Jacopo De Michelis

"Il secondo, mirabolante romanzo di De Michelis assume il profumo amaro di un pot-pourri di misteri macerati dal tempo e dall'odio" (Antonio D'Orrico, @DomaniGiornale) #LaMontagnaNelLago editorialedomani.it/idee/cultura/l…

This is the official end to democracy in Türkiye. The main opposition party, the founding party of the Turkish Republic, is taken over by the regime, and the new puppet “leader” is installed by Erdogan. If European leaders continue their dealings with Erdogan as if it is still business as usual, they will be partners in crime and will bear the burden of shame.

Since last night, first responders and all necessary services have been working wherever needed. As of now, at least 83 people have been confirmed injured since midnight. Tragically, there are fatalities. My condolences to the families and loved ones. It was a heavy attack – 90 missiles of various types, many of them ballistic missiles – 36 in total. There were 600 drones. Unfortunately, not all of the ballistic missiles were intercepted – the largest number of hits was in Kyiv. Kyiv was the primary target of this Russian attack. Putin can’t even pronounce the word “hurrah” clearly anymore – slurs and mumbles – yet he is still vanquishing residential buildings with his missiles. Launched three Russian missiles against a water supply facility. Burned down a market. Damaged dozens of residential buildings. Hit several ordinary schools. Launched his “Oreshnik” against Bila Tserkva. They really are unhinged. It is important that this does not pass without consequences for Russia. Today, everyone in the world who will not stay silent and chooses to help Ukraine is a defender of life. It is critically important to continue working to secure air defense for Ukraine, especially anti-ballistic capabilities. We are doing our best to achieve peace and protect people – everything. It is important that Ukraine is not alone. Decisions are needed – from the United States, from Europe and others – to make that old “Oreshnik” in Moscow finally utter the word “peace.”

"La seule personne qui puisse mettre fin à cette boucherie est le président de la Russie. Ce carnage en Ukraine doit cesser, le monde entier attend cela." Message fort du réalisateur russe en exil Andreï Zviaguintsev lors de la cérémonie de clôture du Festival de #Cannes2026 👏

Our intelligence services reported receiving data, including from American and European partners, about Russia preparing a strike with the Oreshnik missile. We are verifying this information. We are seeing signs of preparation for a combined strike on Ukrainian territory, including Kyiv, involving various types of weaponry. The specified intermediate-range weapons could be used in such a strike. It is important to act responsibly on air-raid alerts, starting this evening. Russian madness truly knows no bounds, so please protect your lives – use shelters. Second, we are drawing the attention of our partners in the United States and in Europe to the fact that the use of such weapons and the prolongation of this war also sets a global precedent for other potential aggressors. If Russia is allowed to destroy lives on such a scale, then no agreement will restrain other similar hatred-based regimes from aggression and strikes. We count on a response from the world – and on a response that is not post factum, but preventive. Pressure must be put on Moscow so that it does not expand the war. Third, we are preparing our air defense as much as possible, and we will respond fully justly to every Russian strike. We have given permission for a parade, but Russia has no permission for madness. This war must be ended – we need peace, not some missiles satisfying the sick ambitions of one individual. I thank everyone helping to protect lives. Once again, please take care of yourselves and use shelters tonight.

«Se sei il leader della Russia o della Cina, qual è la cosa che ti minaccia di più? Il linguaggio della democrazia liberale. Tutta questa roba che troviamo noiosa e a cui siamo abituati, come l'idea della libertà di parola, la separazione dei poteri, il rispetto della legge, tutte quelle cose che diamo per scontate nelle nostre società, rappresentano una sfida enorme per i sistemi politici in Russia o in Cina. Di cosa ha più paura Putin? Di una rivoluzione di piazza come quella del 2014 in Ucraina. Quando le persone sono in strada con cartelli come “Siamo contro la corruzione, vogliamo la democrazia, vogliamo entrare nell'Unione Europea, vogliamo essere integrati con l'Europa”. Putin ha paura che accada questo in Russia, perché se vivi in un’autocrazia dove non hai libertà di parola, dove non c'è giustizia, dove il governo decide tutte le regole, allora quelle idee sono esplosive». (Anne Applebaum)

