Charlie Hancock

Moscow Times opinion editor Charlie Hancock discusses the challenges of commissioning commentary on Russia amid the war in Ukraine — Meduza Opinion journalism on Russia has become a high-stakes enterprise since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, shaped by audiences sharply divided by politics and geography. At the center…

How do you commission opinion journalism on Russia during the war in Ukraine? The Naked Pravda spoke with Moscow Times opinion editor @hancock2001.bsky.social about the challenges that now define the job.
meduza.io/en/episodes/...

What Do Russians Have to Look Forward to in 2026? - The Moscow Times Opinion | Ksenia* is a dear friend and an admirable person.

#OpEd I recently asked a Russian friend what her hopes for the future were. "No plans. Only December," she said, recalls a writer in Russia.

I don't use this site often because, as unwieldy as the other-place is, it's still better set up for news.

But it's interesting that 90% of the engagement I've had for the past month is from obvious bots that don't even pretend not to be Russian anymore.

Oliver Moody's "Baltic: The future of Europe."

Keir Giles' "Who will defend Europe?" is also very good. And if you want to read more about how Britain dismantled its civil defence infrastructure, Julie McDowall's "Attack warning red" is great

If anyone at Yale or BYU wants to get in touch to talk about how your university is handling being banned in Russia, my DMs are open

Sigh

As if you needed more evidence of the cult of masculinity in Russia, Elena here is complaining that her "Z" cat decoration came without any bollocks

Not to mention that Russia no longer even makes Tu-22M3s and Tu-95s. So even if these jets hadn't been turned into a pile of rubble, what would you repair them with?

Sure, dude

I spent a few days this week at an airbase in the northern 🇳🇱, talking with fighter pilots and military planners about NATO's largest air exercise, practicing how to respond to a Russian attack (or any other adversary).

I also got up-close with the jets, but not in the cockpit

All Out on the Eastern Front #7: Protests in Istanbul; Estonia tightens voting law; fighting for VoA YouTube video by All Out on the Eastern Front

After a brief illness-induced pause, @ekesa.bsky.social and I are back with stories from 🇹🇷, 🇪🇪, 🇬🇪 and 🇦🇿, joined by @Turkova , talking about her experiences of tightening media freedom in Russia and the US.

Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWnP...

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4o6l...

Playing for Time: What the Kremlin Wants in New Talks with the U.S. on Ukraine - The Moscow Times As high-level delegations from the U.S. and Russia arrive in Saudi Arabia for the second round of bilateral talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, Moscow’s envoys will have one goal on their mind: ...

In Moscow, officials believe that Washington — which doesn’t view the exact dividing lines as a major priority — will pressure Kyiv to concede even more territory than Russia has been able to seize by force. www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/03/23/p...

Kremlin Accountability for MH17 is Essential for a Credible Peace - The Moscow Times Opinion | The trust between a parent and child is unparalleled, built on natural affection and honesty.

#OpEd If Russia won't take responsibility for killing of MH17's 298 passengers, we can't trust them to ensure peace in Ukraine, argues Sander van Luik, whose brother Klaas Willem was killed when the plane was shot down.

Kremlin Fears Trump-Zelensky Clash Could Harm Its Shot at a Grand Bargain - The Moscow Times The Kremlin is increasingly worried that the emerging rift between the U.S. and Ukraine could derail a potential agreement between Washington and Moscow, The Moscow Times’ sources say.  As U.S.

The Kremlin worries that a potential deal with the U.S. to secure its control over Ukraine, restore diplomatic ties, lift sanctions and launch joint resource development could be derailed by the Trump-Zelensky clash, @kozlov.bsky.social reports.

Trump Is Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Russian Oligarchs - The Moscow Times Opinion | For years, so-called golden visas have been one of the favored tools of the crooked and corrupt around the world.

#OpEd While the rest of the world is shutting the door to the corrupt super-rich, President Donald Trump is welcoming them in, warns @cjcmichel.bsky.social.

Thank you. Some of the regulars I met said that the restrictions on movement in the main hotel are new. There are still ways to mingle at side events, thankfully

A Journalist's-Eye View of the Munich Security Conference 50 heads of state, 150 ministers, and hundreds of experts and journalists. Here's an insider's view of what it is like to report from the world's largest gathering of political and military leaders.

For Crisis Europa, I wrote a little something about what it is like to be an on-the-ground reporter at the Munich Security Conference.

Throughout my time at the #MunichSecurityConference I was struck by two narratives: the pessimism of many delegates that Washington was abandoning a complacent Europe and 🇺🇦 to Russia’s whims, and the insistence from 🇪🇺 leaders that talks were more productive than many assumed

Another report from the #MunichSecurityConference #MSC2025

Scholz, at #MSC2025 said that Germany cannot spend more on defence by cutting in other areas as the citizens would be against it.

@ecfr.eu actually asked exactly that question, and 40% of Germans (against 36%) say they would want more money for defence even if it meant cutting spending elsewhere.

A foreign service employee tells me their team can no longer access Politico, NYT or Bloomberg -- even though they have paid subscriptions to all of them.

"It is critical to our jobs" to have this access, says this employee.

My report from the #MunichSecurityConference #MSC2025

No U.S. Peacekeepers to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Hegseth Says - The Moscow Times BRUSSELS – U.S.

Trump’s defense secretary also said it was “unrealistic” to expect that Ukraine could return to its pre-2014 borders and urged European NATO members to end their dependency on Washington for security.

Russia Releases U.S. Prisoner After Talks With Trump Envoy The Kremlin freed Marc Fogel, a teacher held for more than three years on drug charges, in a deal negotiated by Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy.

Breaking News: Russia released a U.S. prisoner — a teacher who was arrested on charges of bringing medical marijuana into Russia in August 2021 — as part of a deal negotiated by President Trump’s Middle East envoy. The terms of the exchange were unclear.

ICYMI, you can follow @themoscowtimes.com’s reporters and editors on Bluesky too:

@leylalatypova.bsky.social
@macktubs.bsky.social
@hancock2001.bsky.social
@nedgarvey.bsky.social
@kozlov.bsky.social

All Out on the Eastern Front #2: Protests in Slovakia; Georgia; Moldovan energy deal; Poland vs. ECJ YouTube video by All Out on the Eastern Front

My friend Katya, who is half-Georgian half-Ukrainian, has started a podcast that will focus on the news, politics, and events in countries we sometimes call "Eastern Europe"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5WW...

@hancock2001.bsky.social and I have a podcast now! :)

Thanks Dalibor -- you were great!

All Out on the Eastern Front #2: Protests in Slovakia (cont.); human trafficking in Georgia; Moldovan energy deal; Poland vs. ECJ All Out on the Eastern Front · Episode

What a joy to discuss Slovakia, Fico's career and his unhinged conspiracy mongering with the brilliant @ekesa.bsky.social & @hancock2001.bsky.social! open.spotify.com/episode/3ppO...

Washington Has Given Up the Fight Against Kleptocrats. Here’s What Democracies Should Do - The Moscow Times Opinion | On Feb. 6, new U.S.

The US government has now gutted all of the tools created to fight kleptocracy. It's going to be up to other democracies to save their political and financial systems from anonymous flows of cash.

www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/07/w...