While the “shadow” fleet is the backbone of Russian energy exports, its main customers are mainly India and China, and the EU itself is no longer a key buyer of Russian crude oil and petroleum products, although it should be emphasized that Russian oil still continues to enter the EU...
Shadow from Crimea: сrimean crews in “shadow” Russian fleet’s service
The activities of the Russian fleet, in particular the tanker one, have traditionally been at the epicenter of many expert studies, but its individual components are still out of focus, and first of all this concerns the provision of these vessels with crews, that is, crewing activities. The importance of...
Migration as a weapon. Russian influence on crises in Europe
In today’s world, the migration crisis has become an acute challenge due to the dramatic increase in refugees and illegal migrants, demanding comprehensive solutions from the international community. Migration can be triggered by economic factors, wars, natural disasters, and increasingly by environmental change. Traditionally, migration was seen as a humanitarian...
Shadow of the drones over Europe. How war in Ukraine and Russian drones rewrite the EU priorities
Three years into Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Europe faces an entirely new security reality. The war itself, Russia’s increasingly regular strikes on border regions of Eastern European countries, and the repeated incursions of drones into EU airspace have made defense and security the number-one priority. What used to be...
Signa’s corruption empire: European business on the hook of russian capital
It has become almost axiomatic: behind every major corruption scandal in Europe, one inevitably finds a Russian trail. Moscow skillfully identifies unscrupulous players, offers them the chance to enrich themselves, and gradually ensnares them in a web of tainted money—erasing whatever moral compass they once had. In the process, funds...
China and Russia are holding Serbia back on the way to the EU
The Republic of Serbia has held the status of an EU candidate country since 2012 and has been in membership negotiations since 2014, but the process remains far from completion. Meanwhile, authoritarian powers such as China and Russia are by no means “sitting idly by.” Both autocracies, each in their...
The Magnitsky case: echoes in Dubai
The city of Dubai (UAE) is not only located at the crossroads of trade routes and serves as a global financial center. For quite some time now, Dubai has also become a specific place of concentration for individuals from around the world accused of crime and corruption. Dubai enjoys a...
Swedden reacts sluggishly to damage to its infrastructure
On July 19, 2023, the Defense Committee of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sweden presented a new national security policy report entitled “Serious Times.”The report provided an overview of threats, critical situations, and conclusions regarding Sweden’s course toward strengthening the country’s defense capabilities. Among other things, the authors of...
European yellow card: Brussels warns Fico’s Government
In July 2025, the European Commission published another report on the state of the rule of law, which this time brought Slovakia to the center of European discussions. The document turned out to be sharp and unambiguous: Brussels recorded a setback that touches the very essence of democracy - the...
Democratic regression: a new wave of protests in the Balkans
Unrest Across Central and Southeastern Europe Signals a Deepening Crisis of Democracy. Protests that erupted across Serbia, Slovakia, Greece, North Macedonia and Hungary in late 2024—and in some cases continue to this day—have become a stark indicator of long-simmering and unresolved social and economic tensions. More than isolated outbursts, these...