Russia is preparing a destabilization campaign in Ukraine aimed at undermining foreign support - Foreign Intelligence of Ukraine. Putin demands that the secret services, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Russian media maximize the reach of a media campaign in the Ukrainian and European information spaces focusing on three areas: ▪️ Russians want to discredit mobilization in Ukraine and the military leadership responsible for staffing the Ukrainian Defense Forces. This task is critical for them against the backdrop of heavy Russian losses at the front; ▪️ Russia is working to discredit the President of Ukraine, his team, and his family members; ▪️ Russia will try to focus attention on media scandals. Russians will use fake documents allegedly "from government authorities" and will try to involve former Ukrainian officials, political figures, and experts in their Russian schemes. "As of today, we are already fixing the first attempts by the Russia to act according to the new scenario not only in Ukraine but also abroad," the intelligence service reported. More than 15 proxy media outlets are planned to be engaged for dissemination in the Western information space. According to intelligence data, these include L'Antidiplomatico, Magyar Nemzet, Prvni Zpravy, and CZ24news. The list is incomplete. 📷The Economist

Good--better to make the truth more and more apparent to Europeans. The USA will not fight to defend them (or any other democracies), the USA is not reliable, is favoring dictators and is an enemy of freedom.

I told CNN that Zelenskyy is not implicated in corruption cases, prosecutors confirmed it. Yermak's arrest proves Ukraine's justice system is independent. In most countries, you can't prosecute your top official during wartime. In Ukraine, you can. That's democracy under fire.1/

In Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, Russia fell further to 154th rank out of 180 countries, 49 places below Ukraine and 82 places below the lowest EU member state. This is worth keeping in mind when assessing the credibility of Russian corruption allegations against other countries.

💥Netanyahu claims he warned cabinet of the danger of fiberoptic drones 6 years ago… In reality, 4 years ago Zelensky warned Israel about Iranian drones Russia was using against Ukraine, suggested a joint response–and was ignored @ilanadayan1 @itaianghel

GeoConfirmed conflictmap UKR. We try to avoid statements but there are limits. After analyzing thousands of videos over more than four years, we feel we have earned the right to speak plainly: Russia is committing war crimes repeatedly and systematically and they are getting worse. The longer the West fails to respond decisively, the more these crimes continue. This inaction also sends a dangerous signal to other authoritarian regimes, suggesting that international law can be violated with little consequence. As a result, the boundaries of international law are becoming increasingly weak and difficult to enforce. The last few days have once again shown that the Russian regime is a terrorist regime that has little regard for humanitarian law: (1) After Ukraine agreed to a Russian 3-day ceasefire proposal, for the Russian commemoration of the end of World War II and its victory over Nazi Germany, Russia launched one of the most severe attacks on Kyiv since the beginning of the war, resulting in multiple civilian casualties. This stands in stark contrast to Russia’s public rhetoric about peace and historical memory. (2) It is not enough that Russia is deliberately targeting civilians in Kherson, also known as the “human safari”, it has now also started attacking clearly marked UN vehicles, which would represent another serious violation of international law. Attempts to hide or destroy evidence only make these actions more alarming. And its not the first time they try to hide or manipulate evidence. Western leaders, especially the Trump administration, should wake up instead of being so easily manipulated by the Russian regime. 0:00-0:17, location at 0:05 - United Nations (UN) vehicle was hit by Russian drones. 46.62328, 32.595023 JHFW+826 Kherson, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine 0:18-End - United Nations (UN) vehicles were hit by Russian drones. 46.621161, 32.576600 JHCG+FJ9Kherson, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine Great work by @99Dominik_! GeoLocated by @99Dominik_ and @Zeldamices Geolocation: x.com/99Dominik_/sta… x.com/Zeldamices/sta… Location: geoconfirmed.org/ukraine/a85636… Statement by the UN representative: x.com/99Dominik_/sta… t.me/OCHA_Ukraine/3… Sources: x.com/99Dominik_/sta… t.me/truexakhersonu… (Longer) x.com/666_mancer/sta… t.me/zlobnyi_surok/… The original source has deleted their Telegram post with the video, but the information and the Russian unit claiming responsibility have been archived. @osvedomitell_alex/34456" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">tgstat.ru/en/channel/@os… Visit our map: geoconfirmed.org/map/ukraine

