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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Special correspondent
@TheEconomist
. Balkans, Ukraine, demography. Also
@nybooks
. Pres of
@BIRN_Network
. Shortlisted 2022 Bayeux War Reporters Prize.
Greater Balkansthejudahedition.comJoined September 2010
2,315 Following
47.3K Followers

Tim Judah’s Tweets

Tim Judah
@timjudah1
I know it is Shabbat but Rabbi Moshe Reuven Azman just welcomed more than 300 refugees, Jews & non-Jews to his synagogue in Kyiv. He helped organise their evacuation fm the hell of #Chernihiv. They were shell shocked by the Russian attacks on their town & homes. #ukraine
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Replying to
@AuschwitzMuseum
The family left Berlin immediately in 1933 for Paris and became French citizens. With the occupation she went with one daughter to the south of France and was caught in Nice after the Italian collapse in 1943. My mother, aunt and grandfather survived. Thanks for tweeting her!
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
I can’t tell you what is happening where there is fighting but my local supermarket has reopened after being closed for a week. Only a small queue. Importantly it has had deliveries including bread and milk! #Kyiv #Ukraine
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
One reason why Ukrainians are poor. You only need to skim through the Manafort indictment to see how money was vacuumed out of Ukraine.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Today in formerly Russian occupied Bucha I saw the bodies of five men who appeared to have been executed in a basement at a children’s holiday camp. Four had their hands bound with plastic ties. #ukraine
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
In the formerly Russian occupied part of Irpin Russian soldiers looted the houses which were not destroyed and drank all the alcohol they could find. Lots of destroyed Russian tanks. Bizarre scenes on the nearby now opening up motorway of traffic driving past corpses. #Ukraine️️
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Hi
@NATO_KFOR
. It is time to tell everyone what is going on in Kosovo. Communication is a big part of your job - when others are happily stoking war on social media.
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NATO Kosovo Force - KFOR
@NATO_KFOR
We all came from different parts of the world, with different cultures and military backgrounds. These months of our deployment will forever live in our hearts as special memories! Happy #InternationalFriendshipDay2022 from all of us at #KFOR!
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Some scenes from #Borodyanka today: A booby trap bomb left in a washing machine by Russian troops who slept in the house, a man who told me about his detention by Russian troops for 15 days - of 11 men 4 did are missing - and digging for bodies under a bombed block. #ukraine
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Russian TV has guest who articulates the very reasons Ukraine is against talks.
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Julia Davis
@JuliaDavisNews
Meanwhile in Russia: accused war criminal Zakhar Prilepin—who spends a lot of time on the frontlines and previously boasted of "killing many" in Ukraine—admits that Russia wants to negotiate merely to regroup and finish fighting later, any potential peace accords notwithstanding.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
In March Aleksandar Vucic said the only country that could help Serbia was China. Today he signed a document in Trump’s office agreeing to ban Huawei from Serbian 5G. This could end up being, for Serbia, one of the more significant points of the “deal” with ....Kosovo.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Really excellent piece by ⁦
@edwardlucas
⁩ in ⁦
@thetimes
⁩ today on history memory wars and what is trumpeted and what forgotten. Cautions again may British “comic book” approach to history including myth of “standing alone” in 1940.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Republic of Ilinden Macedonia (RIM) is clever. Macedonian nationalists can’t object, Greeks won’t understand it and nobody will ever use it.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Hashim Thaci and Kadri Veseli indicted for murder by the Specialist Chambers in the Hague. This rather changes everything..."crimes against humanity, war crimes, including murder, enforced disappearance of persons, persecution, and torture."
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Cities and cooperation between them is part of the future especially where national leaders can't cooperate. It is great news that WB6 mayors, plus colleagues from Greece, Turkey, BG, RO and Croatia (+ Budapest) are founding the Balkan Cities Network now b40network.org
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Serbia is a regional tech leader but this is taking it to the next level.
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Sergej Dojcinovic
@sergdojc
The President of Serbia just held a virtual rally with his supporters clapping via video stream. Looks very dystopian and creepy. twitter.com/TopalovicLaki/
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
We could be approaching a crunch point in Kosovo - Serbia dialogue following the meeting yesterday in DC between
@HashimThaciRKS
and Aleksandar Vucic.
