Researcher on info ops, narratives, security-related topics, and hybrid warfare from Syria to Eurasia. Editor, Security and Defense, Capital. Non-Resident Fellow at DFRLab. DRM Journal co-founder. https://bio.link/ruslantradhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mu4yklxpd22oSpoke with Viola Palmiotto at The Hague Institute for Geopolitics about Syrian-Russian relations and what's next. https://thehig.eu/article/after-assad-why-moscow-and-damascus-still-need-each-other/28 Aug 2026 08:56 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu4yklxpd22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mu2lr6axp22eSpoke to @aljazeera.com on the removal of Syria from the US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT). https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/26/syria-removed-which-countries-are-still-on-the-us-terror-list-and-why27 Aug 2026 10:02 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu2lr6axp22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mu2lbu256k2d“Ordinary Russians are reacting with anger to the crisis itself, not to the authorities. They want basic goods to be available and to be left alone, while the Government wages its war.” Anger is rising in Russia, but the regime is not yet the main target. Spoke with Kieron Monks for The i Paper. https://inews.co.uk/news/world/putin-public-anger-fuel-shortages-crackdown-backfire-471905527 Aug 2026 09:53 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu2lbu256k2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mu2kwrerik26Spoke to Le Temps on the Iranian threats and hybrid war against Europe, mainly against Bulgaria, and on the real danger coming not from the missiles but from proxies and criminal networks. https://www.letemps.ch/monde/la-bulgarie-se-decouvre-avec-chypre-dans-le-viseur-du-regime-iranien27 Aug 2026 09:47 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu2kwrerik26https://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mtqpuvvlp22pAmazon is buying and destroying masses of books to train AI. https://www.404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipment-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility/23 Aug 2026 11:49 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtqpuvvlp22phttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mte7njsmjc2qSpoke to Balkan Insight on the Russian Neo-Nazi networks that have already deeply affected the landscape in Bulgaria. https://balkaninsight.com/2026/08/18/vigilante-murder-raises-fears-of-russian-neo-nazi-influence-in-bulgaria/bi/18 Aug 2026 12:26 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mte7njsmjc2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mstfupt3y22yAccording to UBS, the bottom 83.2% of the world’s adult population (people with net worth of less than $100,000) collectively owned 12.8% of all the world’s wealth, while the top 58 million (who had net worth of more than $1 million) collectively owned 48.4% of everything. https://www.ubs.com/global/en/wealthmanagement/insights/global-wealth-report.html11 Aug 2026 20:03 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mstfupt3y22yhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mssqlbovhk2hSpoke with @wsj.com on Ceuta and the digital campaign that helped the influx to Spain. https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/theories-abound-about-what-spurred-a-flood-of-migrants-spain-says-its-simple-2e81e88211 Aug 2026 13:41 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mssqlbovhk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mss66yzy5k24Quoted by @aljazeera.com on the recent moves between Syria's government and Russia. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/10/they-need-each-other-whats-behind-the-new-syria-russia-accord11 Aug 2026 08:12 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mss66yzy5k24https://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3msnamvzck22mExtreme heat costs South Asia the equivalent of 31 million full-time jobs every year, according to a World Bank report. The report warns that without action, the region's GDP could fall nearly 7% by 2050 & informal workers are hardest hit: a single heatwave can slash their earnings by 40%. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/voices/extreme-heat-is-a-jobs-crisis-south-asia09 Aug 2026 09:13 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3msnamvzck22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3msbymnc5l224"Through an opaque network of shell companies in the British Virgin Islands and Luxembourg holding firms, an agency that manages China’s foreign reserves has discreetly scooped up stakes in Europe’s critical infrastructure, utilities, and real estate." https://www.occrp.org/en/investigation/a-police-hq-wind-farms-and-natural-gas-mapping-the-european-holdings-of-chinas-central-bank04 Aug 2026 21:50 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3msbymnc5l224https://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3msbv3hmivc2c“Eight of the biggest oil companies amassed profits of more than $90bn in just three months as the Iran conflict sent energy prices soaring and the emissions-fuelled climate crisis caused deadly heatwaves.” https://www.theguardian.com/business/ng-interactive/2026/aug/04/revealed-major-oil-firms-make-93bn-profits-amid-war-and-climate-crisis https://www.theguardian.com/business/ng-interactive/2026/aug/04/revealed-major-oil-firms-make-93bn-profits-amid-war-and-climate-crisis?