Margarita Assenova

Author, Political Analyst @JamestownTweets Book: Eurasian Disunion: Russia’s Vulnerable Flanks (2016). Proud to be on Russia’s sanctions list.

[Margarita Assenova @M_Assenova]

@melindaharing @LindseyGrahamSC A huge loss for everyone who supports Ukraine and European security. Senator Graham had no illusions about the danger of militant Russian imperialism and used his tremendous influence in foreign policy to help those suffering under Moscow’s aggression.

[Saint Javelin @saintjavelin]

A stork appeared during the farewell of a Ukrainian defender.

We hear this a lot in Ukraine - people say storks often show up at funerals, especially for fallen soldiers.

I’m not someone who believes in signs, but it’s hard to ignore how symbolic it feels. A bird that represents life showing up at a goodbye.

Video: tetjana1783/TikTok

[Anton Gerashchenko @Gerashchenko_en]

Sean Penn missed the Oscars ceremony where he received an Oscar, and went to Ukraine instead.

Thank you for standing with Ukraine, Sir! Congratulations!

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

Today marks exactly four years since Putin started his three-day push to take Kyiv. And that says a great deal about our resistance, about how Ukraine has fought all this time. Behind those words stand millions of our people, immense courage, incredibly hard work, endurance, and the long path Ukraine has been pursuing since February 24.

Looking back at the beginning of the invasion and reflecting on today, we have every right to say: we have defended our independence, we have not lost our statehood; Putin has not achieved his goals. He has not broken Ukrainians; he has not won this war. We have preserved Ukraine, and we will do everything to secure peace and justice. Glory to Ukraine!

[Margarita Assenova @M_Assenova]

Putin terribly afraid that his empire will start collapsing very soon. He needs a peace deal more than Ukraine needs it. Continuing to sell oil for $36/b will lead to an imminent economy collapse followed by a state collapse.

[Kateryna Lisunova @KaterynaLis]

Putin has once again threatened to start a full scale war with all Europe, saying there would be nothing left of it if he did. He’s now implying that his 11-year war against Ukraine isn’t a failed attempt to conquer a sovereign neighboring country — it’s only because they ‘haven’t even started a real war yet.’ (Yeah, right. Tell that to the 1,175,030 Russian soldiers killed and wounded. 😏) But what is clear is this: it’s not how a country that claims to be willing to negotiate talks.

PUTIN: “They're on the side of war. Even when they try to make changes to Trump's proposal, we see clearly what's happening. All these changes aim to block the peace process, by putting forward demands that are absolutely unacceptable for Russia. They understand this and want to blame Russia for derailing the peace process. That's their goal. We see this clearly. We don't intend to fight with Europe. I've said this a hundred times. But if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and starts, we're ready right now. With Ukraine, we're acting surgically, carefully sor pf speaking... But it's clear, right? This isn't war in the direct, modern sense of the word. If Europe suddenly wants to start a war with us, a situation could quickly arise where we have no one left to negotiate with”.

Traditional disclaimer: Russia has violated every agreement it has ever signed, and most statements made public by Russian officials aren’t true.

[JGinCO @jgarner303]

@AmbBridgetBrink

[Bridget Brink @AmbBridgetBrink]

I served as our Ambassador in Ukraine for 3 years under Putin’s missiles and drones but resigned when Trump kept appeasing Putin. America does not bow to dictators. It’s not who we are.

Here's why this Trump-Putin so-called "peace plan" is a disaster:

[Lucas Sanders 👊🏽🔥🇺🇸 @LucasSa56947288]

WOW! President Zelensky has officially REJECTS Donald Trump’s Peace Deal.

RETWEET to thank Zelenskyy! 🇺🇦

[Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸✈️🏍️⭐️🎖️ @RepDonBacon]

President Trump’s plan to force Ukraine to give up more territory, to cut its Army by more than half, to never join NATO nor let foreign troops in its territory is an abomination. Freedom loving Americans must tell the President that we reject the worst appeasement seen since 1938. The Russians said they respected Ukraines sovereignty and boundaries in 1994. What makes President Trump think we can now trust Putin? This agreement weakens Ukraine and leaves them vulnerable to new Russian invasions in the years to come.

[Timothy Snyder @TimothyDSnyder]

We have a US administration trying to bully Ukrainians into accepting Russia’s proposal that their sovereignty be undone. Aside from the naked injustice of this, there are five basic practical reasons why it would make the world far more dangerous
(video)
https://t.co/rjEjEXZyd0

[Senator Roger Wicker @SenatorWicker]

This so-called ‘peace plan’ has real problems, and I am highly skeptical it will achieve peace. Ukraine should not be forced to give up its lands to one of the world’s most flagrant war criminals in Vladimir Putin. The size and disposition of Ukraine’s armed forces is a sovereign choice for its government and people. And any assurances provided to Putin should not reward his malign behavior or undermine the security of the United States or allies. In particular, any suggestion that we can pursue arms control with a serial liar and killer like Putin should be treated with great skepticism.

[Klitschko @Klitschko]

This isn’t a peace plan. It’s a surrender plan.
Imperial russia gets land for its crimes.
Ukraine gets promises, like the security guarantees of 1994, written in disappearing ink.
We don’t need 28 points.
We need one point: russia Go home!

