Simone Peek

🐦

Worth noting that Lukashenko has allowed Russian troops to invade Ukraine from Belarus, has allowed Putin to transform Belarus into an extension of Russia's military base, and to launch missile strikes from Belarusian territory. He has granted Russia permission deploy nuclear-capable missiles, including the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, to Belarus.

If you’re looking for some good news, I’ve got some. Just two months ago, I was at the Hryshko Botanical Garden in Kyiv. The photographer and I had gone there to document the impact of Russian attacks on the power grid on the tropical plants. At the time, there were barrels of burning fuel right inside the greenhouse. And the staff were doing everything in their power, day and night, to keep the 50-year-old philodendrons, rare orchids, citrus trees, palms, bromeliads and cacti warm. I came back deeply moved and wrote that I hoped these plants would survive the winter. And someone commented under that post: ‘I hope we all survive it.’ So, yesterday at the opening of a photo exhibition on ecocide, which is being held in a room next to the greenhouse, I finally met its director. They did manage to save everything after all. She spoke gratefully of how many caring people had joined the fight against the cold. Some donated fuel, others generators. And finally, she took me to the garden with the azaleas. She says they’re blooming particularly beautifully this year, as if they were victors.

Dit gezoem en die klap, dat horen we in #Oekraïne dus al een jaar of drie.

Zojuist op het Radio 1 journaal. russische ambassadeur "Ik wil dat het stopt". Orgelman "Ja, dat willen wij ook". 😅🤣😂

Vier jaar na de Russische inval lijkt de rust in het Oekraïense Borodjanka schijn. 'Ze hebben ons leven gestolen.' Sterke repo door @SimonePeek. nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/02…

I never stop admiring my people. I just drove around my neighborhood in Bucha -12 C (10 F), a gray frozen sky, and a windy snowfall. There’s no electricity, which means no heating either (unless you have gas and can power an individual boiler from charging stations). And yet: The barbershop is open. The sushi bar is open. The pastry shop downstairs is open. The supermarket is fully running on a diesel generator and all the stores inside are working too. Paying with Apple Pay is, as always, no problem. People are sitting in cafes with laptops, working. It’s cold inside, so both staff and visitors are wearing coats and gloves, warming up with tea. Mobile service works. The internet works. Nova Poshta is operating, no delays with parcels at all. The car service around the corner is open too. The moral of the story: praise the modern capitalist economy, markets, international trade, technology, and plain human diligence (and of course, first and foremost, Ukraine’s defense forces). Because only thanks to all of that can you, in the rear during wartime -- under missile attacks, with the power grid and heating being destroyed, in the middle of an unusually brutal winter -- casually take five minutes to buy a hot pizza from a warming cabinet in a supermarket.

Наша Маша 🫶 @by_kalesnikava

Maria is free! For five years, we fought for Maria Kalesnikava’s freedom. I am deeply grateful to the 🇺🇸 administration and our European partners who worked tirelessly to secure her release. Maria is in a safe place, and we hope to hear from her soon.

Today is journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva’s 5th birthday in prison. She was jailed for doing her job & telling the truth. On this International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we honor her courage & demand freedom for her & all political prisoners in Belarus.

Oekraïne staat op het punt de Orthodoxe Kerk van Oekraïne te ontbinden. Waarom? Is er nog wel godsdienstvrijheid in Oekraïne? En waarom richt Poetin zich op de MAGA-beweging? @SimonePeek en ik doken in dit gevoelige thema. Vandaag @nrc nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/09…

#Belarus Don't get blindsided into thinking the regime is changing, liberalising. We've seen this game before: a cynical hostage-trading cycle to get concessions, funding, and legitimacy - with zero systemic change. Let's look at the latest cases ⬇️

De inzet van gevechtsvliegtuigen tegen drones toont dat de NAVO niet voorbereid was. ,,Jullie putten je helemaal uit als jullie elke keer dat de pet van de admiraal in het water waait, een vliegdekschip laten uitvaren voor de reddingsmissie". nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/09…

‼️🇺🇦 BIG NEWS - The Armed Forces of Ukraine have cleared the settlements of Shakhove and Volodymyrivka on the Pokrovsk front, in the Dobropillia direction, from Russian occupiers. 🔴 In the “pocket” of encircled red zone marked on the infographic map, Russian forces are trapped… There are confirmed cases of enemy units gradually surrendering, while those who chose to resist continue to be effectively destroyed. See the latest updates with us: @visionergeo

@ewaldeng @Padderstoel Ook wie dat stuk leest ziet dat 'Amerikaanse proxy-oorlog' kort door de bocht is. Kyiv moest verdedigen en klopte aan voor militaire hulp (die kwam). Daarbij trekt het geregeld eigen plan. Zeker geen willoze uitvoerder. Maar wel afhankelijk van Amerikaanse+EU steun.

@Padderstoel Inform yourself! nytimes.com/interactive/20… The Secret History of America’s Involvement in the Ukraine War - The New York Times

The stupid Dutch are going to finance the American proxy war ... the #trump effect with #rutte as the tribute collector

“Wie de afgelopen dagen de naam „Derk” in cyrillische letters op sociale media zocht, vond een stortvloed aan mijmeringen en lofzangen” nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/08…

Meer over Wims band met Paustovski is te lezen in dit artikel uit 2016 van @bertwagendorp volkskrant.nl/cultuur-media/…

Today’s rallies in defense of the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions in Kyiv. The funniest part is that Russian Z-fascists are watching it, rejoicing and rubbing their hands, thinking these rallies somehow bring Ukraine closer to collapse and defeat. While in reality, it’s precisely the fact that Ukraine’s civil society takes to the streets, protests, and keeps kicking its own government in the ass even during wartime -- this is one of the key fundamental reasons why this country broke free from Russian colonial subjugation, is carrying out difficult and painful reforms, reviving its identity and national pride, and has been resisting Russia’s power for twelve years already, including three and a half years of full-scale war. If not for this, among other things, Ukraine would’ve ceased to exist long ago. This is what makes Ukraine stronger - not weaker. Russian fascists have spent years, with the stubbornness of an imbecile, refusing to admit that democratic, active Ukraine is not a servile tsarist Russia -- and that there is an abyss between the two countries, even on the mental level. And that is what will ultimately bury them.

President Zelensky onder vuur na wet die anti-corruptieorganen vleugellam maakt, door de razendsnelle @SimonePeek. nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/07…

Kyiv now, as a result of a Russian attack.

🥺 A Ukrainian soldier from Mariupol — before and after three years of Russian captivity. The photo was shared by Shaun Pinner — a former British soldier who fought for Ukraine, was captured by Russian forces in 2022, and later released. 📸: adnashmyash/X