Finland is among the countries that support and consistently advocate for stronger sanctions against Russia. However, its trade statistics for 2026 have painted a contradictory picture: after a significant decline in Finnish-Russian trade volumes, imports from Russia have begun to rise again. The reason is the increased purchase of Russian...
How AfD became a haven for former Stasi agents and officers
Alternative for Germany (AfD) positions itself as a political force that opposes the current political establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany, state bureaucracy, and allegedly excessive control by intelligence services. It also promises to fundamentally change both the domestic and foreign policy agenda if it comes to power. The...
The 21st sanctions package left Russian fish untouched
In July 2026, after weeks of debate and difficult negotiations, the Council of the European Union approved the 21st package of sanctions. Yet contrary to the loud political statements that preceded it, one of the most discussed sectors of the economy vanished entirely from the final document: fisheries. As early...
Inside FSB Center 16: The secret cyber army waging war on Europe
On July 13, 2026, the European Union and the United Kingdom took an unprecedented step by announcing a coordinated package of severe sanctions. The measures targeted 9 individuals and 4 organizations directly involved in conducting destructive operations in cyberspace. Official Brussels and London openly identified the main organizer of this...
The Ukrainian card in the internal fight for the future of Poland’s conservatives
After losing power in the October 2023 parliamentary elections and suffering further drops in approval ratings, Poland’s conservative party Law and Justice (PiS) entered a deep internal crisis that, by the summer of 2026, erupted into an open confrontation between its rival influence groups and took on the characteristics of...
The digital transformation of Kremlin influence in Moldovan politics
Just a few years ago, interference in the electoral processes of states that Moscow considers to be within its geopolitical orbit was primarily associated with television propaganda, financing of loyal political forces, and the activities of openly pro-Russian organizations. However, recent events in the Republic of Moldova indicate a gradual...
The IOC has destroyed trust in world sport for Russia’s return
On July 7-8, 2026, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), chaired by IOC Executive Board member Kirsty Coventry, officially announced the preliminary lifting of the suspension on the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). The official pretext for this move was the conclusion of the IOC Legal Commission, which...
Russian missile terror in Ukraine as a modern manifestation of the Nazi “Blitz”
In the history of 20th-century wars, there are chapters that once seemed permanently closed, left behind in textbooks and archival records. One such chapter was the doctrine of “strategic bombing” of civilian populations, aimed at completely breaking a nation’s will to resist. In the autumn of 1940, Europe watched in...
The GRU Spy web under the guise of oil exports
In late November 2024, a surge of activity unfolded over strategic US and UK airbases in East Anglia—RAF Lakenheath and RAF Fairford—where the US had resumed stationing its tactical nuclear weapons in the summer of 2025. Over the course of a week, groups of unidentified, low-flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)...
Who and how is shaking up the Italian government at the behest of Moscow
The Kremlin's animosity toward Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been repeatedly demonstrated through public attacks and insults directed at her by pro-government Russian propagandists. Russia is displeased with the consistent policy of the Italian official, who has done a great deal to reduce Italy's energy dependence on the Russian...