Azamat Junisbai
@azamatistan.bsky.social
almaty native - california transplant - sociology professor - views are my own - 🇰🇿🇺🇦
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
Amid the rubble of a Ukrainian apartment building, locals have one wish for Putin’s birthday
A Russian cruise missile hit a five-story apartment building in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast, on Oct. 7, killing at least 20 people, including five children — three of them only one year old.
A Russian cruise missile hit a five-story apartment building in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast, on Oct. 7, killing at least 20 people, including five children — three of them only one year old.
Amid the rubble of a Ukrainian apartment building, locals have one wish for Putin’s birthday
PRYLUKY, Chernihiv Oblast – Families stand outside the ruins of a five-story apartment building, watching rescuers dig through what remains of their homes.
Some sit wrapped in blankets, staring at th...
kyivindependent.com
October 7, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Amid the rubble of a Ukrainian apartment building, locals have one wish for Putin’s birthday
A Russian cruise missile hit a five-story apartment building in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast, on Oct. 7, killing at least 20 people, including five children — three of them only one year old.
A Russian cruise missile hit a five-story apartment building in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast, on Oct. 7, killing at least 20 people, including five children — three of them only one year old.
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
⚡️Australia commits to long-term Ukraine support, rolls out 100-plus new Russia sanctions
Ukraine and Australia signed a wide-ranging, 10-year security agreement on Sept. 23 on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, cementing cooperation between the two countries on a range of fronts.
Ukraine and Australia signed a wide-ranging, 10-year security agreement on Sept. 23 on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, cementing cooperation between the two countries on a range of fronts.
Australia commits to long-term Ukraine support, rolls out 100-plus new Russia sanctions
Canberra also announced a 60 million Australian dollar ($42.2 million) support package for Kyiv.
kyivindependent.com
September 24, 2026 at 12:20 PM
⚡️Australia commits to long-term Ukraine support, rolls out 100-plus new Russia sanctions
Ukraine and Australia signed a wide-ranging, 10-year security agreement on Sept. 23 on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, cementing cooperation between the two countries on a range of fronts.
Ukraine and Australia signed a wide-ranging, 10-year security agreement on Sept. 23 on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, cementing cooperation between the two countries on a range of fronts.
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
Russia says the quiet part out loud at the UN-- they reject a ceasefire because they don't want Ukraine to rearm. Why? Clearly, because they don't want Ukraine to defend itself from their aggression. Their goal remains Ukrainian capitulation. Never forget that…
September 24, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Russia says the quiet part out loud at the UN-- they reject a ceasefire because they don't want Ukraine to rearm. Why? Clearly, because they don't want Ukraine to defend itself from their aggression. Their goal remains Ukrainian capitulation. Never forget that…
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
Zelensky is always clear and on point. It is a travesty that some are accusing Ukraine of not wanting peace. It's like claiming a cancer patient rejects health and wants illness because they talk too much about the hospital and medications.
⚡️'Ukrainians did not choose this war. We choose not to die,' Zelensky says to UN General Assembly as he calls for peace.
'Ukrainians did not choose this war. We choose not to die,' Zelensky says to UN General Assembly
President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Sept. 23, addressed the U.N. General Assembly, calling for continued support for Ukraine, stressing the importance of negotiations, and warning that Ukrainians will co...
kyivindependent.com
September 23, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Zelensky is always clear and on point. It is a travesty that some are accusing Ukraine of not wanting peace. It's like claiming a cancer patient rejects health and wants illness because they talk too much about the hospital and medications.
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
Read Mikhal Zygar on Umar Kremlev, the oligarch who helped pay for Don Jr's wedding
zygaro.substack.com/p/the-oligar...
zygaro.substack.com/p/the-oligar...
September 16, 2026 at 10:43 AM
Read Mikhal Zygar on Umar Kremlev, the oligarch who helped pay for Don Jr's wedding
zygaro.substack.com/p/the-oligar...
zygaro.substack.com/p/the-oligar...
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
Your regular reminder: If the Russians stop fighting, the war ends. If the Ukrainians stop fighting, their land will be occupied, their leaders will be killed, their history and language will be erased, their children will be kidnapped to serve Russia.
