Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social)

Author of Public Sphere newsletter: Freelance Journalist reporting on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe. [email protected].

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

I have a new feature @CJR on the battle over Poland's public broadcaster.

"Poland’s fight over public broadcasting offers a window into the question of whether institutions commandeered by populists can ever go back to normal." https://t.co/TDvT2OALC9

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

Shots fired.

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

The pivotal actor in these negotiations are the Europeans. They can send Ukraine 140 billion Euros interest-free so it can survive, or accede to a plan wherein the U.S. gets a cut of the Russian assets, for some reason https://t.co/zlueoV8xQX

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

And now the air raid sirens are going off in Kyiv.

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

The scenes coming from #Sednaya are haunting — this wasn’t just a prison & torture center, it was a concentration camp. A true horror.

Mountains of bodies. Rooms full of disposed clothes & shoes. Skeletons. Bodies partially destroyed by acid.

[PEN Ukraine @PenUkraine]

@INDEX_Ukraine launches the Victoria Amelina Fellowship for writers from Ukraine and abroad in partnership with PEN Ukraine. The Fellowship will take place in Amelina’s native city of Lviv to honour her memory and carry on the ethos of her work.

🔗https://t.co/5me53yszbj

[Shane Harris @shaneharris]

When the first thing you say about your CIA pick is what a great job he did going after your political opponents... This is a signal. Get ready.

[DW Politics @dw_politics]

BREAKING: Germany is expected to hold early elections on February 23.

The governing SPD and the opposition CDU/CSU parliamentary groups have reportedly agreed on the date. It comes after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition.

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

Last month, Trump's incoming NSA, Mike Waltz, told @NPRinskeep that the U.S. can "take the handcuffs off" Ukraine's long-range weapons. It would be ironic if Biden let Trump make this much-delayed decision for him. https://t.co/3lD7OuWN7T

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

Because there weren't State Dept officials on this call, the Kremlin can deny it happened. https://t.co/adPr4m6e86

[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty @RFERL]

The Kremlin has denied media reports of a phone call between U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that the reports were "completely false." https://t.co/V8Ht0vYEJJ

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

Looking forward to discussing the Georgian elections this Wednesday w/a great panel. Register here: https://t.co/V00FPdCKO3

[n-ost @n_ost]

n-ost Kitchen Talks - a monthly live series bringing together journalists, experts & the public to discuss Europe's media landscape. More info and upcoming talks: https://t.co/jk3mx40svB

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

Trump talked about this over and over on the campaign trail; it will happen. https://t.co/40kdvMsNWz

[Anton Barbashin @ABarbashin]

Pro-Palestinian mob harassing a Ukrainian refugee. Demanding to show his passport.

[Bojan Pancevski @bopanc]

West EU in 2024: Antisemitic pogrom in Amsterdam proudly broadcast o social media.
Jews have been unsafe in many west-EU nations with mass Muslim migration and now it’s organised violence on the streets.
Not in Eastern Europe though, by irony of history (and lack of migration)

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

Same, seeing a lot of "the thing I warned about was right!"

[Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum]

No, I am not going to write about what Harris should have done, and pretend that my personal biases/preferences have some kind of universal significance

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

Americans have the right to assemble and speak freely and to read and write whatever we like. It's up to us to use them.

https://t.co/wCxICoGuJk

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

Trump: The Threat We Face (link in thread)

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

Now, one of the only things standing between the U.S. and the kind of competitive authoritarianism that has flourished in places like Hungary and Georgia are the very rights enshrined by the U.S. Constitution, especially under the First Amendment.

[Luke Johnson (ljohnson.bsky.social) @johnson]

This should be a wake-up call to people who think that the Kremlin wants peace and de-escalation.

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

Exclusive: Russia plotted to put incendiary devices on passenger or cargo planes bound for the U.S. and Canada, Western security officials say https://t.co/6pyzcszkL3

[Baltimore Sun Guild ☀️ @baltsunguild]

The Letter to the Editor that the Baltimore Sun won't publish: