulag-Häftling, richtet sich bei Markus Lanz an Wagenknecht: Sie wiederholen das, was in Russland die Propagandasender sagen
November 2, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Just perfect.
"Been in Europe 3 yrs, never felt this close to Russia, you are repeating line by line the propaganda on Russian TV," Pussy Riot artist tells a stunned Putin-Versteher Sarah Wagenknecht to her face, on prime-time TV.
"Been in Europe 3 yrs, never felt this close to Russia, you are repeating line by line the propaganda on Russian TV," Pussy Riot artist tells a stunned Putin-Versteher Sarah Wagenknecht to her face, on prime-time TV.
Reposted by Kristof Bender
Conference participation question: Would you agree to attend a symposium on the rule of law in an expert capacity in a situation where the conference organisers have also sought to invite fake judges and pseudo experts in the name of “dialogue”, “political balance” and/or “diversity of views”?
November 3, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Conference participation question: Would you agree to attend a symposium on the rule of law in an expert capacity in a situation where the conference organisers have also sought to invite fake judges and pseudo experts in the name of “dialogue”, “political balance” and/or “diversity of views”?
Reposted by Kristof Bender
#BBCNews - Russian activity increasing around key Ukrainian town, army chief says
www.bbc.com/news/article...
#Pokrovsk #UkraineWar
www.bbc.com/news/article...
#Pokrovsk #UkraineWar
Russian activity increasing around key Ukrainian town, army chief says
The capture of Pokrovsk could unlock Russian efforts to seize the rest of the Donetsk region.
www.bbc.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:42 AM
#BBCNews - Russian activity increasing around key Ukrainian town, army chief says
www.bbc.com/news/article...
#Pokrovsk #UkraineWar
www.bbc.com/news/article...
#Pokrovsk #UkraineWar
Reposted by Kristof Bender
With all the caveats that the far right hasn't been weakened, only splintered in the Netherlands, it's still very good to see an election where liberal democracy is not on the line and a government with a pro-European outlook is back in sight
October 30, 2025 at 11:32 AM
With all the caveats that the far right hasn't been weakened, only splintered in the Netherlands, it's still very good to see an election where liberal democracy is not on the line and a government with a pro-European outlook is back in sight
Reposted by Kristof Bender
Useful thread by my @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social colleague @armida.bsky.social on what the Dutch elections do & don't mean. Far right fractured; it didn't disappear, & it influenced policies of mainstream parties. Next govt will probably be more engaged/influential in Europe than its predecessor.
Results for Dutch elections are trickling in. As expected, some surprises.
My thoughts:
Is this the end of populism in The Netherlands? No.
Freedom Party (PVV) has lost seats, but the far right vote has splintered. Big wins for JA21, a PVV-light party: 30% of PVV voters in 2023 now voted for JA21
My thoughts:
Is this the end of populism in The Netherlands? No.
Freedom Party (PVV) has lost seats, but the far right vote has splintered. Big wins for JA21, a PVV-light party: 30% of PVV voters in 2023 now voted for JA21
October 30, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Useful thread by my @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social colleague @armida.bsky.social on what the Dutch elections do & don't mean. Far right fractured; it didn't disappear, & it influenced policies of mainstream parties. Next govt will probably be more engaged/influential in Europe than its predecessor.
#China‘s economy is ravaged by shrinking consumption and resulting „suicidal“ price battles, writes this Chinese-German journalist. International problems like Trump’s tariffs come only second to internal economic woes, she claims.
www.zeit.de/politik/ausl...
www.zeit.de/politik/ausl...
Wirtschaft in China: Die guten Zeiten sind vorbei
Donald Trumps aggressive Zollpolitik kommt der chinesischen Führung ungelegen. Doch das größte wirtschaftliche Problem Chinas liegt ganz woanders.
www.zeit.de
October 29, 2025 at 7:19 AM
#China‘s economy is ravaged by shrinking consumption and resulting „suicidal“ price battles, writes this Chinese-German journalist. International problems like Trump’s tariffs come only second to internal economic woes, she claims.
www.zeit.de/politik/ausl...
www.zeit.de/politik/ausl...
Reposted by Kristof Bender
Vote this year while you still can - and prepare for midterms mayhem. Trump is following the autocrat's playbook by preparing to rig the next election. Do what you can to support local election officials who will need all the help they can get. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Donald Trump’s Plan to Subvert the Midterms Is Already Under Way
Our election system is reaching a breaking point.
www.theatlantic.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Vote this year while you still can - and prepare for midterms mayhem. Trump is following the autocrat's playbook by preparing to rig the next election. Do what you can to support local election officials who will need all the help they can get. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Reposted by Kristof Bender
„Wenn im Kinderdorf etwas passiert, dann sagt man, das bleibt im Kinderdorf.“ Ein ehemaliger Bewohner des Kinderdorfs Altmünster hat Christian Körber über seine Kindheit und Jugend erzählt, die von systematischer Gewalt und dem Wegschauen bei sexuellem Missbrauch geprägt war. orf.at/stories/3409...
SOS-Kinderdorf: Schwere Vorwürfe auch in Altmünster
Kindern eine Chance auf eine gute Zukunft zu geben, wenn das in ihrer Herkunftsfamilie nicht möglich ist: Das haben sich die SOS-Kinderdörfer auf die Fahnen geschrieben. In vielen Fällen konnte das Ve...
orf.at
October 29, 2025 at 6:21 AM
„Wenn im Kinderdorf etwas passiert, dann sagt man, das bleibt im Kinderdorf.“ Ein ehemaliger Bewohner des Kinderdorfs Altmünster hat Christian Körber über seine Kindheit und Jugend erzählt, die von systematischer Gewalt und dem Wegschauen bei sexuellem Missbrauch geprägt war. orf.at/stories/3409...