September 14, 2026 at 12:14 AM
Your regular reminder: If the Russians stop fighting, the war ends. If the Ukrainians stop fighting, their land will be occupied, their leaders will be killed, their history and language will be erased, their children will be kidnapped to serve Russia.
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
A Russian oligarch named Kremlev—who’s close to the Kremlin—paid for Don Jr.’s wedding? Who needs satire.
September 14, 2026 at 10:18 PM
A Russian oligarch named Kremlev—who’s close to the Kremlin—paid for Don Jr.’s wedding? Who needs satire.
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
Some details: Kremlev, the Russian who sponsored Don Jr's wedding, is a former member of the Night Wolves biker gang, went to China with Putin and is personally sanctioned by Ukraine for his role in abducting children
www.propublica.org/article/dona...
www.propublica.org/article/dona...
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
www.propublica.org
September 14, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Some details: Kremlev, the Russian who sponsored Don Jr's wedding, is a former member of the Night Wolves biker gang, went to China with Putin and is personally sanctioned by Ukraine for his role in abducting children
www.propublica.org/article/dona...
www.propublica.org/article/dona...
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
ICYMI: Our short book is available for a free download again for the next 10 days! 🥳
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
September 10, 2026 at 1:23 PM
ICYMI: Our short book is available for a free download again for the next 10 days! 🥳
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
People who’ve seen the Soviet movie I mention in my latest column will see the parallels. “Ignorance and greed make for hilarious farce in Leningrad. They make for ludicrous American policy in Moscow.” www.policymagazine.ca/unbelievable...
Unbelievable Adventures of Americans in Shuttle Diplomacy - Policy Magazine
On Friday, Trump indicated that Kushner and Witkoff had a fresh proposal for ending the war, without specifying details. This is their first official visit to
www.policymagazine.ca
September 6, 2026 at 11:50 PM
People who’ve seen the Soviet movie I mention in my latest column will see the parallels. “Ignorance and greed make for hilarious farce in Leningrad. They make for ludicrous American policy in Moscow.” www.policymagazine.ca/unbelievable...
New depths of moral bankruptcy. Blaming the victim for daring to fight back. After trying to block Zelensky's visit to DC in 2025 and inviting the aggressor's finance minister to the US in 2026.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/b...
Bessent Blames Ukraine for High Energy Prices (Gift Article)
After meeting with Russia’s finance minister, the Treasury secretary said Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil infrastructure were contributing to a global energy shock driven mainly by the U.S. war with ...
www.nytimes.com
September 3, 2026 at 9:24 PM
New depths of moral bankruptcy. Blaming the victim for daring to fight back. After trying to block Zelensky's visit to DC in 2025 and inviting the aggressor's finance minister to the US in 2026.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/b...
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
Moldovan President Maia Sandu awarded Zelenskyy Moldova’s highest state honor for his contribution to defending peace and freedom on the European continent.
August 27, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Moldovan President Maia Sandu awarded Zelenskyy Moldova’s highest state honor for his contribution to defending peace and freedom on the European continent.
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
Ukraine’s fight against Russian imperialism is one of the longest statehood struggles in world history. As far back as 1731, French enlightenment philosopher Voltaire noted that “Ukraine has always aspired to liberty.”
nypost.com/2026/08/26/o...
nypost.com/2026/08/26/o...
Ukraine fights on for freedom — to shatter centuries of Russian cruelty
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine stunned the world — but it was just the latest chapter in a dark epic of imperial aggression stretching back hundreds of years.
nypost.com
August 26, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Ukraine’s fight against Russian imperialism is one of the longest statehood struggles in world history. As far back as 1731, French enlightenment philosopher Voltaire noted that “Ukraine has always aspired to liberty.”
nypost.com/2026/08/26/o...
nypost.com/2026/08/26/o...
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
APPLEBAUM: Corruption investigations in Ukraine are coming from inside Ukrainian government.
Try to imagine that right now in United States, and you can't do it.
It's as if FBI were investigating Trump family companies, which is unimaginable, right?
TARLOV: That's very funny.
Try to imagine that right now in United States, and you can't do it.
It's as if FBI were investigating Trump family companies, which is unimaginable, right?
TARLOV: That's very funny.
August 27, 2026 at 2:03 PM
APPLEBAUM: Corruption investigations in Ukraine are coming from inside Ukrainian government.
Try to imagine that right now in United States, and you can't do it.
It's as if FBI were investigating Trump family companies, which is unimaginable, right?
TARLOV: That's very funny.
Try to imagine that right now in United States, and you can't do it.
It's as if FBI were investigating Trump family companies, which is unimaginable, right?
TARLOV: That's very funny.
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
On Ukraine’s Independence Day, we honour the extraordinary courage of the Ukrainian people.
For more than a third of its time as a sovereign nation, Ukraine has had to fight to prevent Russia from taking away its freedom. (1/3)
For more than a third of its time as a sovereign nation, Ukraine has had to fight to prevent Russia from taking away its freedom. (1/3)
August 24, 2026 at 2:56 PM
On Ukraine’s Independence Day, we honour the extraordinary courage of the Ukrainian people.
For more than a third of its time as a sovereign nation, Ukraine has had to fight to prevent Russia from taking away its freedom. (1/3)
For more than a third of its time as a sovereign nation, Ukraine has had to fight to prevent Russia from taking away its freedom. (1/3)
Part of a wide ranging conversation (in Russian) with Gulnara Bisari in Astana earlier this summer.
youtube.com/shorts/p6Rtb...
youtube.com/shorts/p6Rtb...
Будет ли КАЗАХСТАН второй Украиной? Переходи по ссылке ⬇️ полное видео #ПрофессорСША #AzamatJunisbai
YouTube video by QAZir Erten Podcast
youtube.com
August 3, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Part of a wide ranging conversation (in Russian) with Gulnara Bisari in Astana earlier this summer.
youtube.com/shorts/p6Rtb...
youtube.com/shorts/p6Rtb...
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
putin made a decision to invade 🇺🇦.
But the puppeteer is also a puppet, captive to russia's imperial ethos.
Enter Schrödinger's putin: the autocrat who could end the war tomorrow, yet remains trapped by the predatory political tradition he embodies.
www.realclearworld.com/articles/202...
But the puppeteer is also a puppet, captive to russia's imperial ethos.
Enter Schrödinger's putin: the autocrat who could end the war tomorrow, yet remains trapped by the predatory political tradition he embodies.
www.realclearworld.com/articles/202...
Russia's War and Putin's Choice
This article first appeared in German in Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Few medieval figures loom larger in Russia’s origin story than Yuriy Dolgorukiy, the prince credited with founding an outpost o
www.realclearworld.com
July 25, 2026 at 7:59 PM
putin made a decision to invade 🇺🇦.
But the puppeteer is also a puppet, captive to russia's imperial ethos.
Enter Schrödinger's putin: the autocrat who could end the war tomorrow, yet remains trapped by the predatory political tradition he embodies.
www.realclearworld.com/articles/202...
But the puppeteer is also a puppet, captive to russia's imperial ethos.
Enter Schrödinger's putin: the autocrat who could end the war tomorrow, yet remains trapped by the predatory political tradition he embodies.
www.realclearworld.com/articles/202...
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
Russian State Duma lawmaker Aleksey Zhuravlyov threatened Finland with military force after Helsinki approved a Lockheed Martin rocket systems maintenance center in Tampere. He said Russia would strengthen its defenses on the Finnish border and claimed Finland was becoming "a second Ukraine" #Russia
June 27, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Russian State Duma lawmaker Aleksey Zhuravlyov threatened Finland with military force after Helsinki approved a Lockheed Martin rocket systems maintenance center in Tampere. He said Russia would strengthen its defenses on the Finnish border and claimed Finland was becoming "a second Ukraine" #Russia
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
RUTA is devastated by the scale of latest Russian attacks, furthering the transgenerational destruction and appropriation of Ukrainian culture, heritage, identity, and self-determination. We support Ukrainians in their striving for de-occupation, safety, accountability and justice for Russian crimes
On the night of June 14–15, Ukraine endured another large-scale Russian attack. Our thoughts are with the families of those killed.
Furthermore, several important cultural sites were damaged in what appear to have been deliberate strikes.
Here's what we know so far. 🧵
Furthermore, several important cultural sites were damaged in what appear to have been deliberate strikes.