[Carl Bildt @carlbildt]

The 24 points presented by White House 🇺🇸 to 🇺🇦 for agreement with 🇷🇺 is a collection of the shameful, the naive and the absurd. https://t.co/CBmpxYPkP3

[Christopher Miller @ChristopherJM]

BREAKING: President Zelenskyy addressed Ukrainians from outside his presidencial office in Kyiv and told them the county is facing “one of the most difficult moments in our history” as its biggest ally presses it into a deal with the nation that has fought to destroy it for 11 years. 

“Now the pressure on Ukraine is one of the most difficult. Now Ukraine may find itself facing a very difficult choice - either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner. Either [the Trump administration] 28 points, or an extremely difficult winter, the most difficult and further risks. Life without freedom, without dignity, without justice and for us to believe the one who has attacked twice already. They will expect an answer from us.”

[🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 @front_ukrainian]

❗️RETWEET if you stand with President 🇺🇦Zelensky!

[olexander scherba🇺🇦 @olex_scherba]

Ukrainian commentator Vitaly Chepynoga just wrote this today. Resonated with me.

“Morning Kyiv after enemy strikes reminds me of London during the Second World War. Why? The people. The atmosphere of solidarity, mutual compassion, and brotherhood.

Of course, I was never actually in that wartime London, but that’s the impression I got from books and films — the London of Kate Atkinson, Ian McEwan, and Joe Wright.

I think the British didn’t have it any easier than we do now. Hitler had half the continent as allies (Italy, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia) plus Japan… and the USSR (until 1941). And there was no “coalition of the willing.”

Among Britain’s allies was France but they didn’t feel like fighting. Go into any church in Brittany, Normandy, or Provence — on the walls you’ll see the names of villagers or townspeople who died in the First World War. And not much mention of the Second World War. As if it never happened…

There was also America. Geopolitics as we know it simply didn’t exist yet, and the US had not yet become the world’s democracy policeman. The war didn’t concern Americans. Churchill travelled to Roosevelt begging for help, and Roosevelt yawned and said, “Somehow it’ll work out, it’s all God’s will.” And he would have gone on yawning if it wasn’t for Pearl Harbor.

They had almost nothing to fight with. In his book about Churchill, Boris Johnson writes that among the “creative” ideas were dropping ploughs and harrows on German farmers from planes… or building a giant aircraft carrier out of an iceberg… rather desperate ideas, to put it mildly.

There were no “Patriots” either, or at least not in the way we imagine. Historians say Hitler would have had the atomic bomb by late 1946. He just didn’t quite make it. No nuclear deterrence. The bombs the Americans dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were built mostly by German brains and German hands. Bombs and philosophy — that’s German. Everyone else are just imitators.

Yet somehow, against all odds, they held on and won. They believed in themselves. We believe in ourselves too. We argue, swear, curse each other — but we believe.

For me, the greatest miracle of this war is faith. On the morning of 24 February 2022, when Russian tanks were rolling through Ukraine at cruising speed, every single one of us was absolutely certain that we would win. With no rational grounds whatsoever. Faith is something that needs no proof and no matériel.

On 25 February I went out into the street in my village to see if the Russian tanks had arrived yet. And I saw yellow-and-blue flags flying over every single house and every yard.

Our whole generation was raised on the historical aesthetics of Yegorov and Kantaria — the flag over the Reichstag, and Levitan’s voice announcing “unconditional surrender.”
That’s not how it will be this time. The world is no longer the same. Since 1945, not a single war in the world has ended with “unconditional surrender.” Every war has ended with “something.” Our war will also end with something, somehow.

But we have already won. No, I’m not some pink-unicorn idiot. I’m fully aware of where we are right now and how difficult everything is. But from the perspective of history — we have won. This is the most important era in the entire history of Ukraine, and we are the ones who get to live through it. We should’ve no longer existed. Yet we do!

No, we will not rejoice in victory, because it won’t be the kind of victory we wanted. Our victory will not be visible to the naked eye. Only decades from now will people write books and monographs titled “Ukraine’s Invisible Victory.”

#StandWithUkraine

[Margarita Assenova @M_Assenova]

Press Release – In Memoriam: Janusz Bugajski (1954–2025) https://t.co/NHyJcA5unv

[Margarita Assenova @M_Assenova]

In loving memory of my beloved husband. A great mind, a fighter for freedom and justice, a remarkable human being - we will miss him forever...

[Milo Đukanović @DjukanovicCG]

The news about the sudden death of Janusz Bugajski deeply saddened his Montenegrin friends and everyone who respects his work.

One of the most eminent global thinkers has left us. His brilliant analyses always shed a strong light on political trends at the turn of the century, indicating to the Euro-Asian societies in transitions how important it is to achieve democracy, human rights and media freedoms. And in that, he particularly focused on us in the Balkans. His objective views about the situation in the region were always respected in the important centres in Washington.

We in Montenegro remain grateful for the support he provided to the turns and processes that led to restoration of our independence and for the affirmation of our country.

Sincere condolences to the family of Janusz Bugajski.

[Janusz Bugajski @JBugajskiUSA]

Russia Future Watch – IV. Growing Rifts Between Moscow and Dagestan https://t.co/CwFdF0M2aU