Russian Permanent Representative Nebenzya tried to disrupt Zelenskyy's speech at the UN, he was calmed down by the prime minister of Albania Nebenzya was outraged that Zelenskyy would speak second after UN Secretary General António Guterres. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama,

He's at it again. On Friday Putin spoke to Russia's Civic Chamber. Usual rant about the Nazi Ukrainian leadership and the need to protect Russian culture in both Ukraine and...Russia. And he resumed mentioning the Ukrainian south as New Russia. Russian imperialism or what?

New book out today. History of the Russian Revolution. From above, from below. The Great War as well as the year 1917 and the Civil War. Not just Nicholas II, Kerensky and Lenin but also the vivid diaries of 'ordinary people'1914-1924. A fresh look. amazon.co.uk/Blood-Snow-Rus…

For anyone who wants to know about the carnage and persecutions that the Russian Imperial Army inflicted in Ukraine in WWI, please take a look at my new book, Blood on the Snow. At times a near-holocaust, and the victims were Imperial subjects... amazon.co.uk/Blood-Snow-Rus…

Another thing that's covered in 'Blood on the Snow' is the recognition of Ukraine's territory and autonomy by the Provisional Government in 1917. So much for Putin's claim that 'Ukraine' didn't exist until Lenin invented it in 1920. amazon.co.uk/Blood-Snow-Rus…

While Putin deluges us with pseudo-history, we should note that the decision to allocate the Donbas to Ukraine in 1920, was not on Lenin's whim but after bitter dispute inside the communist party. Lenin, unlike Putin, had to take his party into account. amazon.co.uk/Blood-Snow-Rus…

Addressing the World Russian People's Council on 28 November, Putin claimed that the West is openly trying to break up and 'decolonise' Russia. No evidence supplied by him, only assertion. More likely the West seeks to prevent Ukraine's recolonisation...

Putin on 28 November depicted Stalin as having deliberately nudged the Russian people back towards their Christian faith. Not only an historically unsound connection, but yet another sign of creeping official rehabilitation for Uncle Joe.

It may never become law but it's a further sign of the times that the State Duma is currently discussing a bill to extract a 'loyalty' commitment from foreigners staying in Russia. Not even North Korea or Saudi Arabia does this. Sinisterly comical. spectator.co.uk/article/putins…

At his annual press conference today, not held for two years, Putin announced three war aims: demilitarisation, denazification and Ukraine as a neutral power. Good to have clarity or just another set of slogans clouded with some obscurity? Really a demand for total surrender.

Here's a piece for The Spectator on the centenary of Lenin's death: spectator.co.uk/article/we-sti…

Tucker Carlson sits in a long line of Western journalists who were fools for the Kremlin. H.G.Wells interviewed Stalin in 1934 but after drooling about happy Soviet faces - in a time of famine - had the gumption to criticise the lawlessness in the USSR. Carlson, fool or knave?

Alexei Navalny found dead in prison. Shame on the Putin regime: to let die - or cause to die - the leading spokesman for the political opposition...For years he was banned from standing in elections. He was savagely poisoned. Yet still he still he fought on. Until now.

Oxford Literary Festival, 24 March: discussion of Russia past and present between Geoffrey Robertson and me, with Stephen Law in the chair. By then we'll know the result of the Russian presidential election, I think.

So Putin arrived on stage to celebrate his 'election' as president. But he didn't. He asked for applause for the 'reunification' of Crimea back in 2014. Perhaps he realised that a Putinfest for the yet-again presidency would be a selfie too far.

Here's an interview I gave just before the Russian presidential 'election' for Radio Free Europe. An attempt to put things in an historical perspective and to show that Putin is taking a risk by 'personalising' his political order. rferl.org/a/interview-hi…

What’s happening at Thames Water. Been waiting a day and a half from its eager ‘virtual assistant’ for an explanation of its water problem in London N8. Does the new AI system mean that they don’t feel the need to communicate? A full day and a half…

I've done an interview with Andrew Roberts for his Secrets of Statecraft series - it's an overview of Soviet history as well as a link with the Putin years. Here it is: hoover.org/research/rober…

There's some chatter on the Internet alleging that I think Trotsky was an unimportant historical figure. Untrue. Trotsky was very important indeed but was widely misunderstood and, unfortunately, remains so. He even misunderstood himself. Hence why I wrote his biography.

Should be a good day tomorrow at the Gloucester History Festival - World War One and the Russian Revolution at 10.30 a.m. Talk and Q&A. gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk/events/blood-o…