giocomai - Network

also, a sort of tutorial on "calculating the travel distance between places and each point of the European population grid", and...

also, a sort of tutorial on "calculating the travel distance between places and each point of the European population grid", and driving time VS as-the-crow-flies distance
https://codebase.giorgiocomai.eu/2019/11/26/osrm-population-grid-calculate-distance/

As Romanians across Europe flock to the polls, time to bring back my quantitative analysis showing the incredible density of Romanian...

As Romanians across Europe flock to the polls, time to bring back my quantitative analysis showing the incredible density of Romanian polling stations in Italy: half of Italian residents could drive to a Romanian polling station in less than 35 minutes.
https://codebase.giorgiocomai.eu/2019/11/26/osrm-population-grid-calculate-distance/ #Romania 🇷🇴

"The Coalition of the Willing to do What?" - Former minister of foreign affairs of Lithuania Landsbergis pulls no punches in his...

"The Coalition of the Willing to do What?" - Former minister of foreign affairs of Lithuania Landsbergis pulls no punches in his latest blog post https://landsbergis.com/the-coalition-of-the-willing-to-do-what/ #Ukraine

Sam Greene lays out clearly some important points after the Istanbul talks, starting from a rather unitinuitive premise:> "The...

Sam Greene lays out clearly some important points after the Istanbul talks, starting from a rather unitinuitive premise:

> "The negotiations that will end the war in Ukraine don’t involve Russia."

https://tldrussia.substack.com/p/tldrussia-rapid-reaction-tick-tick #Russia #Ukraine

Watching Russian TV, it's still quite a show how they convey maximalist positions through quotes by Western correspondents

Watching Russian TV, it's still quite a show how they convey maximalist positions through quotes by Western correspondents

Now, of course, just as the choice of Istanbul as the proposed location of the talks, a Medinsky-led team is supposed to highlight the...

Now, of course, just as the choice of Istanbul as the proposed location of the talks, a Medinsky-led team is supposed to highlight the continuation of these talks with those held in the Spring of 2022.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/06/15/world/europe/ukraine-russia-ceasefire-deal.html
https://archive.ph/5wDjh

This is, I think, the latest draft we have:
[RU] https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/a456d6dd8e27e830/e279a252-full.pdf
[EN] https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/17f655b584276917/07ec81ce-full.pdf
Core issues, including territory and security issues, were left effectively unaddressed.

Worth adding, that Medinsky's presence was anticipated e.g. in this February 2025 article by @meduza_en ...

Worth adding, that Medinsky's presence was anticipated e.g. in this February 2025 article by @meduza_en https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/02/19/trusted-people

> “If representatives of Ukraine enter the picture, so will Medinsky,”

If you're negotiating with the U.S., then you send businessmen. If you negotiate with Ukraine, then it's time to make sure your favourite revisionist historian is part of the team (Medinsky is presumably co-author of the infamous Putin article on the unity of Ukrainian and Russian people).

The Kremlin made public who's in the official delegation for the talks. It's headed again by Medinsky (and then including deputy...

The Kremlin made public who's in the official delegation for the talks. It's headed again by Medinsky (and then including deputy ministers): this is not a delegation for real talks.
http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/76923 #Russia

"No amount of unilateral Ukrainian concessions would address what Russia considers the ‘root causes’ of the conflict."My...

"No amount of unilateral Ukrainian concessions would address what Russia considers the ‘root causes’ of the conflict."

My latest: https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Areas/Ukraine/Why-Kyiv-cannot-possibly-fix-the-root-causes-of-the-conflict-237613 #Ukraine #Russia

#Romania Already time to vote for Romania's diaspora. Some pics I took earlier today from one of the 965 (!) sections opened abroad...

