Maxime Marquette
MadMax is an independent bilingual news outlet based in Québec, publishing analysis on geopolitics, technology, democracy, and culture.
Our mission: rigorous, source-cited analysis carried out with full editorial independence — no sponsorship, no party line.
Our editorial standards: sources are cited inline, corrections are fixed and logged publicly, and any use of artificial intelligence is disclosed.
“Burn rather than rot. Write rather than stay silent.”
Fire first. Sentences after. No lukewarm takes.
Always answer the strongest version of the opposing point. No strawmen.
No commissioned pieces. No editorial masters. No compromise.
Columns by Maxime Marquette
4,540 columns published
EDITORIAL: Russia's shadow fleet, a maritime empire under Ukrainian fire
Ukrainian forces claimed strikes on 21 vessels linked to the Russian shadow fleet in 72 hours in early July 2026, according to Fox News…
INVESTIGATION: The ruble of war, what Western observers take away from it
Russia's 2026 budget counts on oil and gas revenue of 8.9 trillion rubles, according to The Moscow Times on October 28, 2025.
REPORT: Omsk shut down, a strategic reading of Russia's largest refinery
The Omsk refinery, Russia's largest with 21 million tons of annual capacity, suspended processing after a drone strike, according to Reuters on July 7,…
DECODING: The state of play on Pyongyang, the quiet supplier of Russia's war
There is a number that, since it was published, has been circulating without really being absorbed by the public: 29,488 munitions containers are reported…
ANALYSIS: Russia's shell industry, one month on, a cold read
A number surfaced at the end of February 2026 and has barely left the conversation among military analysts since: Russian shell production is now…
OP-ED/NOTE: why Rosneft and Lukoil under US sanctions matter more than it seems
On October 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury confirmed sanctions targeting Rosneft and Lukoil directly, the two largest Russian oil companies, a…
FACT CHECK: the Russian oil price cap extended to 2027, in five numbers
A Russian presidential decree has confirmed the extension of the oil price cap mechanism through the end of 2027, a decision that mirrors the…
PORTRAIT: field notes on jet fuel that vanished from the shelves
On June 1, 2026, the Moscow Times reported that a ban on exporting Russian jet fuel had just taken effect, extended through the end…
COMMENTARY: Russia Bans Its Diesel Exports, the Questions Few Are Asking
On July 8, 2026, Reuters confirmed that a Russian deputy prime minister had just announced a ban on diesel exports for the entire month…