Il diplomatico, la russa, il silenzio   C’è una storia che dovrebbe stare in prima pagina e invece sta a pagina dodici, quando va bene. Riguarda un ambasciatore della Repubblica, Piergabriele Papadia de Bottini di Sant’Agnese, nome che pare uscito da un romanzo ottocentesco, e una donna russa, Tatiana Tarakanova, sua collaboratrice da anni. Riguarda Tashkent, capitale dell’Uzbekistan, e tre agenzie di viaggio moscovite registrate allo stesso indirizzo, Happy Travel, Visa4you, Park Lane. Riguarda almeno novantacinque cittadini russi entrati in Italia con visti Schengen di lunga durata, tra dicembre 2024 e luglio 2025, mentre l’Europa cercava di chiudere le porte a chi viene da Mosca per via della guerra in Ucraina. Riguarda sedici mila euro a pratica, un patrimonio da tre milioni, una conversazione registrata in cui Papadia, messo con le spalle al muro, ammette: “Sì, è quello il motivo, ti do quello che vuoi, la scuola dei tuoi figli sarà pagata per sempre”. E riguarda, soprattutto, il silenzio.   I fatti, ricostruiti dalla procura di Roma e dalla Guardia di Finanza, sono questi. Il 2 dicembre 2024 Papadia si insedia a Tashkent. Diplomatico di carriera, entrato per concorso nel 2001, sulla carta un curriculum lineare. Solo che dentro quel curriculum c’è un dettaglio che oggi pesa come una pietra: dal 2012 al 2017 è stato Console Generale a Mosca, competenza su tutta la Federazione Russa. Cinque anni. Conosceva gente, ambienti, intermediari. Conosceva Tatiana Tarakanova, che ai suoi tempi lavorava al consolato italiano nella capitale russa. Quando arriva a Tashkent, due settimane dopo l’insediamento, la fa inserire nell’ufficio visti. Una scelta che la procura considera decisiva. Esautora gli altri funzionari, accentra le pratiche nelle sue mani, si avvale della russa e di tre interinali uzbeki assunti da lui. L’ufficio visti, da quel momento, è cosa sua.   Il sistema, secondo gli inquirenti, funziona così. Le richieste arrivano da Mosca, smistate da quelle tre agenzie allo stesso indirizzo. A volte arrivano direttamente all’ambasciatore via Telegram, fuori da ogni protocollo. I richiedenti non vivono in Uzbekistan, non si presentano fisicamente, le firme non corrispondono a quelle dei passaporti. Niente di tutto questo conta. Si paga, dai quattromila ai sedicimila euro a visto, contro i cinquanta euro della tariffa ufficiale, e si entra in Europa. I bonifici finiscono su un conto bulgaro intestato alla Tarakanova, mascherati da prestito. Su novantadue pratiche esaminate dagli ispettori a luglio 2025, in ottantuno casi i richiedenti non risultavano mai entrati in ambasciata. Mai visti, mai identificati. Solo nomi su carta, e quei nomi, oggi, sono in Italia.   Le accuse formali sono corruzione e favoreggiamento dell’immigrazione clandestina. Non spionaggio, attenzione. La procura è esplicita: il reato di spionaggio non viene contestato. Però gli atti contengono una frase che chi sa leggere dovrebbe leggere due volte. Gli investigatori, scrivono, non sono in grado di escludere che qualcuno dei novantacinque russi entrati abbia svolto attività informative verso Mosca. Tradotto in italiano corrente: non sappiamo chi sono, non sappiamo cosa fanno qui, non sappiamo se qualcuno di loro lavora per i servizi russi. Sappiamo solo che sono entrati grazie a un ambasciatore della Repubblica, e che adesso sono qui.   Provate a pensarci un attimo. In un anno in cui in tutta Europa si parla di sabotaggi attribuiti a Mosca, cavi sottomarini tagliati nel Baltico, droni sopra le basi NATO, incendi sospetti nei magazzini logistici della Polonia, attentati alla Bundeswehr sventati per un soffio, l’ambasciata italiana a Tashkent funziona come un imbuto attraverso cui passano cittadini russi senza requisiti, in un canale parallelo gestito da una sola persona, su segnalazione di agenzie moscovite, con pagamenti su un conto bulgaro intestato a una donna russa naturalizzata italiana ed ex Enit. E noi dovremmo credere che dietro non ci sia altro che la cupidigia di un singolo diplomatico annoiato e indebitato? La risposta onesta è: forse sì, forse no. Ma il fatto che nessuno stia cercando seriamente la risposta è il vero scandalo.   