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other04 Aug 2026 20:47 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3msbv3hmivc2chttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3msarc2bpcs24The global hunger crisis is intensifying due to war and climate disasters. Instead of stepping up to help, the world’s biggest economies are executing unprecedented budget cuts, and this could lead to 22.6 million additional deaths – a crisis experts are calling "a disaster in slow motion". https://www.ftm.eu/articles/hunger-crisis-growing-as-major-donors-retreat04 Aug 2026 10:06 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3msarc2bpcs24https://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3ms67p72un22cJournalists and researchers from “Project” are tracking the intensity of Ukrainian strikes on Russian regions: according to their data, 70,000 drones have been shot down over the past 3.5 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPfTUhsEbn003 Aug 2026 09:46 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms67p72un22chttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mrsvevaxdc2a https://open.substack.com/pub/intidar/p/the-sahels-widening-war-and-russias?r=1jjfp4&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true29 Jul 2026 21:42 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrsvevaxdc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mrafcpa7zc24Reuters reveals how the Chinese fentanyl chemicals fueling America’s deadly opioid crisis are cheap and easy to get. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/section/fentanyl-express/22 Jul 2026 13:07 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrafcpa7zc24https://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mrafbkivo224"While Western countries focus on the competitive threat of Chinese EVs, a different challenge is reshaping the auto industry. Beijing's legacy automakers are saturating the vehicle markets." https://www.reuters.com/investigations/china-floods-world-with-gasoline-cars-it-cant-sell-home-2025-12-02/22 Jul 2026 13:06 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrafbkivo224https://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mqpnahpx3c2iBecause why not. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cuba-military-options-pentagon/15 Jul 2026 21:13 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqpnahpx3c2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mqmrzu63d22vOf course. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/feature/2026/07/13/eu-expands-libya-cooperation-despite-repeated-warnings-over-violence-sea14 Jul 2026 18:01 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqmrzu63d22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mqkmkxzjts2jFirst known use of U.S. seaborne drones during war - during attacks on Iran.13 Jul 2026 21:18 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqkmkxzjts2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mqk7yq4xic2aThe Trump administration's new Balkans policy—cutting NATO's Kosovo force and lifting sanctions on Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik—is unraveling decades of American-built security architecture in the region, creating risks for both Bosnia and Kosovo. https://theins.press/en/politics/29463613 Jul 2026 17:33 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqk7yq4xic2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mpz2uptcyk27As a gesture of goodwill, Macron is personally returning 23 ancient Mesopotamian, Roman, and Byzantine archaeological artifacts to the National Museum of Damascus. The treasures had been loaned to Paris's Arab World Institute in 2010 but could not be returned due to the war. https://www.dw.com/en/macron-syria-official-visit/a-7785679106 Jul 2026 21:46 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpz2uptcyk27https://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mpyfd7cbws25"Civilians in Burkina Faso have accused the national army of preventing them from leaving government-held towns blockaded by jihadist rebels, forcing them to remain in life-threatening conditions where there is a lack of food and other basic essentials." https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/investigations/2026/07/06/burkina-fasos-army-accused-preventing-civilians-leaving-jihadist-besieged06 Jul 2026 15:20 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpyfd7cbws25https://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mpye352r5k2qhttps://substack.com/home/post/p-20551569006 Jul 2026 14:58 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpye352r5k2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mprdbdlhoc26Major chatbot platforms found to be advertising unregulated online casinos across Europe, @investigate-europe.eu research shows. https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/ai-chatbots-lure-vulnerable-gamblers-unlicensed-betting-websites03 Jul 2026 19:55 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mprdbdlhoc26https://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mpqd4higac22Of course, the first thought about who is behind yesterday’s bloody attack in Damascus goes to IS. However, everyone who follows Syria closely has something else in mind - Assad’s (former) networks and Hezbollah.03 Jul 2026 10:20 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpqd4higac22https://bsky.app/profile/ruslantrad.bsky.social/post/3mpqbgveemc2d"The Trump family crypto firm that brought the president a windfall has also served as a vehicle for Pakistan to gain clout with the White House." https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/3/500m-for-trump-access-for-pakistan-how-a-crypto-diplomatic-bet-paid-off03 Jul 2026 09:50 +0000at://did:plc:7hr2jl452anzvxfdtvwitucd/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpqbgveemc2d