Here's what we know so far. 🧵
June 16, 2026 at 6:31 PM
RUTA is devastated by the scale of latest Russian attacks, furthering the transgenerational destruction and appropriation of Ukrainian culture, heritage, identity, and self-determination. We support Ukrainians in their striving for de-occupation, safety, accountability and justice for Russian crimes
“The Russian Federation remains the world's largest unrepentant colonizer.
What makes this voracious, predatory empire invisible to an unquestioning observer is the saltwater fallacy, the refusal of the Western mind to grasp that colonies don't have to be separated from the metropole by high seas.”
What makes this voracious, predatory empire invisible to an unquestioning observer is the saltwater fallacy, the refusal of the Western mind to grasp that colonies don't have to be separated from the metropole by high seas.”
Every few years, Europe discovers a new theory to explain the origins of #ruscism
🔴 POO-tihn
🔴 NATO enlargement
🔴 Domestic politics
Yet russia's wars of conquest transed rulers, ideologies, and centuries
My latest on #russianColonialism for @kyivindependent.com
kyivindependent.com/russias-war-...
🔴 POO-tihn
🔴 NATO enlargement
🔴 Domestic politics
Yet russia's wars of conquest transed rulers, ideologies, and centuries
My latest on #russianColonialism for @kyivindependent.com
kyivindependent.com/russias-war-...
Russia's war on Ukraine: the new, the old, and the immutable
At the Trump-Xi summit in May 2026 in Beijing, China's President allegedly told his American counterpart that Vladimir Putin "might end up regretting" his invasion of Ukraine. This revelation is both ...
kyivindependent.com
June 11, 2026 at 5:36 PM
“The Russian Federation remains the world's largest unrepentant colonizer.
What makes this voracious, predatory empire invisible to an unquestioning observer is the saltwater fallacy, the refusal of the Western mind to grasp that colonies don't have to be separated from the metropole by high seas.”
What makes this voracious, predatory empire invisible to an unquestioning observer is the saltwater fallacy, the refusal of the Western mind to grasp that colonies don't have to be separated from the metropole by high seas.”
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
Ukraine struck Russian Navy weapons storage base military unit 55443-li in Bolshaya Izhora, Leningrad region, using around 40 attack drones, Dosye Shpiona said. The hit triggered detonations and destroyed about 5,000 tons of ammunition. #Russia
June 7, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Ukraine struck Russian Navy weapons storage base military unit 55443-li in Bolshaya Izhora, Leningrad region, using around 40 attack drones, Dosye Shpiona said. The hit triggered detonations and destroyed about 5,000 tons of ammunition. #Russia
“Putin’s Russia is ….an ossified structure that can only break, not bend… The uncomfortable truth is that this war is unlikely to end at a negotiating table in Geneva or Istanbul. It will end when the cost of imperial ambition becomes unbearable for the Russian elite and the broader society.”
My latest for @policymag.bsky.social
“we should not be looking for a change of heart in the Kremlin, but for signs of a systemic failure [..]
Until then, hopes for a “negotiated settlement” serve only to prolong the bloodshed. Russia will not take an off-ramp; it needs to be defeated.”
“we should not be looking for a change of heart in the Kremlin, but for signs of a systemic failure [..]
Until then, hopes for a “negotiated settlement” serve only to prolong the bloodshed. Russia will not take an off-ramp; it needs to be defeated.”
Putin's Delusion and the Myth of a Negotiated Peace - Policy Magazine
On one hand, we have President Volodymyr Zelensky’s open letter to Vladimir Putin, a document that invites the Russian president to a face-to-face meeting to
www.policymagazine.ca
June 7, 2026 at 2:43 PM
“Putin’s Russia is ….an ossified structure that can only break, not bend… The uncomfortable truth is that this war is unlikely to end at a negotiating table in Geneva or Istanbul. It will end when the cost of imperial ambition becomes unbearable for the Russian elite and the broader society.”
Reposted by Azamat Junisbai
I am struck by the clarity and depth of this comment on how Central Asian scholars/studies are going through a decolonial moment. Thank you, @judithbeyer.bsky.social, for articulating something I have long struggled to put into words and was hesitant to say.
June 5, 2026 at 3:59 PM
I am struck by the clarity and depth of this comment on how Central Asian scholars/studies are going through a decolonial moment. Thank you, @judithbeyer.bsky.social, for articulating something I have long struggled to put into words and was hesitant to say.