Perché qui veniamo al nocciolo. Chi ha nominato Papadia ambasciatore in una sede sensibile, in piena guerra in Ucraina, con accreditamento anche in Tagikistan, frontiera caldissima? Il governo Meloni. Tecnicamente, la proposta di nomina passa dal Ministro degli Esteri, Antonio Tajani, viene firmata dal Presidente della Repubblica, segue il parere della commissione esteri. Burocrazia di routine, certo. Ma è proprio nella routine che le responsabilità si annidano. Possibile che le procedure di vetting per una sede del genere non abbiano notato i cinque anni a Mosca, la collaboratrice russa al seguito, le frequentazioni? Possibile. Probabile, in Italia, dove il vetting serio è una parola straniera. Però le conseguenze di quella superficialità le paghiamo tutti.   E poi c’è il silenzio del governo. Il 22 aprile scorso Tajani convoca l’ambasciatore russo a Roma, Paramonov, per protestare contro le battute volgari del conduttore tv Solovyov contro Meloni. Comunicati di indignazione, dichiarazioni roboanti. Due settimane dopo, l’8 maggio, scatta l’arresto di un suo ambasciatore, accusato di aver fatto entrare almeno novantacinque russi in barba alle direttive europee. E il Ministro che fa? Niente. Una conferenza stampa? Niente. Un’informativa al Parlamento? Niente. Un’inchiesta interna pubblica? Niente. Si gestisce sotto traccia, sperando che la notizia si sgonfi nel ciclo mediatico di una settimana.   Le ragioni di questa afasia sono nude. Questo governo ha dentro una componente, la Lega, dichiaratamente filorussa, con un leader che girava con la maglietta di Putin. Ha un’altra componente, Fratelli d’Italia, che sull’Ucraina si è allineata alla NATO ma non vuole strappare con un elettorato che a Mosca guarda ancora con simpatia. Tirare fuori il caso Papadia con il giusto risalto significherebbe aprire una discussione pubblica sulla penetrazione russa nelle istituzioni italiane, e quella discussione, a questo governo, fa più paura di un terremoto. Quindi si tace. Si lascia che la procura faccia il suo mestiere, sperando che il processo arrivi tra due o tre anni, quando nessuno ricorderà più nulla.   C’è da chiedersi anche dove sia l’opposizione. Il Partito Democratico, che dovrebbe trasformare una vicenda così in cinque giorni di prime pagine e otto interrogazioni parlamentari, mormora. Il Movimento Cinque Stelle, con i suoi trascorsi sulla Russia, si volta dall’altra parte. Calenda e Renzi, che pure sull’atlantismo battono il tamburo, alzano la voce solo quando conviene. Nessuno chiede l’audizione urgente di Tajani. Nessuno chiede chi controlla i visti rilasciati dalle altre ambasciate italiane in Asia centrale. Nessuno chiede dove sono adesso quei novantacinque, cosa fanno, chi frequentano.   Si dirà: è una vicenda di corruzione, l’ennesima, un funzionario marcio che vende lo Stato al miglior offerente. Vero. Ma è anche altro. È il sintomo di un paese che ha smesso di prendere sul serio se stesso. Un paese che non vetta i suoi ambasciatori, non controlla le sue sedi consolari, non si fa domande sui suoi confini. Un paese in cui la parola “sicurezza nazionale” si usa solo per giustificare leggi contro i migranti africani, mai per chiedersi chi sta entrando dalla porta principale, con visto regolare timbrato da un nostro diplomatico. La frontiera, in Italia, è un concetto a geometria variabile. La applichi ai disperati che attraversano il Mediterraneo, non ai novantacinque russi con i soldi giusti e il bonifico sul conto bulgaro.   Mah. Resta una domanda, e questa la voglio lasciare sospesa, perché non ho la risposta e nessuno me la sta dando. Tashkent è davvero un caso isolato, il marciume di un singolo? Oppure è la punta di qualcosa, la prima crepa che diventa visibile in un edificio che scricchiola da anni? Quante altre Tashkent ci sono, in giro per le nostre ambasciate? Quanti altri Papadia, quante altre Tarakanove? Il governo non si pone la domanda. La stampa non la pone. L’opposizione la sussurra. E intanto novantacinque persone, di cui non sappiamo niente, vivono accanto a noi.

