Fico accuses the West of pushing NATO toward war with Russia
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said in a video address posted on social media on Saturday that the West has for more than four years been “needlessly pouring oil on the fire” in Ukraine. In his view, the strategy of “destroying Russia” through the war has failed, and some Western…
Germany records rise in Russian disinformation targeting Chancellor Merz
Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the country’s domestic intelligence and counterintelligence agency, has recorded a marked increase in recent months in Russian disinformation directed at Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The Handelsblatt newspaper reported this on 16 September, citing a statement from the agency. According to the…
Fico says he does not want to drag Slovakia into a war “because of some Article 5” of NATO
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico publicly expressed his reluctance to fulfill obligations under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty on collective defense. He made the remarks on September 17, 2026, during a speech to students and hospital staff in Prešov. “Can you imagine, ladies and gentlemen, that Article 5…
Raiffeisen shares plunge more than 8% after sanctions-evasion allegations
Shares of Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) fell more than 8% in Thursday trading in Vienna on September 17. At one point the drop reached nearly 9%. By midday the stock was trading around €59.6–€59.8. The sell-off followed a report published by U.S. investment fund Grizzly Research. The fund said…
European Commission proposes ban on social media for children under 13
On 17 September 2026, the European Commission presented a draft of the EU Kids Act, a law designed to strengthen the protection of children online. The proposal would introduce uniform age rules for access to social networks and video platforms across the European Union. Children under 13 would be barred…