Sarah Rainsford

'Looks like a toy, but it's real': BBC examines a downed Russian drone Drones like this one were shot down over Polish airspace in the early hours of Wednesday.

'Looks like a toy, but it's real': @sarahrainsfordbbc.bsky.social examines a downed Russian drone
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
We on #TheGlobalJigsaw too looked into how drones changed warfare
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...
#UkraineWar

Ukrainian civilian freed in prisoner swap tells of 'constant cruelty' Russia imprisoned Dmytro shortly after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He was freed last month.

#BBCNews - Beaten and held in Russia for three years - but never charged with a crime
www.bbc.com/news/article...
By @sarahrainsfordbbc.bsky.social
#UkraineWar

Putin gives Trump just enough to claim progress on Ukraine peace Trump made a big deal of his conversation with Putin, but there is little to shout about, Sarah Rainsford writes.

Putin gives Trump just enough to claim progress on Ukraine peace - but the ‘very horrible war’ goes on

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Goodbye to Russia: A Personal Reckoning from the Ruins of War Goodbye to Russia: A Personal Reckoning from the Ruins of War eBook : Rainsford, Sarah: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

The Oval Office spectacle brings so much into sharp focus

Putin’s Russia is not only at war with Ukraine, it’s at war with the West - including Trump - & right now, Putin is winning

I tried to explain who he is & what he does in my book - now on special offer on Amazon @ £4.39!

amzn.eu/d/dtuuZwC

This is how Russia has been speaking of Ukraine for years. It’s really important to remember this context, when imagining ‘deals’ with Moscow

Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate leave Romania on jet bound for the US, sources tell BBC - live updates Prosecutors confirm the brothers' request to be able to leave Romania has been accepted, but they remain under investigation.

On the day Kier Starmer meets Trump - what signal does this send? The Tates also face charges in the UK …

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c7...

Thank you for listening

Donald Trump has moved from declaring he’d end the war in Ukraine in a day to conceding Moscow’s key demands & now blaming Ukraine itself for Russia’s invasion

‘You should never have started it…it’s the (Ukraine) leadership that allowed the war to go on’

That was some phone call he had with Putin

Russia back at table with US - and appearing to call the shots Team Trump clearly wants to cut a deal with Moscow and move on, says the BBC's Sarah Rainsford.

‘This was not a defeated Russia, forced to the negotiating table. It was more like the US inviting the aggressor to set out its terms.’

Some first thoughts on today’s extraordinary events in Riyadh… 👇🏼

Moscow back at the table - and appearing to call the shots www.bbc.com/news/article...

How Russia negotiates:

Lavrov: "The US suggested a moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure. We explained that we never endangered the civilian energy supply, & only target what directly serves Ukraine's military"

My pic: Kharkiv civilian power plant, April 2024

After Navalny: Russian opposition is weaker than ever - but it's not why you think For years, Navalny was Vladimir Putin's biggest political rival, but now the Russian opposition is weaker than ever.

Persecuted, imprisoned, poisoned: it’s the toughest of tough times for those who want a different Russia

They’re trying to keep the dream alive…but did it die with Navalny?

Here’s some of my thoughts

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ukraine’s missing people - how the disappearances erode morale Ukraine has listed more than 61,000 people as missing since 2022 - one daughter shares her heartbreaking story

Sometimes it feels like the world has moved on, stopped caring. But Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine has destroyed lives in so many ways. The disappearance of civilians is just one of them. This is Lyudmila’s story, which I hope people might read

It’s still happening

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Oscar-winning Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov has a new documentary Critic Elena Smolina explains how ‘2000 Meters to Andriivka’ returns lived experience to our conversation about Russia’s invasion — Meduza Last year, Mstyslav Chernov won an Oscar for his documentary about Russia’s siege of Mariupol. His next film, “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” is now screening at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, where…

Moments ago, the Sundance Film Festival bestowed its Directing Award for World Cinema Documentary to Mstyslav Chernov for “2000 Meters to Andriivka." Read film critic Elena Smolina's review here at Meduza.

Thank you very much

BBC World Service - The Global Story, Missing in Ukraine: Lyudmila’s search for her parents One family’s story, among the many thousands missing in Ukraine

Here is our podcast version of the story for anyone who prefers to listen

With huge gratitude to Lyudmila for talking to me

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

Ukraine’s missing people - how the disappearances erode morale Ukraine has listed more than 61,000 people as missing since 2022 - one daughter shares her heartbreaking story

In 2023 in occupied Melitopol, the Russians detained Lyudmila’s parents

After 4 months with no news, her mum was dumped at a hospital in a coma & later died. Her father, Oleh, has never been found

So what happened? And where is Oleh? Russian officials have no answer

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Belarusians in Warsaw today sing their defiance

Belarusian opposition denounces Lukashenko and Sunday's election Since the protests in 2020 the Lukashenko government has brutally repressed political opponents.

Belarus holds an ‘election’ with no choice today, very different to 2020 with its sudden huge hope of change

I’ve been speaking to some of the women who protested & were arrested - about their feelings then & now

The mood? Depression

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Russian officials & state media are now actively referring to ‘the country which is now called #Ukraine’, taking a cue from #Putin who launched this invasion after an essay denying Ukraine’s existence as a nation

It’s a very noticeable renewed accent, as the US contemplates brokering peace talks

Kyiv, at the site of today’s missile attack - the damage and the crater #ukraine #kyiv

Woken by a loud explosion in Kyiv this morning, right before the air raid sounded.

Something clearly made it through the air defences.

The last alert had only just ended

City officials report 4 dead so far, fire & a flooded street

#kyiv #ukraine

‘Viktor Babaryko is alive’ - his team posted, after this photo of the imprisoned Belarusian opposition politician suddenly appeared

He’s been held incommunicado for more than 630 days, as extra punishment. No calls, no letters, no visits

This photo comes ahead of ‘elections’ in Belarus this month

Moldova faces energy crisis as flow of Russian gas ends Russian gas has stopped passing through Ukraine after a five-year deal expired, leaving Moldova at risk of a crisis.

Ukraine hails a historic day, as it stops the transit of Russian gas via its territory. It means stopping the flow of funds back to Moscow - to pay for missiles and bombs

For Moldova, though, the move is problematic - and it looks like Moscow is making the most of that

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Thank you! Hope you approve

The very great Michael Palin picked my book as his choice to gift people this Christmas.

Just in case anyone was stuck for ideas )))

Goodbye to Russia: A Personal Reckoning from the Ruins of War amzn.eu/d/aulmds8

Oh wow. Thank you! It seems great minds think alike) ill definitely look out for your book….

Big thanks to the Daily Mail for picking my Goodbye to Russia for its politics books of the year hit list! Brilliant to see the impact it’s having, from @financialtimes.com politics books of 2024, @prospectmagazine.co.uk and then Michael Palin’s Xmas pick in @theguardian.com

Thanks to all

How meddling blamed on Russia exploited real grievances in Romania Romanians are still stunned by the last-minute cancellation of the presidential election after allegations of "massive" meddling by Moscow.

“We dodged a bullet”

That’s how one man described a Russian attempt to sway Romania’s presidential elex

But voters bombarded with content on TikTok actually liked what it said. The grievances Russia plays on have not gone away

My piece about a crazy week in #Romania www.bbc.com/news/article...

Thank you!

The amazing Michael Palin suggests my book, Goodbye to Russia, as a top pick for a Christmas gift.

Huge thanks ))