While bombing Ukraine, the Russians sent politicians to the world’s most prestigious art show and turned Venice Biennale into a playground for war criminals. I confronted the ambassador and exposed dirty money behind the scenes. Watch my investigation:

“Il parlamento russo approva la legge che consente a Putin di invadere Paesi stranieri. La nuova misura arriva mentre crescono i timori che il Cremlino possa essere pronto a mettere alla prova l’impegno dell’Occidente nei confronti della NATO.”

It certainly cannot be called a coincidence that one of the longest massive Russian attacks against Ukraine takes place precisely at the time when the President of the United States arrived for a visit to China – a visit from which much is expected. In this difficult geopolitical moment, Russia is clearly trying to disrupt the overall political atmosphere and draw attention to its evil – seeking to do so at the expense of Ukrainian lives and Ukrainian infrastructure. Throughout the entire day today, the Russians have been launching waves of “shaheds” against our regions – and, in particular, deliberately targeting regions closest to the borders of NATO countries. Hits have already been recorded in Zakarpattia, Lviv region, Volyn, as well as in Ivano-Frankivsk and Rivne regions. Unfortunately, there are also hits in many of our other regions – Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipro, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions. As of now, dozens of people are reported injured, including children. Sadly, six people have been killed. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Since midnight, at least 800 Russian drones have already been launched, and the attack is ongoing, with additional drones entering our country’s airspace. According to our intelligence, after all the waves of drones, missile launches against Ukraine are also entirely possible. Our warriors are defending Ukraine, but Russia’s obvious aim is to overload air defense systems and inflict as much grief and pain as possible specifically during these days. It is important that the world does not remain silent about this. It is important that Russia’s true intentions are made clear to leaders and countries. It is important to apply real pressure on the Russian aggressor so that this terror is brought to an end. All services are currently engaged in dealing with the consequences of the strikes. Please pay attention to air-raid alerts. I am grateful to every partner who stands with Ukraine!

Klare, logische zukunftsweisende Konsequenz: Die USA fliegen raus. Der frühere NATO-Generalsekretär Rasmussen schlägt ein neues Bündnis demokratischer Staaten vor – ohne Amerika. D7: EU, Großbritannien, Japan, Kanada, Australien, Neuseeland, Südkorea. Mit einem wirtschaftlichen Artikel 5: Wer einen angreift greift alle an. Trumps Zölle gegen Europa? Angriff auf alle. Chinas Rohstofferpressung? Angriff auf alle. „Wenn wir gemeinsam handeln und geschlossen auftreten, stellen wir eine beeindruckende Macht dar" – auch gegenüber Washington. Der Mann der die NATO führte als Amerika noch verlässlich war zieht heute die Konsequenz. Die Welt, die wir einst kannten, und die demokratischen Werte, die wir kannten, sind zusammengebrochen. So beginnt Anders Fogh Rasmussen seine Rede auf dem Demokratiegipfel in Kopenhagen. „Die USA haben nicht mehr den Willen, die Führung zu übernehmen“, sagt er. 🇪🇺🇺🇦 berlingske.dk/internationalt…

