Mark Galeotti

@domhauschild A great Lenin quote but sadly apparently one Nixon made up...

Lenin famously said "Probe with bayonets. If you encounter mush, proceed; if you encounter steel, withdraw." Multiple instances of Russian or Belarusian drone incursion into Lithuanian airspace this week. Not the first and not the last but is the classic playbook of Russia testing the security response to NATO neighbours. They do the same to us by running shadow fleet ships through the English channel. The question is whether NATO is made of steel or mush?

Join @amenka and me at @ru_thebell for an hour-long deep dive into what’s really happening in the Russian economy. We’ll assess both Vladimir Putin’s gains and the scale of his problems, followed by Q&A 📅 May 26, 2026 🕕14:30 CET / 8:30 AM EDT. en.thebell.io/oil-at-100-eco…

We have the “Russia is finished” narrative, but we also have the “Russia and China have formed an alliance against America” narrative—which should be viewed with no less skepticism. 🧵

Moscow tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda has published a surprisingly critical piece warning that a culture of snitching and paranoia is spreading across Russia. The paper says the line between “protecting the Motherland” and “witch hunts” is becoming dangerously blurred, citing cases involving schoolchildren investigated over blue-and-yellow avatars and complaints about “LGBT propaganda” because of coloured benches. It also condemns Russians being reported for old social media posts. One line warns that in modern Russia “the age of informers has arrived.”

'Forged in War: A military history of Russia from its beginnings to today' by @MarkGaleotti is available in paperback. Mark has previously appeared on The History Nerds United podcast to talk about the book. You can listen to the full interview here: bit.ly/42K6tF5

@owenmatth Because, if I'm brutally honest, it doesn't really say anything new, but does so at length?

Surprised there hasn’t been more discussion of this insider perspective from Boris Bondarev- Kremlin Elites Have No Way to Remove Putin, Even if They Wanted To themoscowtimes.com/2026/05/14/kre…

What if Kyiv had not been sacked by the Mongols in 1240? An obscure little village called Moscow might not have risen to prominence. The separate nation of Ukraine might not have emerged - or modern Russia might have been 'Ukrainified'. I play with alt-history in the latest pod

How Has the Russia-Ukraine War Affected Organised Crime? While at a recent workshop, @GI_TOC asked me 7 questions about the current state of Russian OC, and is spinning each out as a separate short video with snazzy title sequence! youtu.be/pgKDHRRTAPg

In Moscow's Shadows 248: What If? I round up some recent developments, from China to the Council of Europe, then run the 1st of a series of alternative histories for my patrons, this time, what if Kyiv hadn't been sacked by the Mongols in 1240? buzzsprout.com/1026985/episod…

'Forged in War: A military history of Russia from its beginnings to today' by @MarkGaleotti is out in paperback. Packed with contemporary accounts, Forged in War strips away the myth to give an insider's view on Russia's past and present. Find out more: bit.ly/4cCqSSI

I can't make it, alas, but Sophie Pinkham's book is lovely and clever, and well worth reading (and it's just a very smart idea, to tell the history of Russia through its forests)

The latest lunacy from Moscow: the MVD has issued an arrest warrant for Ben Wallace, the former British defence minister (the charge isn't specified). I'm sure he'll be cancelling that beach holiday in Sochi now...

Putin is under pressure to end his war - from surprisingly close allies As ever, Kremlin politics has more than a touch of the "Yes, Ministers" about it, as hawks try to persuade Putin to keep on with the war, while pragmatists hint at virtues of an end inews.co.uk/news/world/put…

#HIRING Join RUSI as a Research Analyst / Project Officer in the Organised Crime and Policing team. This is an exciting opportunity for an early-career researcher or practitioner to work on cutting-edge projects exploring organised crime, policing and illicit markets in the UK and globally. Apply by 23:59 (BST) Sunday 24th May 2026: bit.ly/3Ry1hld

@_kotelnaya_ At least he knows how to be a human being, or a reasonable facsimile thereof

I’m no fan of Starmer at all but is there anybody in the UK, outside of a few largely unknown cabinet ministers and some Westminster journalists, who would welcome Wes Streeting as prime minister?

Re-upping my new blogpost: Inequality got worse during war and statisticians conspire to hide this. A deep dive on why inequality matters and how wages are much lower than most people are willing to admit - the comment to the tweet is pretty indicative of the problem.

@anguspne I’m afraid circumstances dictated a 24 hour flying trip, alas

@MarkGaleotti I enjoyed this Saturday's podcast. Are you appearing anywhere in Oslo?

Not the *only* reason to be a fan of the very civilised Oslo airport, but the quality of the books on offer doesn't hurt...

@postsocialismus The Danes, curse them, clearly don't think my work conductive to hygge and haven't translated any of them!

@MarkGaleotti I'll be able to check later this week on Danish airport bookstores - is it translated there (here)?

Disgelo o bluff? L’Europa deve vedere il gioco di Putin Stallo al fronte, crescita negativa e taglio delle ambizioni potrebbero spingere la Russia ad accettare una pace giusta. @MarkGaleotti: "È una media potenza e farebbe bene a considerarsi tale" fanpage.it/esteri/putin-a…