I started reporting on the Soviet Union in my twenties. Just a couple of years on I am thrilled that my first book about Putin, power and the Church is out on Thursday. Preorders: https://t.co/X0lkHKgQag

We are devastated to hear of the death of Tom Stoppard. As a corner stone of the National Theatre for 50 years, Tom’s influence on British theatre has been simply immense. https://t.co/zXKbn2Mq0O

This is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else. https://t.co/bLuBqKRrAd

https://t.co/UzZUikVnVs Lobbyists complaining bitterly that Ukraine's govt is mistreating Christians conveniently forget that it is the Russians who have killed 67 clerics and destroyed hundreds of churches in Ukraine over past 3 years.

V Grateful to @edwardlucas for his @thetimes review of the paperback edition of The Baton & The Cross. If you want to know more about why Russian clerics promise eternal life to those who go and kill Ukrainians, I'm at @StanfordsTravel Covent Gdn 19th November.

Tonight Russian missiles whooshed overhead with that awful, disgusting whistle. Even the Shaheds sound different now — upgraded, faster. I woke up this morning. Four people in Kyiv didn’t. They were killed in their beds.

It was great meeting the folks from Sherborne Historical Society this week to talk about the history of the Russian Orthodox Church and why on earth its leader unstintingly supports Putin‘s war. Paperback of The Baton & The Cross out this week ⁦@iconbooks⁩

#OpEd To endorsing "holy war" and living in luxury, the actions of Russia's religious elite are miles from the spiritual values they profess, writes @LucyAAsh. https://t.co/h4iY81Xchl

https://t.co/QDsGfeXTtL

Good piece from @BarentsObserver on the way Moscow and the Orthodox Church gather intelligence while exploiting northern Norwegians’ discontent with Oslo.

Former deputy head of Hungary’s foreign intelligence, Andras Telkes reveals that the Orban government is now fully integrated with Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service. A NATO member that is now likely passing all data directly to the Kremlin.

Delving into the underbelly of politics and state security, @LucyAAsh shows how these forces have formed an unholy alliance with Orthodoxy in the dystopia of twenty-first century Russia. Out in paperback on the 6th of November. Pre-order: https://t.co/mlv9k50A0j

The indy magazine Veter on the first Russian tourists admitted to North Korea - every rouble was worth it they said: https://t.co/nv3gESRBWS

This is a must read IMHO:

BREAKING: In defiance of Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban, protestors in Hungary stormed the streets to voice their opposition to authoritarianism. This is being almost entirely ignored by mainstream media. Let’s make it go viral.

Sergei Medvedev told me the epicentre of Anglophobia is Russia’s security community. No surprises there. But do ordinary Russians really see the UK as their country's enemy number 1 ? This report is well worthg a read: https://t.co/DKnxng1CWo

Wouldnt it be great if Russia had a real singing revolution? The grandmothers and parents should learn some new lyrics.

Fired up and ready to speak about atrocities committed by Russian paramilitaries in Africa at the Trust Conference in London.

A fascinating insight into the way the Russian Orthodox Church functions as an arm of the Kremlin abroad - this film says a church in the Czech resort of Karlovy Vary was used by as a secret meeting place for GRU agents to destabilise the EU.

Provocative, compelling and deeply necessary. The Baton and the Cross: Russia's Church from Pagans to Putin by @LucyAAsh is out in paperback on the 6th of November 2025. Pre-order: https://t.co/KnqUFsujth

We are back to threats and lies. Trump has reminded us he is an unreliable player on the world stage and not aligned with any concept of a just peace, let alone Ukrainian victory. We should also be asking whether he gives a damn about European security.