I’m spending this week once again in Ukraine, a place I strongly support and will always hold close to my heart. 🇺🇦 People here are strong, determined, filled with national & personal pride—while enduring a bitterly cold winter. Here’s some of what I’ve seen this week: 🧵1/7

We dug through the numbers and compiled our own dataset to understand how the Xi era has reshaped China's relationship w/ Central Asia. We looked at diplomatic engagement, the unique role that Xinjiang plays, and we also compared Xi to the Hu Jintao era.

RIP Geno.

Best wishes to Bill Ritter. #Respect

For 900 days, @RFERL journalist Nika Novak has been unjustly imprisoned by Russia. On December 25, 2023, Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers raided her apartment. Nika’s mother watched as her daughter was violently dragged out of their home.

It is shocking that in the new phase of war, by war criminal Putin blatantly murdering civilians of Ukraine, that Bulgaria cowardly stops weapons for Ukraine. At the time of war crimes against Black Sea neighbors of Romania and Ukraine this month, now is not the time to appease the Putinist efforts to re-establish the failed Soviet Union. His next step would be to resurrect the oppression of the Warsaw Pact enslaving the people of Bulgaria. As founder and co-chair of the Congressional Bulgaria Caucus. I still cherish being an election observer thirty-six years ago today, for the restoration of democracy. The Bulgarian people have been an inspiration to me for freedom, not supplicant of appeasement. washingtonpost.com/world/202…

🚨Where you get your news matters! Met with Radio Free Europe President & CEO Steve Capus today. We discussed the organization’s operations over the past 18 months the impact of changes at the U.S. Agency for Global Media. As a lifetime communicator, I truly appreciate their work advancing independent journalism and providing trusted reporting to audiences around the world. 🌎🎙️📲

NEW!! "There should be no normalization of U.S.-Georgia relations until Georgian authorities release those detained or imprisoned for exercising their fundamental freedoms," -- write FH's Katie LaRoque freedomhouse.org/article/no-…

Wow. Putin is looking weaker by the day.

The US House of Representatives has passed legislation requiring the administration to produce a detailed assessment of Russian and Chinese intelligence activities in Georgia, marking the latest sign of growing concern in Washington over the direction of the South Caucasus country under the ruling Georgian Dream party. rferl.org/a/33776729.html

Today, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has become as long as the entirety of World War I. And Russia is still no more capable of defeating Ukraine than it was in 2022, 2023, 2024, or 2025, And it never will be. That question has already been settled.

"The illegitimate Georgian Dream regime is in the process of selling out the country to the Chinese Communist Party, war criminal Putin, and Iran — against the wishes of the Georgian people and the interests of the U.S.," @RepJoeWilson tells Congress as the House passes a bill targeting Chinese and Russian influence in Georgia. “The election was rigged in Georgia." - Wilson adds 👇

The reported conditions facing Reza Valizadeh are deeply alarming. Wrongfully detained for his journalism with @RFERL, he has reportedly been denied adequate medical care while imprisoned in Iran. Freedom House calls for his immediate release and for Iranian authorities to uphold their obligations to protect the health and rights of those in their custody. #FreeRezaValizadeh #FreeThemAll

As Armenian voters went to the polls yesterday in a pivotal election marked by Russian disinformation campaigns and foreign interference, @RFERL @AzatutyunRadio journalists were on the ground country-wide. Watch how our teams reported live:

There are six Americans detained in Iran and KNOWN to the US government according to my sources. You can listen to one of them - journalist Reza Valizadeh - plead for help from behind bars in Evin prison. An exclusive recording obtained by CBS is linked below. Kamran Hekmati is another US citizen stuck in Iran. cbsnews.com/news/listen-to-i… It is possible that the President has not been briefed by his staff since he told NBC: "Nobody really has an accurate list of who they are, what they are, or if they're being held."

Today, the Russians again struck the special territory around the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. A “shahed” hit one of the buildings of the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility. An extremely critical infrastructure facility – and an extremely vile Russian strike. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Energy, and all our services are already working to ensure that each of our partners knows what has happened. Russia deliberately struck this particular nuclear infrastructure facility. As of now, there are no readings exceeding normal background radiation levels. But there is certainly an increase in Russia’s brazenness, which long ago went off the charts. Ukrainian first responders extinguished the fire at this facility after the strike. And real new steps by the world are needed so that the Russians feel that this terrorist war of theirs is a blow to Russia itself. Last night, there were also Russian strikes on other civilian facilities in 13 of our regions. In total, over the course of this past week, Russia launched 88 missiles, more than 3,250 attack drones, and around 1,800 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine. Pressure on Russia must be increased. Thank you to everyone who’s helping!

As Ukraine marks Journalists’ Day today, we underscore the vital mission of telling the truth about Russia’s war against Ukraine, documenting the crimes of the aggressor state, and sharing the realities faced by the Ukrainian people with the world. This mission is not easy and is often carried out under extremely dangerous conditions. We are grateful to all journalists who continue their work despite the serious risks, helping ensure that facts prevail over propaganda and that the truth is heard. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, at least 149 media professionals have been killed, including 21 while carrying out their journalistic duties. Around 30 Ukrainian journalists and media workers remain in Russian captivity. Eternal memory to all those who lost their lives due to Russia’s aggression. Ukraine works every day to secure the release of every media employee from Russia’s brutal captivity.

Everything Ukrainian journalists document is our truth about this war and evidence of Russian crimes. And it is important that this work be of high quality and contribute to accountability for all of Russia’s crimes and attacks on life. I thank the journalists and all media employees who work for Ukraine and show the world what our people have to endure and how we fight for our independence. Today, we also thank all dedicated foreign media professionals who stand on the right side of history and ensure that the world does not forget or remain silent about what is happening in Ukraine. It is precisely this active support that helps us secure assistance at the political level. And all of us must preserve the memory and honor the contribution to our fight of those journalists who were killed in this war. Congratulations on Journalist’s Day!

The @NHL has supported this yet another horrific terrorist crime with its current stance. And next year at All Star Weekend, it even wants to field a team of European players with Russian participation. The NHL has sunk to the bottom!

Vira Hyrych (Ukraine) A journalist for Radio Svoboda. Killed in Kyiv in April 2022 when a russian missile struck her residential building. She wasn’t at the front line. The front line came to her home. 11/14

Today, June 6, is Ukraine’s Journalist Day. They carried cameras instead of weapons. They told the world the truth — and were killed for it. Nearly 30 journalists and media workers have been killed since the full-scale invasion. We will remember every one of them. 🧵1/14⬇️