Maria Popova
@popovaprof.bsky.social
Polisci prof at McGill 🇨🇦⚜️
Democracy, rule of law, (anti)corruption in Eastern Europe 🇺🇦 🇧🇬 🇪🇺; post-Communism; Russo-Ukrainian war and its impact on European democracies; #UkraineIsEurope #DefendDemocracy
https://linktr.ee/popovaprof
Democracy, rule of law, (anti)corruption in Eastern Europe 🇺🇦 🇧🇬 🇪🇺; post-Communism; Russo-Ukrainian war and its impact on European democracies; #UkraineIsEurope #DefendDemocracy
https://linktr.ee/popovaprof
Happy Berlin Wall fall day! Good riddance to the Wall and the regimes that had built it. Celebrate the freedom that followed and don't fall for revisionism. The hard next decade was the pain of extrication from a failed political and economic project. This is my high school class on that day.
November 10, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Happy Berlin Wall fall day! Good riddance to the Wall and the regimes that had built it. Celebrate the freedom that followed and don't fall for revisionism. The hard next decade was the pain of extrication from a failed political and economic project. This is my high school class on that day.
When we discussed Italian Senator Calenda's "absolutely, you're a liar" response to Jeffrey Sachs, some were saying better not call him a liar because perhaps he believes himself and his interpretation of real conversations is off. How about here?
November 2, 2025 at 6:19 PM
When we discussed Italian Senator Calenda's "absolutely, you're a liar" response to Jeffrey Sachs, some were saying better not call him a liar because perhaps he believes himself and his interpretation of real conversations is off. How about here?
Russian officials+propagandists say this all the time, pobedobesie (victory frenzy/obsession) has been raging for decades, Ru toddlers march in fatigues, and some Westerners do pikachu face and claim Ru feels insecure and defends itself reluctantly. h/t to @vatniksoup.bsky.social for the pic.
October 29, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Russian officials+propagandists say this all the time, pobedobesie (victory frenzy/obsession) has been raging for decades, Ru toddlers march in fatigues, and some Westerners do pikachu face and claim Ru feels insecure and defends itself reluctantly. h/t to @vatniksoup.bsky.social for the pic.
I don't find it super convincing.
October 26, 2025 at 11:37 PM
I don't find it super convincing.
These are the chocolates Ru negotiator Dmitriev gave to the Congress woman who has been channeling Ru propaganda for a few months now. These are quotes from Putin. Threats and boasts of imperialism. Some diplomacy.
October 26, 2025 at 5:40 PM
These are the chocolates Ru negotiator Dmitriev gave to the Congress woman who has been channeling Ru propaganda for a few months now. These are quotes from Putin. Threats and boasts of imperialism. Some diplomacy.
Your regular reminder that Reuters is often indistinguishable from Ru media. Here they fret that delivering Tomahawks to Ukraine would trigger a big NATO-Ru war. They and the Kremlin said the same thing before every single delivery of a new type of weapon to Ukr. They were wrong every time.
October 12, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Your regular reminder that Reuters is often indistinguishable from Ru media. Here they fret that delivering Tomahawks to Ukraine would trigger a big NATO-Ru war. They and the Kremlin said the same thing before every single delivery of a new type of weapon to Ukr. They were wrong every time.
Are you kidding me? He has been not only ignorant, but also truly cruel on Ukraine. Refusing to hear what Ukrainians want and why they defend themselves and treating them like voiceless puppets. It's appalling. Raising a few bucks doesn't let him off the hook.
October 2, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Are you kidding me? He has been not only ignorant, but also truly cruel on Ukraine. Refusing to hear what Ukrainians want and why they defend themselves and treating them like voiceless puppets. It's appalling. Raising a few bucks doesn't let him off the hook.
I expanded the points in the thread into the short piece below. This is the VDem trajectories in rule of law and control of corruption that illustrate Sandu's successful record. She took office in 2020.
www.policymagazine.ca/maia-sandus-...
www.policymagazine.ca/maia-sandus-...
September 30, 2025 at 12:29 AM
I expanded the points in the thread into the short piece below. This is the VDem trajectories in rule of law and control of corruption that illustrate Sandu's successful record. She took office in 2020.
www.policymagazine.ca/maia-sandus-...
www.policymagazine.ca/maia-sandus-...
Trying hard to moderate my Maia Sandu fangirling right now, but I gotta stress she's accomplished something no EEuropean reformist ever has: brought a fugitive oligarch back to face justice AND fended off massive Ru interference to win a referendum and two re-elections (parliamentary+presidential)!
September 29, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Trying hard to moderate my Maia Sandu fangirling right now, but I gotta stress she's accomplished something no EEuropean reformist ever has: brought a fugitive oligarch back to face justice AND fended off massive Ru interference to win a referendum and two re-elections (parliamentary+presidential)!
