The Swiss banking system has been considered a benchmark for stability, reliability and the highest standards of confidentiality for decades. The combination of these factors has made the country one of the centers of international private banking. However, in recent years, Swiss banks have increasingly found themselves at the center...
How Russia uses deepfake videos and bot farms for information influence in Europe
The information space of Europe has become another battlefield, where, in addition to traditional propaganda, artificial intelligence technologies have begun to be used, which help manipulate information flows and present them in a way that is beneficial to the Russian Federation. In Russia, these technologies have been mastered at a...
Slovakia becomes second Hungarian outpost against Brussels
The return of Robert Fico to the post of Prime Minister in 2023 has launched the process of "orbanization" of Slovakia. Bratislava is increasingly copying the Hungarian model of governance in all key areas of the state. This course involves not only the dismantling of anti-corruption structures, the usurpation of...
How Central Asia became a main hub for evading Russian sanctions
Since the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions in 2022, the countries of Central Asia (CA) and the CIS have become a center of “gray” imports to Russia and the main channel for circumventing sanctions. Parallel imports through Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Georgia have shown impressive growth rates over the past few years....
Science in exile: American scientists leave the US and what Europe gains in return
When Donald Trump began his second presidential term in early 2025, few observers predicted that this era would be a turning point for American science. However, over the past year, the US scientific community has become an unwitting participant in processes far from scientific. Many experts believe that grant cuts,...
Kremlin seeks to restore cooperation between Sberbank and Emirati fund Mubadala
The basis of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the UAE has always been trade, energy (cooperation within OPEC+) and the financial services market. Russia received significant financial investments from the Emirates in its large infrastructure and logistics projects. After 2022, the UAE, under sanctions, became a key financial and...
From legend to reality: How a “shadow fleet” turned sailors into prisoners of ghost ships
Historically, the term "ghost ship" was associated with legends of drifting vessels without crews. However, in the 21st century, it has acquired a new, far more sinister meaning. This refers not to mysterious disappearances, but to the systemic practice of abandoning seafarers by shipowners. According to the definition enshrined in...
Unequal opportunities and complexities of the electoral process in Hungary
Before Viktor Orbán came to power in 2010, Hungary was a relatively free democracy with a high level of freedom of speech and media pluralism. Freedom House in its assessments defined Hungary as “a free democracy with a high level of civil liberties and political rights”. Over the more than...
Russia’s energy terror in Ukraine has caused a shortage of charging stations in the EU
European countries have unexpectedly encountered a shortage of portable charging stations in their markets. As it turned out, this is due to permanent Russian air attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Massive attacks by Russian troops using missiles and drones against critical infrastructure in Ukraine have been ongoing for four consecutive...
Hybrid warfare at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic arena
A few days before the opening ceremony of the XXV Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italian authorities announced the thwarting of a series of cyberattacks targeting Olympic venues and Italian government websites. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani publicly announced this, stating that the attacks had a "Russian...