Frans Geraedts

Philosopher, the english twitters, for the dutch see @fransgeraedtsnl

[Olga Rudenko @olya_rudenko]

Here’s the thing: If Mykhailo Fedorov was after personal gains, he would not be fighting to return to Defense Ministry.

He would ride this wave of protests to a solo political career. And yet you don’t see him doing that.

[Frans Geraedts @fransgeraedts]

@vtchakarova Triumvirate is it? Also since May? And Ukraine as a proxy war? And of course still no clue how to think Europe.

[Frans Geraedts @fransgeraedts]

@vtchakarova Grin. Back in may? A bit late? No? And how does this concept relate to the new cold war?

[Masih Alinejad @AlinejadMasih]

Iran’s regime just sentenced a 22-year-old rapper to death.

Not for murder. Not for terrorism. For slogans, dissent, for refusing to shut up. Simply for demanding freedom and protesting against oppression.

His name is Mehnam Navab-Safavi. He was arrested, forced to confess, denied a real trial, and now faces execution.

And somehow the international community still treats Iran’s rulers like difficult diplomats instead of what they are: executioners with embassies and good lobbyists in the West.

In the past two weeks alone, at least 50 protesters have reportedly had death sentences issued, upheld, or carried out.

So I call on all rappers, singers, celebrities who post ten slides about free speech, now please be his voice. Because this is free speech with a noose around its neck.

Please use your platform and demand that Iran’s regime stop the execution of Mehnam Navab-Safavi.

#SaveMehnamNavabSafavi #StopExecutionsInIran

[Tim @TimurNegru]

Took the Girona to Madrid train this morning, and I don't think I'll fly domestically in Spain again.

- 07:23 out of Girona, arrived Barcelona Sants 08:04 (right on the dot).
- 21 min connection in Sants. I would never risk that anywhere else (except maybe in Switzerland or Japan).
- 08:25 out of Barcelona, and we lost about 20 min on the way due to speed restrictions on the line. Renfe emailed me the new arrival time and arrived at Madrid Atocha at 11:38.
- €102.10 return. So €51 each way for 700km, city centre to city centre.
- AC, wifi (not the best of speeds though), and I booked a quiet carriage (best €0 upgrade).
- no need to come to the station 2 hours in advance. I arrived 15 mins before departure and had time to locate my platform and train.
- there's also a cafe on the train, in case you want to grab a coffee or snack (€7.20 for a sambo+coffee).

To fly this I'd have to get to El Prat first, do the whole airport thing, then Barajas into the centre. Around 6 hours door to door, a 4am alarm and for more money probably.

Btw, Spain has the biggest high speed network in Europe and the second biggest in the world after China. Once you use it properly, you can't go back.

Very impressed.

[Giorgi Revishvili @revishvilig]

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[Fabian Hoffmann @FRHoffmann1]

A lot of people would be very surprised to learn how many of these Ukraine has received since at least 2025.

Also, whether or not you think it was the right call, the Dutch government has been extremely effective at keeping deliveries of these missiles, and especially their scale, quiet for a very long time.

[Frans Geraedts @fransgeraedts]

@vtchakarova !

[Frans Geraedts @fransgeraedts]

@vtchakarova Grin. As you maybe know there are many political parties in the Netherlands. Two parties would fall under the category here vaguely described as politically correct. One of them has zero seats in parliament, the other three. “European parties nowadays”.

[Michiel Driebergen @3Bergen]

Draad over vervolg middellange-afstands-aanvallen #Oekraïne. Indrukwekkende resultaten.

[Jeff2146🇧🇪 @Jeff21461]

🇺🇦 Taras Chmut, the head of the Come Back Alive Foundation, has proposed to the General Staff of Ukraine to perform an audit of all combat brigades and to disband the 30% lowest-ranking ones.

In an initial audit conducted by his team, he said that they found brigades that lacked fixed-wing ISR drones or that only had two Mavic crews for the entire brigade.

Whether or not the new general staff will go along with this proposal is unknown, and any reporting that this is a done deal is incorrect.

https://t.co/T3B9FVlDpq

[Frans Geraedts @fransgeraedts]

@mboudry @RogerPielkeJr This is a very stupid post. Yes, of course, heatwaves are already locked in for half a century -because we did not check the warming up earlier. Does that mean we should not do our utmost to prevent further heating up?

[Frans Geraedts @fransgeraedts]

@smoggy1536445 Indeed

[Frans Geraedts @fransgeraedts]

@BrankoMilan You should be ashamed of your self.

[Frans Geraedts @fransgeraedts]

@mobbs_mentality So 20% of the people on top of the professional army. Where do you see a problem?

[Frans Geraedts @fransgeraedts]

@Kasparov63 Labour movement? Across the democracies? Unions? Social democratic parties?

[Frans Geraedts @fransgeraedts]

@Strien9 I suspect that this is a false reading of what is happening. This is nothing new. It has been Fedorov’s position from the start. Other Ukrainian analysts have also pointed out that the other positions offered would lack a mandate.

[Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 @IAPonomarenko]

The situation surrounding the dismissal of General Syrsky should not be oversimplified as "some young hipsters went out into the center of Kyiv with cardboard signs and think they can just pick and change the commander-in-chief in wartime, what nonsense."

No, it's far from that simple, and this crisis did not come together a week ago.

Tension in the military and in society had been building for years. For years, indignation had been accumulating over numerous vicious practices in the army -- over rampant cronyism, despotism of command, chronic impunity, intrigues, the blocking of reforms and the advancement of young talented combat commanders, discontent over the thoughtless expenditure of soldiers' lives in senseless meat grinder assaults in the Russian style.

For not just one year, discontent had been building around abuses and cases of criminal violence connected with mobilization, and around attempts by Syrsky to create his own personal penal army, in the style of Russia's Wagner made up of loyal blockheads.

The intrigue surrounding the dismissal of Defense Minister Fedorov turned out to be merely the last straw.

And for years now, General Mykhailo Drapaty -- a highly respected combat officer in the military and a talented commander -- has been the man society has marked as a very promising next head of the armed forces, while the old generals' guard within the vicious army system put obstacles in his path and systematically undermined his advancement.

And most importantly, the overthrow of Syrsky and the support for Drapaty and Fedorov is not the decision of some bored hipsters in Kyiv coffee shops.

First and foremost, this is the initiative of people of the war: active-duty servicemen, veterans, heads of military charitable foundations, who are not afraid to break the silence, go public, and speak out, since they have earned, through their valor at war, enormous public attention and trust in every word they say.

Ukraine's active civil society listens first and foremost to their opinion.

I want to draw attention to the fact that the new "cardboard Maidan" around Syrsky is the initiative of combat veteran @deemasseek of Da Vinci Wolves whose call was answered by tens of thousands of young people across the country, and this led to the victory of common sense over suicidal tyranny.

[Frans Geraedts @fransgeraedts]

@zriboua You ascribe to an outdated classification causality.

[UNITED24 Media @United24media]

"My only ‘crime’ was that I am Crimean Tatar. I am Ukrainian, born in Crimea. And I refuse to take a Russian passport."

Leniie Umerova spent nearly two years in a Russian prison before turning 26.