Lol. Makes this random interaction I had with him on Twitter a couple of days ago even funnier
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
September 27, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Lol. Makes this random interaction I had with him on Twitter a couple of days ago even funnier
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
My money is on the Ru diplomats 💯 lying here. They keep recycling the “we’re afraid of NATO, we think NATO is attacking us” lie because they know a segment of Western decision-makers will eat it up and try to “manage escalation” again.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
September 25, 2025 at 8:53 PM
My money is on the Ru diplomats 💯 lying here. They keep recycling the “we’re afraid of NATO, we think NATO is attacking us” lie because they know a segment of Western decision-makers will eat it up and try to “manage escalation” again.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Nothing to see here. He’ll probably swing back to pro-Ru propaganda soon. The pro-Ukrainian bipartisan consensus is stable, but Congress is weak and the admin is full of incompetents/pro-Ru. The resulting US policy of uneven, weak support coupled with wild rhetorical swings will likely continue
September 23, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Nothing to see here. He’ll probably swing back to pro-Ru propaganda soon. The pro-Ukrainian bipartisan consensus is stable, but Congress is weak and the admin is full of incompetents/pro-Ru. The resulting US policy of uneven, weak support coupled with wild rhetorical swings will likely continue
This is Ru’s Witkoff. A reminder that the Ru Orthodox Church is more of a state institution working to spread the policies of the Ru state domestically and abroad than a spiritual/religious institution
September 20, 2025 at 10:06 PM
This is Ru’s Witkoff. A reminder that the Ru Orthodox Church is more of a state institution working to spread the policies of the Ru state domestically and abroad than a spiritual/religious institution
I'm only annoying. Haven't graduated to mean.
September 20, 2025 at 9:26 PM
I'm only annoying. Haven't graduated to mean.
A new review of our book with @oxanashevel.bsky.social in @cjps-rcsp.bsky.social by @andreachandler.bsky.social . Since the review is behind a paywall, I thought I'd share this paragraph, which tells me we've achieved some of our goals. Thanks, Andrea!
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
September 16, 2025 at 12:00 AM
A new review of our book with @oxanashevel.bsky.social in @cjps-rcsp.bsky.social by @andreachandler.bsky.social . Since the review is behind a paywall, I thought I'd share this paragraph, which tells me we've achieved some of our goals. Thanks, Andrea!
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
They made the headline even worse. Seriously?? Did the Kremlin write this?
September 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
They made the headline even worse. Seriously?? Did the Kremlin write this?
As often, Reuters minimizes and normalizes Ru aggression. Poland and NATO did war things, the Ru drone just peacefully exists.
September 10, 2025 at 11:27 AM
As often, Reuters minimizes and normalizes Ru aggression. Poland and NATO did war things, the Ru drone just peacefully exists.
He definitely isn’t sui generis but let’s hope he does enough damage that Ru’s imperialist effort collapses soon, at least temporarily. I always go back to this genius cartoon— my hope is it falls off the ball asap. preview.redd.it/bearly-on-to...
September 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
He definitely isn’t sui generis but let’s hope he does enough damage that Ru’s imperialist effort collapses soon, at least temporarily. I always go back to this genius cartoon— my hope is it falls off the ball asap. preview.redd.it/bearly-on-to...
Ha. Here’s an example of the same ridiculousness but leftistly
September 4, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Ha. Here’s an example of the same ridiculousness but leftistly
The latest ignorant, lazy, recycled take. Allison says this several times a year. Stop already.
August 31, 2025 at 10:31 PM
The latest ignorant, lazy, recycled take. Allison says this several times a year. Stop already.
Groundhog day. Trump's cycle: hear Ru demands, try to impose them on Ukraine, blame Ukraine viciously, scold Ru softly, then threaten to walk away. He should do it already--end the useless Ru coddling he calls diplomacy and, if he's not going to help Ukraine, just walk away.
August 29, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Groundhog day. Trump's cycle: hear Ru demands, try to impose them on Ukraine, blame Ukraine viciously, scold Ru softly, then threaten to walk away. He should do it already--end the useless Ru coddling he calls diplomacy and, if he's not going to help Ukraine, just walk away.
Loud and clear: Ru’s goal in these “negotiations” is Ukrainian surrender (demilitarization and end of sovereignty), which Ru has failed to achieve militarily since 2022. Eternal shame on everyone who pretends that Ru wants anything less and can be reasoned with.
August 28, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Loud and clear: Ru’s goal in these “negotiations” is Ukrainian surrender (demilitarization and end of sovereignty), which Ru has failed to achieve militarily since 2022. Eternal shame on everyone who pretends that Ru wants anything less and can be reasoned with.
The excuses Westerners make for Ru society’s consistent/broad support for the attempted conquest of Ukraine are endless! After « they don’t know the truth » and « they are afraid of repression », we now have « they have to make a living ».
August 24, 2025 at 4:12 PM
The excuses Westerners make for Ru society’s consistent/broad support for the attempted conquest of Ukraine are endless! After « they don’t know the truth » and « they are afraid of repression », we now have « they have to make a living ».
Something like this
August 21, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Something like this