Sasha Schlichter

With BBC World Service since '92. Currently writing and editing news stories, reporting. Into films, music, tennis, dogs. Views my own, not my employers'.

[Михайло Подоляк @Podolyak_M]

Russia is trying to sell the world on the idea that the occupation of part of Ukraine is a path to peace. But this kind of blackmail through violence can become endless. Today it is “give this up,” tomorrow it will be “give that up,” or else there will be war. Ukraine, on the other hand, wants to speak the language of law. Let us take bilateral agreements, border delimitation maps, international obligations. Show us where they justify the seizure of territory as a result of an aggressive war.

A public discussion is needed at the level of leaders. It is needed primarily for the global audience, for the Global South, which wants to base its judgments on facts. Let the Russian side explain on what legal grounds the use of force should be granted legal recognition. Let the Ukrainian side clearly outline the legal mechanisms for the reintegration of temporarily occupied territories, citizen representation, and security guarantees.

Any process that began with an invasion must end with the aggressor being held accountable. Appeasement will only pave the way for new ultimatums.

[Sasha Schlichter @sashkin3]

@Kasparov63 Да да. Вчера я запостил. Классный снимок

[EU Made Simple @EU_Made_Simple]

She shared that she’s spoken with European leaders, assuring Georgians that Europe stands with them. As investigations continue, she called for evidence collection to prove electoral fraud. “I will stay with you to the end on this European path,” she pledged. Opposition leaders are expected to outline their next steps. #GeorgiaElections

[Reuters @Reuters]

LIVE: Opposition supporters protest Georgia's disputed election results https://t.co/vrzoHtMpFw

[Steve Rosenberg @BBCSteveR]

In one Russian newspaper today its chief editor urges Russia to “…stop believing the idea Russia’s greatness depends on unity with Ukraine” & wonders if “a new international framework for peaceful coexistence can be created not on the ruins of a World War III.” #ReadingRussia

[Sasha Schlichter @sashkin3]

When you’re the ref and your yellow card falls out of your pocket 😂😂😂 #EURO2024

[Sasha Schlichter @sashkin3]

@haveigotnews 😱😱😱😱

[Sasha Schlichter @sashkin3]

@maegdi Could be normal. News is funny on iPlayer. Sometimes 24 hour expiry

[Tatiana Stanovaya @Stanovaya]

Below is a brief description of Prigozhin's mutiny and the factors that contributed to its outcome. We, as observers, initially missed important details due to the scarcity of information and lack of time for in-depth analysis. Here's the perspective that currently seems most plausible:

1️⃣ Prigozhin's rebellion wasn't a bid for power or an attempt to overtake the Kremlin. It arose from a sense of desperation; Prigozhin was forced out of Ukraine and found himself unable to sustain Wagner the way he did before, while the state machinery was turning against him. To top it off, Putin was ignoring him and publicly supporting his most dangerous adversaries.

2️⃣ Prigozhin's objective was to draw Putin's attention and to impose a discussion about conditions to preserve his activities - a defined role, security, and funding. These weren't demands for a governmental overthrow; they were a desperate bid to save the enterprise, hoping that Prigozhin's merits in taking Bakhmut (that's why he needed it!) would be taken into account and the concerns would catch Putin's serious attention. Now it appears that these merits helped Prigozhin to get out of this crisis alive, but without a political future in Russia (at least while Putin is in power).

3️⃣ Prigozhin was caught off-guard by Putin's reaction and found himself unprepared to assume the role of a revolutionary. He also wasn't prepared for the fact that Wagner was about to reach Moscow where his only option remained - to "take the Kremlin" - an action that would inevitably result in him and his fighters being eradicated.

4️⃣ Those in the elites who were able reached out to Prigozhin with offers to surrender. This likely added to his sense of impending doom. However, I don't believe any high-level negotiations took place. Lukashenko presented Prigozhin with a Putin-endorsed offer to retreat on the condition that Prigozhin would leave Russia and Wagner would be dissolved.

5️⃣ I don't think Prigozhin was in a position to make demands (such as the resignation of Shoigu or Gerasimov - something many observers expect today. If that happens, it will be due to another reason.) After Putin's address in the morning of June 24th, Prigozhin's primary concern was to find an off-ramp. The situation would have led to inevitable death in merely a few hours. It is possible that Putin has promised him safety on the condition that Prigozhin remains quietly in Belarus.

I stand by my previous assertion that Putin and the state have been dealt a severe blow (which will have significant repercussions for the regime). However, I want to emphasize that image has always been a secondary concern for Putin. Setting optics aside, Putin objectively resolved the Wagner and Prigozhin problem by dissolving the former and expelling the latter. The situation would have been far worse if it had culminated in a bloody mess in the outskirts of Moscow.

And no, Putin doesn't need Wagner or Prigozhin. He can manage with his own forces. He's now certainly convinced of that.
I will disclose many more details in my bulletin to be issued tomorrow evening.

[Sasha Schlichter @sashkin3]

@karaswisher your HBO Succession Podcast is a true treat. Listened to every episode in parallel with watching the series. Any chance of inviting Nicholas Britell whose sublime music surely is just as important a character? 💜

[Sasha Schlichter @sashkin3]

@Calvbetton shocking grammar and spelling

[Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof]

Eyewitnesses post on social media footage of what appears to be a Ukrainian multiple suicide-drone attack on the Dzhankoy railway junction in northern Crimea.

[BBC Radio London Travel @BBCTravelAlert]

#Hendon Southbound #A41 Watford Way is queueing into the roadworks at Station Rd

[Charles Lister @Charles_Lister]

NEW -- #Germany's Chancellor Sholz plans to announce the delivery of Leopard tanks to #Ukraine.

Breakthrough, at last.

via @vonderburchard

[Brendan May @bmay]

Nadine’s new career is going as well as her last one. Oh my god.

[@eliothiggins.bsky.social @EliotHiggins]

Ever wonder how Russian cruise missiles find their way into Ukrainian playgrounds, power stations, and apartment buildings? Well thanks to @bellingcat’s @christogrozev wonder no more. It’s time to meet the team behind the targeting of Russian missiles on civilian infrastructure.

[Steve Rosenberg @BBCSteveR]

In today’s #ReadingRussia, how to interpret General Surovikin's comments on Ukraine? Plus, one Russian paper today says mobilisation is becoming “a social, psychological, economic and, potentially, political problem.”

[Nick Robinson @bbcnickrobinson]

He came to praise the Prime Minister but buried her economic strategy. @Jeremy_Hunt on @BBCr4today

[Anders Åslund @anders_aslund]

I see very little about what is going on in Moscow, only from GUR. Can somebody help?
1. Is the center of Moscow closed to traffic (happens often for all kinds of reasons)?
2. Do we know anything about arrests of top military?
3. If so, who is arresting?

[Rikhard Husu @RikhardHusu]

Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin was asked about a potential off-ramp for Russia to end the war in Ukraine. Her reply: