Barbershop Whispers ... Russia

All things Russia with a focus on Russian geopolitics, domestic politics, and business.

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

In this week’s BWA, the Venezuela Experiment. Three phases of reconstruction and assets in play, security services pieces moving, and collaboration with US forces.
https://t.co/2fr46RSstn

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

IN this week's Barbershop Whipsers...Russia; wartime agriculture and Crimea. Russia is one of the World’s largest grain exporters. How is the agro-industrial sector faring in this chaotic war environment of fuel and fertilizer shortages? What does Russian-occupied Crimea tell us about Russian agriculture?
https://t.co/1egZM8LTdA

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

In this week’s BWR: Smoke on the Neva: a struggling wartime economy that the Kremlin does its best to portray as a center of stability and an investment-grade opportunity. Ukraine made its presence felt as well — physically, with drones over St. Petersburg, and economically, in the damage beneath the spectacle. Dima, can you hear the nostalgic Blackmore tune in the background? This is not Montreux. https://t.co/aLi4aZwbfO

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

In this week’s BWA, I discuss Cuba’s stack of sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt and the impact of the Odious Doctrine, the newly signed US Presidential Order 14404, and the Paris and London Clubs. Where is the money? Who will collect money or worthless paper?https://t.co/HAawPQ7fBn

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

In this week’s BWR, I discuss the emergence of Russia’s Asian energy network. By land and by sea, from Siberia to Shanghai and through the Northern Sea, a Russian energy distribution system is taking shape in Asia. Will Power of Siberia 2 be added to the network?

https://t.co/iZAl40TscM

[Brian McDonald @BrianMcDonaldIE]

Meanwhile, in Moscow’s Park Druzhby, a man being chased by an extremely aggressive duck after getting a little too close to the ducklings 😭

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

The EU–Mercosur agreement goes live on 1 May 2026. It has created a consumer market of 780 million people and a free trade zone with an estimated GDP of €24 trillion. The EU has stepped up its game for resources and influence in South America, and Mercosur members have taken control of their own destiny. How will this affect the great power competition for resources – the US, China, Russia, and now the EU – in South America?
https://t.co/wQh4HbK3lo

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

This week’s BWR, I am taking a break from the serious to dive into the very serious. Komsomolskaya Pravda (KP) conducted and published two séances in sixteen days. What did the spirits of Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Vladimir Lenin have to say to the world? Did KP open a permanent hotline to the other side? Two Vladimirs down, one medium on retainer, and a 100-ruble offering that barely covers a dollar. At this rate, should Dzerzhinsky, Beria, and Prigozhin expect to be summoned? What about Baba Vanga and Alan Chumak? Is this the revival of political messaging wrapped in mystic journalism?
https://t.co/aLOSgz529s

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

The EU–Mercosur agreement goes live on 1 May 2026. It has created a consumer market of 780 million people and a free trade zone with an estimated GDP of €24 trillion. The EU has stepped up its game for resources and influence in South America, and Mercosur members have taken control of their own destiny. How will this affect the great power competition for resources – the US, China, Russia, and now the EU – in South America?

https://t.co/p4hjhK1wmS

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

From Yuri Gagarin to the Artemis space crew – to boldly go where no man has gone before. Spacefaring has expanded beyond the US and Russia. Newcomers have rapidly entered the Race to the Moon 2.0 – China, India, Europe, and a host of other countries. The Russian space program has much to offer beyond its legacy and past achievements, but can it deliver, and with whom? What challenges does Roscosmos face in this new era of the Race to the Moon 2.0?

https://t.co/8wwFYq9l9S

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

The Kremlin is building a sovereign digital garden that operates independently from the global network. Justified by national security—whether real or perceived—it is being developed, with the Russian government’s super-app MAX leading the effort. The economic costs of this move will be significant.

https://t.co/aYVh7EOpQ2

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

The Cuban government’s oscillation between loosening and tightening restrictions on small businesses acts as a tool for alleviating economic and social pressure during tough times. After decades of inconsistent private sector policies, the surviving and glowing ambers of capitalism might finally ignite into a wildfire in Cuba. Watch this space.
https://t.co/iYDezWzf5B

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

Love this!!

[Brian McDonald @BrianMcDonaldIE]

A lot of people are asking for the full Yanis Varoufakis track, and here it is: ‘Kis-Kis Fakis’ by DJ Sasha Melior.

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

Russian LNG producers are spending billions in capital on infrastructure, expanding their Asian presence. They will work around Western sanctions, use domestic technology substitution, and outsource critical equipment to China.
https://t.co/b3fLtDp7pK

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

In this week’s Barbershop Whispers...Russia, the winners and losers from the impact of two ongoing wars reshaping the world’s energy markets remain uncertain. Russia is well-positioned to benefit from the broken and shifting energy supply chains, while Europe and the Arab Gulf states’ prospects do not look promising. And what’s this about the transfer of drone technology to Iran?

https://t.co/E5Sq54RZjW

[Barbershop Whispers ... Russia @BarberWhispers]

Today is the debut launch of Barbershop Whispers…Las Améяicas.
The Cuban regime's collapse has been predicted for 67 years. So why is this time different? Because a perfect storm of factors has come together to isolate the regime more than ever before in its history. How will the people with the guns and money—the Uncle Sam and the Cuban regime—manage Cuban political and economic change?
https://t.co/kGy0bVJqiG