Sergiu Constantin

#Greenland's autonomy is not merely a legal-political concept but a lived experience. It's no wonder that when Trump claims "complete & total control of Greenland", Greenlanders would respond "tulukkat qaqortippata" (that is, "when the ravens turn white"). eurac.edu/en/blogs/midas…

An AI-made singer goes viral in Romania and starts a public debate. Artists say it's an unethical shortcut. Roma activists call it cultural exploitation because of her appearance and musical style. romania-insider.com/romanian-ai-ma…

plot twist😆

The recent televised debate between Senator @CarloCalenda and Jeffrey Sachs was more than a clash of opposing views on the war in #Ukraine: it laid bare the structural and ethical weaknesses of the Italian media system. By exposing Sachs’s misleading and factually distorted /1

Mount Asahi in Hokkaido, Japan

Call for Papers – IPSA Research Committees Colloquium 2026 - 🗓 23–26 June 2026 | Bolzano/Bozen, Italy 🏛 Hosted by the Institute for Minority Rights and @AutonomyExperi1 eurac.edu/en/institutes-…

On the top of Mount #Ararat (5137 m)

Language Policies and Insecurities in Ukraine - New article by Senior Researchers Andrea Carlà and @SergiuConstant eurac.edu/en/institutes-…

#OpenAccess from @NationalitiesP - Language Policies and Insecurities in #Ukraine - cup.org/3UteJ8n "Russia’s aggressive actions accelerated the ongoing nation-building process..." - Andrea Carlà & @SergiuConstant (both @EURAC) #FirstView

Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies NABU and SAP say that new legislation submitted by Zelensky to parliament fully restores their independence, urge swift passage next week. This comes after a wave of protests triggered by parliament and Zelensky two days ago putting these agencies under the authority of the Attorney General, who is appointed by the president. t.me/nab_ukraine/33…

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians took up arms to defend their country from russian darkness. We would do it regardless of the surname of the country's officials and what party they represent. Today's vote in parliament does not reflect the position of Ukrainian society. This is not the first time in our history. Perhaps not the last. This should be perceived as the personal position of a group of politicians who decided to go against the interests of Ukrainian society at the most dangerous time in our modern history.

"Shame!" shouted many Ukrainian lawmakers as a majority formed from Zelensky's ruling party, pro-Russian oppo bloc & Yulia Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna voted to, in effect, dismantle Ukraine's independent anticorruption institutions. My story on a grim day: ft.com/content/21cf3d…

Together with President @sandumaiamd and President @ZelenskyyUa, we concluded a round of comprehensive discussions in the valuable trilateral format Romania – Republic of Moldova – Ukraine, marking the first such meeting at the highest level. Our discussions focused on concrete ways to strengthen cooperation across key strategic areas, in particular: 🔹 energy and logistical interconnections, 🔹 cross-border connectivity, 🔹 defence and the fight against hybrid threats, 🔹 reconstruction and resilience, 🔹 and, importantly, reforms aimed at advancing European integration. This meeting reflects our shared commitment to building a secure, resilient, and European future for our region.

The primary driver of this war remains the situation on the ground - specifically, how far Russia can push the frontline. The extent of its frontline advances largely shapes Moscow’s willingness to continue the war. However, even in the absence of major progress, Russia has shown no hesitation in sustaining its war effort. At least, for now. To truly shift the calculus in Ukraine’s favor, there must be a combination of a stalled frontline and mounting costs for Russia - not just in monetary terms, but in strategic capacity. These costs include Russia’s diminishing ability to project power globally, compete economically with the West and China, and maintain its status as a relevant geopolitical force. Today's attack is a clear example of a strike that, while not directly influencing the battlefield, significantly erodes Russia’s long-term strategic assets - many of which are Soviet-era legacies that Russia cannot replace in the near term. The loss of AWACS aircraft, a quarter of the Black Sea Fleet, much of its Soviet-era armored inventory, a substantial portion of its attack helicopter fleet, its positions in Syria, and now a major blow to its strategic aviation - all cumulatively weaken Russia’s global military reach. If Ukraine can continue to hold the line, even if that means gradual tactical withdrawals from small settlements while stalling Russian forces at the operational-strategic level, then the ever-increasing cost of war may eventually compel the Kremlin to acknowledge a sobering reality: that continuing the war not only worsens the situation in Ukraine, but accelerates Russia’s own strategic decline. The Russian leadership is well aware of this dynamic. The notion that Russia will fight “no matter what” or until the last soldier falls in Ukraine - is largely a product of psychological warfare. It’s a narrative actively promoted by Russian propaganda to instill a sense of inevitability: that Ukraine and the West are doomed to lose because Russia possesses limitless endurance. But this is a myth - one that history has already disproven. The Khasavyurt Accords of 1996 serve as a clear example, when Russia was forced to accept its inability to sustain the war in Chechnya and ultimately agreed to a ceasefire. Just like then, there are limits to Russia’s political, economic, and military resilience - despite the image of invincibility it tries to project.