@RichardGrenell
and Trump people would like to move quickly to a grand deal. Problem is that Thaci is a lame duck president...1/5
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Dear Kosovo friends. I wrote a piece on Kosovo in which I said someone else said Thaci was the Churchill of the Balkans. The editors of the article used that as a headline. Obviously I did not say that....
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Kosovo has found a surprising champion,
@GoncharenkoUa
a parliamentary deputy from Ukraine. Ukraine has not recognised Kosovo but he is trying to persuade the government to do so. Here he is at the Council of Europe.
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Oleksiy Goncharenko
@GoncharenkoUa
It is necessary to recognize the independence of Kosovo. It is necessary for Kosovo to become a member of the Council of Europe, and in the future - a member of the European Union. My speech in @PACE_News
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Prince Philip in 1953 with Tito. He was born on Corfu, the son of a Greek prince. His mother became a Greek Orthodox nun. He was related to the Karadjordjevics, the Yugoslav and Serbian royal family. #balkan
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Kosovo has its own dialling code from today +383. In the modern world where some dispute sovereignty that is an important symbol.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Kyiv now. Utterly peaceful. Let’s hope it is the same in the morning. A Russian attack would be insanity unleashing who knows what.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
I thought the Kosovo flare up might last for a few days like last September but, in the end, it was no more than 24 hours. I just hope all those who think KS is the new Ukraine and war is about to explode now understand that the Balkans are not Ukraine and KS is defended by NATO.
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Marija Ristić
@Marien__R
Kosovo police confirm that the two border-crossings Jarinje and Brnjak are now open for transport, following the removal of all nine barricades set up by locals yesterday evening. The implementation of the new travel regulations is postponed until September 1st. 📸@balkaninsight
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Hard to know if
@DanielJHannan
is actually insane or really has no clue whatsoever about what happened in Bosnia. The sad thing is that many will actually believe he knows what he is talking about. But above all it is sad that a serious politician should spout such craziness.
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ConservativeHome
@ConHome
From @DanielJHannan: May’s deal. It leaves us facing colonial rule from Brussels, of the sort imposed on Bosnia following the Yugoslav war. bit.ly/2B4a3Oc
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
I must say
@KRIKrs
have a lot of guts...
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KRIK
@KRIKrs
Replying to @KRIKrs
This is Andrej Vučić, the brother of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. He sits across the table from Zvonko Veselinović, one of northern Kosovo’s most notorious underworld figures. Our new story: Serbian President’s Brother Met With Infamous Criminal ➡️krik.rs/en/serbian-pre
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Whatever you think of him
@ediramaal
has played #coronavirus well. Serbia's
@avucic
has been asking for help from China and Russia and attacking the EU but Edi Rama played a superb public relations shot by sending 10 Albanian doctors and 20 nurses to Italy. #Albania #Serbia
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ATA - ATSH
@ATAgoval
Rama për "La Repubblica": Do t'ju ndihmojmë, ne nuk harrojmë që na keni shpëtuar - ata.gov.al/2020/03/30/ram
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
According to some very good sources Lavrov invited himself to Serbia, much to Vucic's irritation. If confirmed I would not be surprised if Vucic had a hand in this...and says to Lavrov: "I am just a small leader of a small country and I am so sorry there was nothing I could do!"
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Jasmin Mujanović
@JasminMuj
Reports that Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria have all closed off their airspace to flights that are intended to ferry Lavrov to Belgrade on Tuesday. Unclear how Vucic thought this would go given the Russia sanctions but an illustration of how isolated Serbia has become. twitter.com/IstragaB/statu…
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Replying to
@timjudah1
I am getting the impression that some people here think they can compare Ukraine and Kosovo. There is a big difference - NATO is in Kosovo with a cast iron commitment to defend it - a UNSC mandate that Russia voted for.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Big rally in Athens against compromise over the Macedonia name issue. Here in Skopje it is a relaxed Sunday afternoon and I don’t get the impression that anyone gives two hoots what the Greeks think. #Macedonia
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Austro-Hungarian Empire Railway Network 1912. It was easier to get around much of the region then than it is now. Then you could go by train from Lemberg (Lviv) to Ragusa (Dubrovnik)
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OnlMaps
@onlmaps
Austro-Hungarian Empire Railway Network 1912 #map #maps
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
⁦
@SPendarovski
⁩ the president of North Macedonia just made a passionate appeal asking that the borders of Serbia and Kosovo not be touched - arguing spill over to North Macedonia and Bosnia & Herzegovina would be inevitable. He is not hiding how worried he is. #bih #kosovo
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Just painful…!
