A blog about Russian politics by Atlantic Council Senior Fellow and UTA Adjunct Prof. Brian Whitmore. I block trolls & anybody else I find remotely annoying.

Washington, DC
The newly launched @PowerVertical franchise is not only back, it now has a brand new website! powervertical.org
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🔹 Lithuania is preparing evacuation routes, Germany is readying hospitals for potential armed conflict, and France is strengthening protection of critical infrastructure. In the Shatterbelt Brief, Brian Whitmore (@PowerVertical) says the threat of Russian escalation in Europe is real — and Putin may see a window of opportunity to splinter NATO and the European Union. 🔗 Read the commentary indavemedia.com/commentary-p…
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Is Putin preparing to escalate — or is the Kremlin trying to scare the West into backing off its support for Ukraine? Brian Whitmore (@PowerVertical ) examines Russia’s latest threats and what he calls Putin’s “escalation psyop.” Read the full commentary on Independence Avenue Media. indavemedia.com/cat/the-shat…
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📅 SEPTEMBER 17 @ 10:00 am ET | How does Russia target its propaganda across the Global South? @PowerVertical moderates a virtual panel launching our new #RussiaTomorrow report by @cjcmichel on Moscow's efforts to cultivate support abroad. Register ⬇️ atlanticcouncil.org/event/re…
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🎧 LISTEN | Why have Russians pulled billions out of banks this summer? @PowerVertical speaks with @CraigKennedy77 about the state of the Russian economy as Ukraine intensifies its long-range strikes against Moscow's war machine. More ⤵️ powervertical.org/2026/08/21…
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In 1993, Russia's president sent tanks against his parliament. In 1994, Ukraine's president lost an election — and simply went home. @PowerVertical on the 1990s choice that made two countries, and why Ukraine's democracy is what Moscow can't forgive. indavemedia.com/commentary-t…
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Brian Whitmore retweeted
📺 WATCH | Will Russia risk another mobilization? @PowerVertical tells @dwnews that the Kremlin may instead opt for a "stealth mobilization," relying on "intensive legal coercion." "Russia's a dictatorship, but the Kremlin is very, very sensitive to the mood of the public."
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Moscow's drone bases, sabotage networks and a possible test of NATO all run through one enabler, Brian Whitmore (@PowerVertical ) argues: a cornered dictator in Belarus who has traded his country's infrastructure for his own survival. 🔗 Read "Moscow’s Little Helper — Belarus’ Expanding Role in Russia’s War": indavemedia.com/commentary-m…
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Brian Whitmore retweeted
🎧 LISTEN | Why have Russians pulled billions out of banks this summer? @PowerVertical speaks with @CraigKennedy77 about the state of the Russian economy as Ukraine intensifies its long-range strikes against Moscow's war machine. More ⤵️ powervertical.org/2026/08/21…
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Brian Whitmore retweeted
First Russia occupied Ukrainian land. Now it is teaching children there that the land was always Russian. @PowerVertical examines the Kremlin’s rewriting of history — and the Russo-centric narratives long sustained by Western academia. indavemedia.com/commentary-r…
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Brian Whitmore retweeted
Ukraine’s struggle is not confined to the battlefield. @PowerVertical argues that Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal exposed a fight between reformers and a “shadow state” of entrenched interests that survived Andriy Yermak’s fall. Read Brian Whitmore’s commentary: indavemedia.com/commentary-t…
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