Veridica Digest

Meduza: ‘The bureau’s niche project’
Ruskaia Obșcina, copilul FSB-ului
Meduza: ‘The bureau’s niche project’

How the FSB gave rise to wartime Russia’s most notorious far-right group

The Atlantic: The President’s Weapon
Riscurile unei apocalipse nucleare
The Atlantic: The President’s Weapon

Why does the power to launch nuclear weapons rest with a single American?

The New Yorker: Calculating the Damage of Vaccine Skepticism
Pandemia anti-vaxxerilor
The New Yorker: Calculating the Damage of Vaccine Skepticism

It’s clear that we’re on the precipice of a surge in preventable diseases. But how bad will it get?

Foreign Affairs: Might Unmakes Right
O nouă epocă a războaielor?
Foreign Affairs: Might Unmakes Right

The Catastrophic Collapse of Norms Against the Use of Force

NY Magazine / Intelligencer: Crimes of the Century
Crime de război în Gaza
NY Magazine / Intelligencer: Crimes of the Century

How Israel, with the help of the U.S., broke not only Gaza but the foundations of humanitarian law.

YLE: Satellite images reveal Russia’s military town
Fortificațiile Rusiei la frontiera cu Finlanda
YLE: Satellite images reveal Russia’s military town

Russia is building a garrison in Kandalaksha for an artillery brigade. This is the first concrete sign of a permanent increase in the number of troops near the Finnish border.

The Economist: Putin’s next target.
Estonia se pregătește pentru invazie
The Economist: Putin’s next target.

Estonia is girding itself for an invasion as its Russian minority grows restless

BBC: How Belarus dissidents in exile abroad are pursued and threatened
Dictatura lui Lukashenko
BBC: How Belarus dissidents in exile abroad are pursued and threatened

Some receive threatening messages or phone-calls, others say their relatives are visited by authorities back home.

Reuters: Russia recruited a teenage spy. His arrest led to a crypto money trail
Războiul hibrid al Rusiei împotriva Occidentului
Reuters: Russia recruited a teenage spy. His arrest led to a crypto money trail

Russia has resorted to using untrained spies after its diplomats and operatives were expelled from Europe in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The case against a Canadian teenager now jailed in Poland reveals how Moscow conducts the operations, and how cryptocurrency funds them.

Futurism: ChatGPT Has Already Polluted the Internet So Badly That It's Hobbling Future AI Development
Este ChatGPT nociv pentru internet?
Futurism: ChatGPT Has Already Polluted the Internet So Badly That It's Hobbling Future AI Development

"Cleaning is going to be prohibitively expensive, probably impossible."

Al-Monitor: From shock to shame: Israeli strikes expose Iran's crumbling defenses, internal divides
Israelul distruge mitul puterii iraniene
Al-Monitor: From shock to shame: Israeli strikes expose Iran's crumbling defenses, internal divides

Whether seen as an unforgivable act of aggression or the start of an end to the Islamic Republic's rule, few in Iran dispute the defining nature of the Israeli attacks.

AP: 45 minutes to pack up a lifetime as Pakistan’s foreigner crackdown sends Afghans scrambling
Alungarea refugiaților afghani
AP: 45 minutes to pack up a lifetime as Pakistan’s foreigner crackdown sends Afghans scrambling

The nationwide crackdown, launched in October 2023, on foreigners Pakistan says are living in the country illegally has led to the departures of almost 1 million Afghans already.

The New York Times: Why the MAGA Right Became Obsessed With the Romanian Election
MAGA și suveraniștii români
The New York Times: Why the MAGA Right Became Obsessed With the Romanian Election

It started with a Russian influence campaign and a canceled vote. Then the American right showed up.

The Atlantic: Hitler Used a Bogus Crisis of ‘Public Order’ to Make Himself Dictator
Se poate repeta istoria?
The Atlantic: Hitler Used a Bogus Crisis of ‘Public Order’ to Make Himself Dictator

Using disorder he had helped manufacture, the chancellor seized control of Bavaria.

The Guardian: From Gaza prisoner to ‘the Israeli agent’: how rise of Abu Shabab could ignite new phase of war
Războiul din Gaza
The Guardian: From Gaza prisoner to ‘the Israeli agent’: how rise of Abu Shabab could ignite new phase of war

In email exchange, leader of clan that Israel acknowledges arming blames Hamas for war and for looting of aid trucks

Rolling Stone: Sly Stone Believed Everybody Is a Star: The Massive Legacy of an Avant-Funk Revolutionary
Moartea lui Sly Stone
Rolling Stone: Sly Stone Believed Everybody Is a Star: The Massive Legacy of an Avant-Funk Revolutionary

He combined rock, soul, and funk in inspirational anthems, while also channeling a streetwise sense of betrayal and rage

IStories: Telegram, the FSB, and the Man in the Middle
Legăturile Telegram cu statul rus
IStories: Telegram, the FSB, and the Man in the Middle

The technical infrastructure that underpins Telegram is controlled by a man whose companies have collaborated with Russian intelligence services. An investigation by IStories

The Wall Street Journal: This Conservative Is Doing Just Fine, Thank You, After Getting Dumped by Trump
Ofensiva conservatorilor
The Wall Street Journal: This Conservative Is Doing Just Fine, Thank You, After Getting Dumped by Trump

Leonard Leo has more than $1 billion to back Hollywood blockbusters that shield viewers from diversity and other progressive ideas

WIRED: You're Not Ready
Amenințări cibernetice
WIRED: You're Not Ready

Seems bad out there. Unfortunately, it can always get worse. From evil hacker AI to world-changing cyberattacks, WIRED envisions the future you haven't prepared for.

The New Yorker: Curtis Yarvin’s Plot Against America
Tech bros împotriva democrației
The New Yorker: Curtis Yarvin’s Plot Against America

The reactionary blogger’s call for a monarch to rule the country once seemed like a joke. Now the right is ready to bend the knee.

The Washington Post: Ukraine just rewrote the rules of war
Războiul din Ucraina
The Washington Post: Ukraine just rewrote the rules of war

A drone attack damaged Russia’s bomber fleet — and exposed air base vulnerabilities worldwide.

The Economist: Triple trouble for Israel as its furious allies bail
Războiul din Gaza
The Economist: Triple trouble for Israel as its furious allies bail

Netanyahu has a lethal addiction to crises

The New York Times: As Trump Demands More Military Spending, NATO Reconsiders What Counts
NATO în era Trump
The New York Times: As Trump Demands More Military Spending, NATO Reconsiders What Counts

The president has long pressed European allies to pay more for their own security. So they may redefine what qualifies as security.

Foreign Affairs: The Next War Between India and Pakistan
India vs. Pakistan
Foreign Affairs: The Next War Between India and Pakistan

Why New Delhi’s Failure to Deter Islamabad Will Fuel Future Violence