This episode’s guest is Nikolaus von Twickel, a journalist-turned-analyst who specializes on the war in eastern Ukraine. He is now an editor at the Center for Liberal Modernity in Berlin, and he previously served as a media liaison officer for the OSCE Monitoring Mission in Donetsk. In 2020, he co-authored a book with Thomas de Waal called “Beyond Frozen Conflict: Scenarios for the Separatist Disputes of Eastern Europe,” which looks at the Donbas, Transdniestria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorny Karabakh.

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Timestamps for this episode:

• (2:22) Welcome back and introduction
• (6:13) Nikolaus explains why he thinks Russia has mobilized its troops outside Ukraine
• (8:45) Is it nonsense for Russia to claim that Kyiv is considering an assault on the Donbas?
• (15:49) Is Minsk II the only way forward diplomatically in the Donbas or is it now a dead agreement?
• (19:36) Is Zelensky still viewed in the West as pragmatic?
• (22:17) Can Russia claim to defend the interests of people in the Donbas if the breakaway “republics” are police states?
• (28:48) Outro and closing plug for donations!

Music and audio for "The Russia Guy":

• Joey Pecoraro, "Russian Dance"
• Олег Анофриев, Бременские музыканты, “Говорят, мы бяки-буки”

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