At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia tried a method that few expected to see in the 21st century, namely the mass recruitment of prisoners into combat units. Independent investigations have shown that at least 48,000 Russian prisoners were recruited into the Wagner private military company with promises...
The new US strategy: implications for Europe
In December 2025, the US administration officially published a new National Security Strategy (NSS), the content of which came as a shock to European politicians. The document declares a clear reorientation of American priorities, with the Indo-Pacific region being declared the main theater of global competition, while Europe formally remains...
Legal traps: as «Fides» puts the Hungarian opposition out of play
Against the backdrop of rhetoric about “protecting sovereignty,” Hungary's ruling Fidesz party is systematically shifting the political struggle from the realm of ideology to the realm of law. A new wave of bills and institutional changes is creating legal barriers that not only complicate the work of opposition parties and...
Spain – a new wave of far-right revival
There is a steady trend in Europe toward the growing popularity of far-right parties and movements. This also applies to the political landscape in Spain, where the nationalist-conservative and right-wing radical party Vox, founded in 2013, is gaining popularity. Recent polls show that support for Vox is growing steadily. As...
Gunvor and the Kremlin: How the «reboot» scheme hides the Russian trail
The news that Torbjörn Törnqvist, the long-standing principal shareholder of oil and gas company Gunvor, is selling 100% of his stake and stepping down from all positions is, in fact, yet another scheme to take the company into the shadows and an attempt to hide the real beneficiaries behind a...
Accident at Baikonur and Russian space «prospects»
The night launch of the Soyuz-MS-28 carrier rocket from Baikonur on the night of November 28 ended with the successful arrival of three crew members at the ISS but turned into an unexpected crisis for the Russian space industry. During the launch, elements of the launch complex at pad 31/6...
Dangerous cargo from Moscow: the Lithuanian episode of the hidden war
The summer of 2024 turned out to be “eventful.” A series of fires and explosions in parcels at DHL and DPD freight hubs in Europe—the UK, Germany, and Poland—led to large-scale counterterrorism investigations and raised the question in the West of whether this was part of an organized campaign controlled...
Drug trafficking as geopolitics: Afghan heroin and Russian Interests
Afghanistan continues to be the world leader in opium and heroin production and is “adapting” drug trafficking routes to new geopolitical conditions. One of these, the so-called “Northern Corridor” through Central Asia and Russia, is increasingly becoming the focus of European and international reports. This is not just a matter...
How Swarovski Optik continues to get into Russia despite sanctions
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many observers expected European companies, especially those with strong reputations, to immediately cease all cooperation with the aggressor. However, as it turns out, a significant number of European companies, including some with global reputations, have continued their business ties with Russia....
The political crisis in France and the economy: what to expect next
For several months, France has been plunged into a new spiral of political turbulence that not only threatens the stability of its institutions, but directly affects its economic state. Behind this crisis lies not only a decline in the credibility of the government, but also serious socio-economic risks: rising debt,...