@kristiankiehling
Danish born German and Latvian indie filmmaker and retired actor. Focuses on journalism and foreign policy in Eastern (Central) Europe. No A.I. Every post is carefully handcrafted. " Kur aitas, tur vilks." https://kristiankiehling.substack.com/
China is desperate right now, because it receives 70% of its crude oil from Iran. Intelligence reports suggest that Beijing may be preparing to provide Iran with financial assistance, spare parts, and missile components. (source: CNN)
edition.cnn.com/2026/03/06/p...
"Congratulations to the Hungarian government for posting photographic evidence that destroys their own 'money laundering' fake news. You can clearly see the official Raiffeisen Bank transfer slips strapped to the boxes [...]Orbán hijacked a legal, fully documented interbank transit." (@ChsnSerhiy)
The Italians are furious with their right-wing government for allowing the Russian barbarians to reopen their pavilion in the Giardini at the Berlinale. Even Peggy Guggenheim is participating in the #fuorilarussiadallabiennale campaign, which translates to "kick the Russians out of the Biennale."
An appropriate headline would be something along the lines of: "German right-wing extremist publisher wins bidding war against British right-wing extremist publisher," as The Telegraph was acquired by Axel Springer for £575 million, overbidding the owner of the Daily Mail.
Trump is on the warpath, and his choice of words suggests he's willing to go further than he did with the Venezuelan dictatorship. "There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender!" he wrote on Truth Social. Hopefully, he will realize that it is the Russians who need to be defeated.
The difference between the Iranian people and the population inside the Russian federation is that the Iranians are brave enough to risk their lives for freedom, while the Russians are too cowardly to even take to the streets without permission from their "Führer."
It's painful to watch CNN's Fred Pleitgen report from Iran and normalize the situation. The Iranian regime enforces strict media censorship. If the regime allows CNN to report from the "inside," compromises will likely be made, resulting in the opposite of unbiased journalism. Not a good look, CNN.
True. However, I'd say the jury is still out. A regime change in Iran would weaken Russia by robbing it of a vital ally. In the long term, it would also weaken its main ally, China.
bsky.app/profile/kris...
Hungary is a lost cause when even the opposition leader, who, incidentally, opposes Ukraine's fast-track EU bid, sounds like Orbán:
"Magyar called on the leadership of the European Union to suspend all relations with Ukraine until President Zelensky clarifies his remarks and apologises to Hungary.
Russia is actively providing Iran with real-time intelligence on the locations of American military assets, including warships and aircraft, to help Tehran target US forces across the Middle East, the Washington Post reported citing three officials familiar with the matter.
BREAKING: Azerbaijan is withdrawing diplomats from Iran, closing its embassy in Tehran, and raising the readiness of its military forces, the Azerbaijani FM says
report.az/en/foreign-p...
"the Kremlin has tasked a team of political technologists with meddling in Hungary’s April 2026 elections. The goal, according to my sources, is straightforward: keep Viktor Orbán in power. The man tasked by the Kremlin to deal with Hungary is Sergei Kiriyenko" (Szabolcs Panyi)
"I was offered to participate in an exchange, but to go to Hungary. I myself am from Zakarpattia.[...] the condition of participation in the exchange was that I had to record a video in which I would speak negatively about the Ukrainian authorities and at the same time positively about Russia"
The Orban regime violates EU and international law by using the executive branch of the government to serve its nefarious political aims. Strong, unified EU sanctions are needed to set a precedent against such violations.
www.nbcnews.com/world/ukrain...
Good point. However, as far as I know, Orbán is the only one threatening to use force. He is blocking the $90 billion loan and the upcoming $300 million in military aid for Ukraine. He is also threatening to block Ukraine's EU accession. How he is dealt with will determine how the others will act.
I think it's fair to say that the Baltic States won their struggle for freedom. However, countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia— which were partially invaded, destabilized and occupied by Russia to prevent their self determination — are still fighting for independence. Same goes for Belarus
Like this:
www.independent.co.uk/news/ukraine...
The EU must not allow hostage taking
The history of Russia's occupation of 14 sovereign countries after World War II provides ample evidence that Russian occupation means constant brutalization through forced Russification. It is common knowledge that there can be no peace under Russian occupation.
khpg.org/en/1608815574
Geoffrey Cain has written an interesting take on what this might mean for China's ambitions to invade Taiwan
bsky.app/profile/kris...
The killing of Khamenei is a severe weakening of the alliance that China has built against the West.Beijing imports more than 70 percent of the crude oil it uses from Iran. China now faces a scenario in which its energy autonomy—necessary for it's planned invasion of Taiwan—is severely threatened.
The U.S. voted with autocracies such as China, Russia, and Niger against a resolution by the UN's nuclear watchdog's governing body that expressed concern over "repeated and intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure" that pose a "threat to nuclear safety."
www.kyivpost.com/post/71332
Europeans should prepare for the possibility that the Hungarian strongman's threat to resume oil flow through the Druzhba pipeline "by force" will become a reality. How far will the only autocrat in Europe go to cling to power?
newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/orb-n-t...
Ukraine's ingenuity in developing homegrown drone interceptors,while the Middle East struggles to defend itself against Russian/Iranian drones,has given rise to a popular meme referencing a Kyiv grandmother who claimed to have shot down a Russian drone with a pickle jar in the early days of the war.
"If Russia decides to stop exporting gas to European countries (including, hopefully, to Hungary and Slovakia), it will help accelerate the already planned phase-out of Russian gas, increase Europe’s energy independence, and encourage the search for new, more reliable suppliers." (Marko Mihkelson)
"Asia’s energy crunch is spreading fast as disruption at the Strait of Hormuz ripples across fuel markets. Singapore bunker hubs cut supply, China halts diesel & gasoline exports, S. Korea petrochem declares naphtha force majeure, while Japan (~90% ME crude) may tap SPR." (MarhelmData)
Iranian drones and missiles hit a Bahrain Petroleum Company refinery, setting it alight. Bahraini air defenses intercepted approximately 75 missiles and 123 drones today, marking the highest single-day intercept count for any Gulf state in this war.
oilprice.com/Latest-Energ...
The Saudi Ministry of Defense stated that three cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed southeast of the capital Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia warned it reserves the “full right” to respond to blatant Iranian aggression after a series of drone and missile strikes targeted the Kingdom.
Noteworthy assessment of the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against the Islamist dictatorship:
“Israeli intelligence sources suggest there are signs of Iranian soldiers, police officers and IRGC members failing to show up for duty.” (Economist)
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