I am the Head of Product at Trump Mobile. There is no product. I have the best job in America. 590,000 people paid $100 each to preorder a gold phone that does not exist. That is $59 million. My KPI is deposit velocity. I have a whiteboard in my office that says DEPOSIT VELOCITY. There is nothing else on the whiteboard. We announced the phone June 2025. Gold case. American flag on the back. "Made in the USA." Ship date: August. I moved it to November. Then December. Then Q1 2026. Then mid-March. Each time I sent 590,000 people an email that said "exciting update." The exciting update was that the phone still did not exist. In April I deleted the ship date from the website entirely. I got a standing ovation on the all-hands. That was our most successful product milestone. The phone is a $499 gold Android. 50MP camera. 6.78-inch display. Fingerprint sensor. I have never held one. Nobody on earth has held one. We got the T1 certified for network compatibility in March. We celebrated like we'd shipped. We did not ship. We certified the concept of a phone. The network said: if this thing existed, it could connect. We called that a breakthrough. On April 6th I updated the terms and conditions. "A preorder deposit does not guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase." Trump Mobile does not guarantee regulatory approval. Does not guarantee production. Does not guarantee delivery. Does not guarantee the phone will exist. The deposit is non-transferable and carries no independent cash value. I have the printout framed in my office next to the whiteboard. That is the only thing we have shipped on schedule.  "Made in the USA" lasted three months. Became "American-proud design." Then "designed with American values in mind." We manufacture overseas. Final assembly of 10 components happens in Miami. We counted putting the flag sticker on the back as one of the 10. While 590,000 people wait for their gold phone, we are currently selling refurbished iPhones. Made in China. With a Trump logo on the box. For $47.45 a month on T-Mobile's network. We are reselling another company's network at a patriotic markup. The plan is called the 47 Plan. The 47 is the only original thing about it. An intern asked me last month when we are going to build the phone. I promoted her to VP of Customer Expectations. Senator Warren wrote the FTC in January. I am not worried. We will have launched the next product before they finish reading the letter. That is always the math. I know the math because I have been watching it evolve for years. Trump University promised education. Delivered weekend seminars in hotel conference rooms. 5,000 students. Settled for $25 million. That was version 1.0. You had to rent the room. You had to print the binder. You had to hire the speaker. You had to settle. Three entire obligations. $TRUMP memecoin. No education. No binder. No room. Peaked at $75. Now $2.80. Down 96%. 1 billion tokens minted. 80% went to the team. 45 wallets gained $1.2 billion on launch night while everyone else watched their screens. For every dollar insiders made, retail lost twenty. That was version 2.0. You did not have to build anything. You did not have to hire anyone. You just had to press mint. Two obligations eliminated. $MELANIA. Same model. Launched 48 hours later on the same audience. Down 99%. 24 wallets bought $2.6 million worth exactly 2.5 minutes before the First Lady's announcement. One wallet turned $681,000 into $39 million in 24 hours. The team controls 92% of supply. Her launch crashed her husband's token by 50% in the same hour. That was version 2.1. A patch, not a release. You did not even need a new customer base. You could cannibalize the last one. WLFI. World Liberty Financial. The President's crypto project. Took $500 million from 600,000 wallets. Tokens locked. Cannot sell. Cannot transfer. Cannot leave. Team holds 73% of supply and votes to unlock itself. The project's advisor borrowed $75 million on a lending platform he co-founded. Using investor tokens as collateral. On a protocol where the project is 82.7% of total value locked. Other depositors could not withdraw. The President's family takes 75 cents of every dollar. That was version 3.0. You did not have to deliver anything. You did not have to pretend anything would go up. You just had to lock the door and keep the key. One obligation remaining: the smart contract. Trump Mobile is version 4.0. I did not have to mint a token. Did not have to write a smart contract. Did not have to lock a single wallet. Did not have to build a lending platform or freeze a billionaire or rig a governance vote. I put a flag on a gold rectangle that does not exist, opened a deposit page, collected $59 million from 590,000 Americans, and then updated the terms to say the deposit does not guarantee the rectangle will ever be real. The version history, in case you are keeping score: 1.0 — Had to rent a room. Had to settle. 2.0 — Had to mint. Didn't have to build. 2.1 — Didn't even need new customers. 3.0 — Didn't have to deliver. They couldn't leave. 4.0 — Didn't have to promise. They paid for the flag. Each version removes one obligation. University had three. We are down to zero. My product roadmap is one slide. It says DEPOSITS. Version 5.0 will not need the webpage. The phone was never the product. The deposit was always the product. The flag was the conversion funnel. The name was the close. The terms update was the only deliverable. "Made in the USA" was the positioning until it wasn't and then "American values" was the positioning until that stops working and then we will find new words that mean nothing and those will work too because the words were never the product either. I am the Head of Product at Trump Mobile. I have never made a phone. I have made $59 million. The product is the transaction. Delivery is a legacy feature from version 1.0 and we deprecated it three versions ago.

Putin is losing his grip on Russia. Every move he makes to preserve power accelerates the system’s decay, writes a former senior official in the Russian government for The Economist. 1/

Today we came to the staff offices of the Venice Biennale and asked to speak with President Buttafuoco, who has been actively hiding from my personal communication as well as formal communication in my capacity as a participant of the platform for dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces at PACE. The police blocked the door, and all turned their badges around - eventually someone said "their boss" will speak with me inside. They allowed just me and my husband in - and after taking photos of our IDs and having police force us to delete videos of their faces - the staff member - Francesca Oddi - said the president was aware of our presence but was not here. We asked her to call, and she said she didn't have his number, we asked if anyone in the building had his number and she said no (lmao). We showed them the letter signed by 71 members of PACE, as well as our personal emails - and they said I could write a hand written letter they would guarantee hand delivery to him. They made me sit on the floor and write a letter, which I did. This is all happening while Buttafuoco makes press statements that he just wants dialogue, and any type of censorship is bad - but he goes thru every length to communicate with the Kremlin stooges, and makes every effort to hide from me. What a shame of a President and a stain on this Foundation and a coward of a man. Afraid of little me, an exiled artist with a message of a better world and some questions - sounds just like Putin.

'Enjoy the show. Ignore the war': Venice Biennale faces backlash after including Russia bbc.in/3P1acej