Minna Ålander 🌻

Because the world urgently needed another podcast, we got you covered: The Mildly Alarmed, a podcast on European security, featuring yours truly, @lapatina.bsky.social, @kaeggen.bsky.social & @frhoffmann.bsky.social is out ! In the first episode, we discuss the current state of affairs in Ukraine

🇵🇱 Polish range of answers to "How are you?" ("Fine, thanks, how are you?" is not an option) - somehow it's flying (jakoś leci) - dickish but stable (chujowo ale stabilnie) - old poverty (stara bieda) - could be worse (mogło być gorzej, peak expression of Polish happiness)

“It’s not only unlawful, but it’s not in the US interest to have Russian technology controlling the commercialization of Arctic gas in the North Slope,” says ex-Polar LNG CEO who quit after discovering secret Russian funding. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/u...

These analyses by @corporalfrisk.com are essential reading if you want to debate the F-35 purchase. BTW Gripen + GlobalEye AWACS finished *third* (and last of the final round) in the Finnish HX competition, behind both F-35 and Super Hornet + Growler Combo. corporalfrisk.com/2025/11/26/c...

As the federal government dismantles the machinery built to address covert foreign malign influence, technology companies and researchers can help Americans recognize and understand the threat. Katie Kedian explains how. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...

Notable that one of the issues that may be litigated in this trial is whether and to what extent "revenue generating" objects (like Nord Stream 2) constitute lawful military objectives under the law of war. Relevant in Ukraine-Russia context as well as current ME war. www.wsj.com/world/europe...

Very good post about Finland and Sweden’s closer defence relationship.

A short and sweet, good news only update tonight. We need that with the current news cycle, so here’s some Finnish-Swedish wholesomeness for you.

Dusting off slides from a decade ago about Russian information warfare definitions including "physical" interventions against data centres and communications hubs. It seemed to generate some pretty blank looks at the time.

This time, the only dramatic incident while recording was the cleaning service that invaded my office with a vacuum cleaner… 🙃 Really a great discussion with two nuclear nerds !

☢️ New episode of Mildly Alarmed is out! This week, @alanderminna.bsky.social and @frhoffmann.bsky.social sit down with @hfayet.bsky.social to discuss the impact of AI on nuclear weapons and how social media impact nuclear signalling. Needless to say: interesting stuff! youtu.be/S7-k61XUYvM?...

Two possibilities 1. they have got AI psychosis and think that Claude is a sentient being. 2. it's a marketing thing to make Claude seem more sophisticated than it actually is [good for people who might think they can be friends with it]. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

High-level officials from Ukraine and Europe have flown to Miami to meet with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for a new round of peace talks, hoping for a targeted ceasefire. The European Commission and NATO have sent representatives, @euronews.com can confirm.

Sweden to participate in NATO's nuclear exercise Steadfast Noon with JAS 39 Gripens. Sweden will "contribute conventional support to NATO’s nuclear mission. It is a routine exercise that demonstrates NATO’s capability and readiness to protect all allies", said Minister for Defence Pål Jonson.

Russia's military recruitment machine still produces enough men, but it is messy, decentralized and difficult to control. If Putin decides to launch another round of mobilization, it may be because "privatized coercion" is getting out of hand. janiskluge.substack.com/p/the-perils...

Russia still recruits around 1,000 men per day, according to the latest data from September. Under pressure to fulfil their quotas, Russian regions are very inventive. They try whatever works and copy what works elsewhere. The trend this year is payments to intermediaries.

Rescuers worked at the site of the Russian strike in Pryluky all night and day. Russia killed 22 people here for Putin's birthday, 5 of them were children. ​They celebrate like this, crashing apartment buildings onto sleeping residents. ​search and rescue operation continues.

Index by Taiwanese and German researchers finds Germany, France and UK among the countries most exposed to Chinese power and influence . giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Mein Beitrag im DLF Europa heute ist deshalb hörenswert, weil ich in der Live-Sendung vergessen habe, was „nuclear umbrella“ auf Deutsch heißt, und „Atomwaffen-Regenschirm“ gesagt habe. 😂😂😂😂

Minna Ålander 🌻 - 3/4 ”The railway cases show that Russia is operating on two levels simultaneously. It wants to disrupt the routes sustaining Ukraine, but it also wants every Ukrainian passport appearing in such an investigation to become a political problem between Warsaw and Kyiv.”

It seems that Sweden is sending Patriots to Poland to secure NATO logistics to Ukraine. Why not just send them to Ukraine directly…

I'm rarely shocked by politics these days because everything is crazy all the time but this is legitimately insane. This could've been going on for more than a decade and they only really found out by accident. Just...wow.

Yet another blow for Germany’s reliability and reputation, as this ex-chief of BND seems to have been supplied with material from foreign partner agencies as well and used it to brief a foreign agency…

This is really big news for European China policy. (Guess who just thought she finished a long read, arguing that the lack of consensus on instruments limits Europe's possibility to act... This didn't age well I guess.) www.ft.com/content/4416...

Yes since 2025 European involvement in Ukraine’s defence effort has both deepened and widened. Trump’s return to the White House was a watershed moment. European countries now host Ukrainian production and logistics to the extent that Russia has started to consider Europe as Ukraine’s ”rear”.

The former boss of Germany's most important intelligence agency, the BND, has been arrested on suspicion of treason.

New episode of Mildly Alarmed is out! This week with brilliant @drjademcglynn.bsky.social @alanderminna.bsky.social and @lapatina.bsky.social Check it out 👇

The curious thing about these break-ins is that it’s a well-known tactic to intimidate embassy staff stationed in Moscow. But it hasn’t usually been done to non-Russians outside of Russia.

Det finns en populär, men ihålig, föreställning om att rysk upprustning drivs av västlig upprustning. Problemet är bara att väst rustade ned i 30 år till ~2020-22 och det gjorde inget för att påverka rysk upprustning. Om det och annat i P3 Dystopia: Om kriget kommer 2.

anyway Nokia is back

The Finnish companies Nokia and Iceye want to challenge Starlink and start producing communications satellite systems for governments. First satellites to be launched 2028. Great if they can make this happen on scale

We're nearly at 50% for this appeal! If you can spare a buck or two, please send it this way! You'll be able to tell your grandchildren you helped fight fascism when it tried to rise again in Europe!

The UK-EU relationship is like a bad rom-com. The UK broke up with the EU. The EU was shocked and sad about it. But soon realized there was a lot about the UK that was annoying (opt outs, hostility to federalism, America’s poodle) and they moved on. 1/2

The end of When Harry met Sally is the UK-EU relationship. Frank Sinatra playing "it had to be (EU)." Meg Ryan: "I know you're feeling lonely. But you can't just show up here, tell me you love me, and expect that to make everything alright. It doesn't work this way!" www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4OD...