#Romania Already time to vote for Romania's diaspora. Some pics I took earlier today from one of the 965 (!) sections opened abroad https://www.mae.ro/sites/default/files/file/2025_files/alegeri_2025/pdf_alegeri_2025/lista_sectiilor_de_votare_prezidentiale_2025_site_-_09.04.2025.pdf

screenshots from here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IvqG1hHDxs&t=3515s - after a quote confirming that in the PSD they knew that...

screenshots from here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IvqG1hHDxs&t=3515s - after a quote confirming that in the PSD they knew that Dăncilă had no chance

About #Romania presidential elections. I'm sorry to end up thinking about the parallels between PSD and Viorica Dăncilă back in 2019...

About #Romania presidential elections. I'm sorry to end up thinking about the parallels between PSD and Viorica Dăncilă back in 2019 and USR/Lasconi now. In both cases, the party was fully convinced their party leader had no chance, but confirmed them as candidates. Both Dăncilă and Lasconi took the expectation that they should leave in favour of an alternative candidate as a rallying call, to demonstrate that they "don't give up". These are form Dăncilă's campaign, but could be Lasconi's:

I quite can't still come to terms with Lasconi's positioning after the vote earlier last year. The whole USR party messed up so bad,...

I quite can't still come to terms with Lasconi's positioning after the vote earlier last year. The whole USR party messed up so bad, but she could still be a leader at this very time, and a positive force for her party and a net positive for the quality of the political debate we've been having through these weeks and this very night. And yet, here we are, and in this reality, things are quite the opposite. Sorry about the amount of political goodwill getting wasted #Romania

I find Ponta's political cynicism unbearable, but I still think he has political talent. I thought the same when he left government on a...

I find Ponta's political cynicism unbearable, but I still think he has political talent. I thought the same when he left government on a high risk bet, that he got wrong, and was sidelined within the PSD by people much less talented and smart than himself. Such thirst for power... A career politician and former PM for the most systemic party in Romania trying to pitch himself as an "anti-system" candidate. Even besides his political pivot, it should be too much for #Romania

Don't know if anyone is watching the presidential debate in #Romania for the upcoming vote, but... What a sad show, in so many ways....

Don't know if anyone is watching the presidential debate in #Romania for the upcoming vote, but... What a sad show, in so many ways. Would comment on them, but... Anyway, Simion absent likely because he's sure of reaching the second turn, but not sure about who he'll be against then... Much safer to wait and set up a line when this will be clear.

Current U.S. leadership is...erranterratic

Current U.S. leadership is...

errant
erratic

Russia's youth mostly loyal to the regime, largely because it's not paying attention.> "only about 35% of Russians under the...

Russia's youth mostly loyal to the regime, largely because it's not paying attention.

> "only about 35% of Russians under the age of 25 say they are “more or less closely” following the special military operation in Ukraine (this includes 7% of the whole sample who say they follow it “very closely”), whereas among Russians over 55 the figure is as high as 71% (including 32% who pay close attention)."

in Russian: https://gorby.media/articles/2025/04/02/molodezh-i-vlast-ot-liubvi-do-nenavisti-i-obratno
translated in English: https://russiapost.info/society/young_people #Russia 🇷🇺

Much ado about all U.S. - Russia meetings and the (supposedly) ongoing peace process. But not much really changed over the last couple of...

Much ado about all U.S. - Russia meetings and the (supposedly) ongoing peace process. But not much really changed over the last couple of months, and this take by Heiko Pleines remains 100% correct:

https://laender-analysen.de/ukraine-analysen/311/frieden-ukraine-trump-probleme-und-szenarien/ #Ukraine 🇺🇦

@doncow hosted #mailcow down for almost an hour... all good?

@doncow hosted #mailcow down for almost an hour... all good?

Key to remember that Russian fertisilers are not sanctioned, and indeed their exports are surging around the world, including Europe.>...

Key to remember that Russian fertisilers are not sanctioned, and indeed their exports are surging around the world, including Europe.

> "Russian fertiliser exports to the EU surged by over 33% in 2024 alone", and about doubled in Poland, which is the main importer.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/kremlins-fertilizer-cash-stream-is-blind-spot-eu-sanctions-vladimirov-2025-03-14/