Ukraine today showed it does in fact still have some cards.

Ukraine's greatest military and intel coup so far, hitting dozens of Russian strategic bombers located at 4 different airfields! Also a reminder that Ukraine strikes military targets while Russia smashes drones into Ukrainian shopping centers and apartment buildings.

Just a thought: Ukraine’s President is Jewish. Our Defense Minister is a Muslim, a Crimean Tatar. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is an ethnic Russian. Our top drone ace — recently awarded the title Hero of Ukraine — is an ethnic Hungarian. Over 70,000 women serve in the military now. Almost all of the most renowned combat medics are women. The revolution that changed this country forever began with a Facebook post by an ethnic Afghan Pashtun, a prominent Ukrainian journalist. And in our parliament, we have a Black MP — an Afro-Ukrainian and universally admired Olympic champion. All of this — in a country that is still, for the most part, Slavic. On the streets of Kyiv today, you’ll see halal restaurants for Muslim tourists standing peacefully next to Jewish eateries. Nearby are a museum and a monument to Sholem Aleichem, and a plaque bearing the face of Golda Meir, who once lived here. Among our main landmarks: 19th-century synagogues. Just a short walk away — a large mosque and Muslim cultural center. And above all, of course — the ancient Christian churches and monasteries that are the oldest and most significant in the East Slavic world. I still can’t get over the fact that Ukraine’s chief Muslim mufti (an ethnic Tatar from Donetsk) stepped down to serve as a frontline paramedic in the army. That our chief rabbi works tirelessly every day to help Ukraine across the globe — and that his adopted son died fighting for Ukraine, weapon in hand. For many years now, a giant glowing menorah has stood each Hanukkah in the heart of Kyiv’s main square. And on Independence Day, every religious denomination gathers in Saint Sophia Cathedral to offer prayers for Ukraine, each in their own rite. Just as they all come together for remembrance at Babyn Yar and the Holodomor monument. The more you look at the world, the more often you realize how much healthier Ukrainian society has become when it comes to coexistence between nationalities and faiths. We weren’t always like this. We are becoming this now — as the country is being radically transformed by revolution and by the defense against imperial Russia. We are shedding the weight of so many remnants of the past — really fast. Just recently in May, Ukraine held its WWII commemorations — with poppies and the slogan “Never again!” What a stark contrast to the satanic frenzy of Russia’s “Victory Day,” with its death cult, its “We can do it again!” bravado, and its glorification of dying for the Tsar. Against the backdrop of war, Ukraine is living through a real national and cultural renaissance. We are rediscovering the Ukrainian language, Ukrainian books, music, cinema — as something precious. And for how many decades were we taught to look down on everything Ukrainian — as “third-rate,” “peasant,” “inferior”?... I walk the streets of Kyiv on Christmas (December 25th, not January 7th as demanded by Moscow priests) and see bands of children in traditional embroidered clothes carrying colorful Bethlehem stars and singing carols. “Ukrainian Christmas” is returning to these lands as a vibrant cultural tradition. On Easter, crowds gather near Saint Sophia Cathedral for picnics and spring dances. In the old city above Podil, I often hear youth pounding out Cossack songs on drums. I always see many people at our nation’s sacred places — the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the cathedrals of Lviv, the Motherland Monument, the old castles. We haven’t suddenly become devout believers. We’ve simply come to take pride, like never before, in being Ukrainian — in treasuring our traditions, our culture, our history, and our way of life, in our own country. New traditions keep being born in wartime, against all odds. Today, we honor war veterans by inviting them to make the symbolic first kick at football matches — and then we give them a standing ovation from the stands, for their service. I could go on like this for hours. What I’m trying to say is — I love what Ukraine is becoming. This hope — breaking through unspeakable pain and hardship — feels like a light piercing the tunnel. Ukraine now, and Ukraine 12 years ago, are two completely different countries. The road ahead is brutally hard, but if only — if only our Ukraine can survive this war for its very existence.

Russia’s Matryoshka disinfo network targets Moldova, bots accuse President Maia Sandu of corruption and repression @antibot4navalny has uncovered the bot network’s first campaign targeting the country ahead of its September parliamentary elections. theins.press/en/news/280763

@BogdanMateescu3 I took this picture a week ago in an old part of Braila. A local stopped to tell me that the walls of the old houses are cracking because of the Ottoman tunnels under the city

Brăileni bros! „Tuneluri sub pământ”, legate de fost cetate turcească. Am auzit asta și legat de Giurgiu (tunel ce ar lega cetatea de un turn). Personal cred că este vorba doar de beciurile unor hanuri, dar sunt deschis către orice ipoteză. Voi știți ceva despre asta?

Term 2 Trump foreign policy - from tariffs to NATO to soft power to China and Russia - is an epic mess. One reason seems to be that the administration is operating with two conflicting, equally flawed, views of the world and the US's place in it. 🧵