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Admirim
@admirim
"I'm going to close this unless you ask another question." EU's spokespersons categorically refuse to answer whether Serbia violated the Brussels/Ohrid agreement by objecting to Kosovo's bid to join @coe. 3 different journalists ask the question, to no avail.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
If you look at the ethnic map of Serbia you can see how vulnerable Serbia will be after opening the Pandora's Box, especially from a nationalist Hungary. I think borders in the region are probably best left alone.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Sebastian Kurz came to Skopje to support the Macedonian government yesterday. He used to support the opposition. They flew the flag of Latvia to welcome him. Everyone makes mistakes. 🇲🇰🇦🇹🇱🇻
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
It is modern, cheap and efficient and most Bosnians don’t know it exists or would refuse to believe such a thing could exist. The 2x daily train on the Sarajevo-Banja Luka-Bihac line is excellent and hope
@seatsixtyone
can update his page on #BiH #Bosnia...
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Serbian military reportedly driving around close to Kosovo border and Kosovo police deploying to the north. All after Kosovo government imposes same rules on Serbian licensed vehicles as Serbia imposes on those from Kosovo. Vucic - Kurti arm wrestling but could get dangerous…
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
When they visit the White House on June 27th Kosovo leaders should prepare by having a map ready to show Trump, if they meet him, where Kosovo is. They can say "Melania comes from there and we come from here, a few doors down."
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Agron Bajrami
@AgronBajrami
#Bajramigram Just interviewed @IsaMustafaKS & he is categorical: ▪︎#Kosovo won't accept any sort of Mini-Schengen/Customs Union with #Serbia ▪︎US & EU will coordinate in due time ▪︎KS Gov. can't engage in a deal without opposition on board Tonight at 20:00 on @DeskuKoha
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Moldova. You wait for ages for something to happen and then a year of news in 48 hours. US, EU, Russia all backing the same government against oligarch Plahotniuc - must be confusing for those who have persisted in lazily framing issues there as simply Russia v West!
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Why are America’s constant massacres called “mass shootings” not terror attacks committed by terrorists? If they were Islamists they would be terrorists so what is the difference from white political fanatics? Also wonder if the constant terror attacks are affecting tourism yet?
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Today more than ever I have appreciated the real difficulties of real journalists in Kosovo and the Balkans. Sometimes it is hard coming from a Western European country to gauge just how toxic things can be and how so many play a dishonest role.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s president lays a wreath at the Cenotaph which is very fitting. It is a shame though that in discussions about WW1 in the UK only the Western Front is remembered. Salonika, Middle East, East Africa all forgotten. Gallipoli is the only exception.
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Some scenes from #Kyiv this morning: The building at Lobanovskyi Prospekt hit by a missile at 8am, (no dead), people in shelter (Perry the dog) and firemen trying to extinguish the fire in a gym underneath. #ukraine
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
Great story by
@JetaXharra
. I would like to make one point to all Balkan leaders. In all my years covering Balkan politics I can tell you that these foreign PR companies are totally useless. They will vacuum your money and the produce nothing unless you are getting a kickback.
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Prishtina Insight
@PrishtInsight
EXCLUSIVE: BIRN has discovered that in 2019 the Ministry of European Integration paid 168,000 euros to a Paris-based company that promoted the idea that ‘territorial modification’ could be a solution in the #Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. prishtinainsight.com/border-changes
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Tim Judah
@timjudah1
What I have gathered from talking to friends & contacts: People in N. Mitrovica believe trail of guilt leads north not south. In Belgrade comparisons are being made with the 1999 murder of Slavko Curuvija prob by Serbian Security Services. No evidence for anything yet of course.
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Balkan Insight
@BalkanInsight
Forensics experts found six bullets in Kosovo Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic during the autopsy on his body after he was gunned down in Mitrovica this morning. Follow our live updates: bit.ly/2DfYwy9
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