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Geopolitical analyst from Finland and France, Joni Askola, join us on Tuesday to discuss his latest YouTube post, “Putin Failed!”:
According to Joni:
“Ukraine’s ongoing Operation Vivaldi has achieved remarkable success near Lyman, pushing Russian forces back by over a year’s worth of territorial gains while the offensive continues. This operation carries immense symbolic weight: taking place in the Donbas, the most heavily fortified region of Ukraine and Russia’s primary strategic axis, it proves that a complete Russian takeover of the area is far from inevitable.
Ukraine’s new Commander-in-Chief, Drapatyi, known for his meritocratic leadership and hands-off operational management (his predecessor Syrskyi was known to be a micromanager), has placed two highly respected commanders in charge of the sector: Biletskyi (founder of Azov and commander of the 3rd Assault Corps) and Prokopenko (commander of the Azov Corps). While conditions on the front remain grueling, progress is moving in the right direction. Strict Ukrainian OPSEC has kept Russian leadership largely in the dark about the full scale of the advance. The upcoming winter will be brutal, but this success will bolster Ukrainian morale and remind the world that Russia is failing in the war it started.”—Joni Askola for Bette Dangerous
We are also going to be discussing the new Institute for the Study of War report on how Russia is operating within a war framework, while Europe continues to function within a peace framework.
Regarding the study, Joni noted:
“Russia has considered itself at war with the West for years and acted on it in Ukraine and in the West, while we have not considered ourselves at war with Russia. As Russia keeps escalating both in Ukraine and in the EU, this position becomes more and more untenable.
Russia may have fewer people and a smaller economy than Europe combined, but it is on a war economy, has a huge edge in unmanned systems, and has little to lose. They are also ready to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of people for a few square kilometers, while most Europeans would sadly be ready to sacrifice a lot of territory to keep their comfortable lives. This dilemma doesn’t truly exist, as Russia will go as far as we allow it to, and because Europe has clearly failed to stop Russia’s escalations, we need to change what we are doing and find new solutions on how to stop Russia.”—Joni Askola for Bette Dangerous
Additional members of our Bette’s All-Stars roster — Siena-based geopolitical analyst Monique Camarra and disinformation analyst from Vienna, Dietmar Pichler, will likely be joining us to weigh in on the ISW study and with additional briefings.
And please save the following dates for Bette’s Book Club events:
Craig Unger, Sunday, October 4, 11 am Pacific — discussing his “House of Trump, House of Putin” book
More about the New York Times-bestselling author and investigative reporter here:
David Colon, Tuesday, October 13, 11 am Pacific — we’ll learn more about the work of this French historian, who has authored multiple books on information warfare, including the upcoming Infodemic. You can read more from Colon here (it’s easy to translate into English):
And here is one of his reports, which I cross-posted in Bette:
Dr. Marci Shore, Tuesday, October 27, 11 am Pacific — for a master-class lecture on “Eichmann In Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil” by Hannah Arendt. Marci, an intellectual historian whose own book, The Ukrainian Night, is a must-read, calls Arendt one of her first loves and has given many lectures on the profoundly important work of the German philosopher and historian.
I will be sending out more details in advance of each event, with registration links for Bette paid subscribers who wish to attend. If you are not yet a paid member, and would like to join our community events, please take out a membership here:
And please keep scrolling for our Tuesday Happy Hour registration.
More about Joni Askola:
Joni Askola is a Finnish PhD candidate, geopolitical analyst, and activist who has lived in various locations, including Russia. He works to combat Russian disinformation, fight against authoritarianism, and defend democracies, both online and through fundraising efforts for Ukraine with an organization called Help99. To support Joni's latest fundraising for the war effort in Ukraine, go here. You will find his YouTube show here.
You can find his threads on the following socials:
New members: I began the Happy Hour three and a half years ago, when I realized many community members were struggling with despair. When we come together, I know I’m not the only one who feels better.
Look forward to seeing many of you on Tuesday. I do not paywall my work here, so your paid memberships are everything to me. Thank you as always for supporting my work.
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