Croatia is launching its most ambitious military overhaul in decades, with parliamentary approval for four major defence projects totaling €1.945 billion. Driven by heightened geopolitical tensions in the Balkans and Europe, particularly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the initiative aims to create a faster, smarter, and more mobile armed forces...
Germany examines nationalising Rosneft arm after Trump sanctions
U.S. sanctions on Russian oil producer Rosneft have rekindled discussions in Germany about nationalising the company’s business there, including a refinery that Berlin depends on for most of its fuel, two sources familiar with the talks told Reuters. The situation highlights the complex web linking Germany with Russia, which supplied...
EU urges Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland to lift unilateral bans on Ukrainian farm exports
The European Commission will hold talks with Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland to persuade them to drop unilateral restrictions on certain Ukrainian agricultural exports now that a renewed EU-Ukraine trade deal has taken effect. Deputy Chief Spokesperson Olof Gill made the announcement at a press conference in Brussels on 31 October....
Europe’s 12-point bid for peace in Ukraine
As the war in Ukraine grinds into its fourth year, the European Union finds itself thrust into the diplomatic spotlight amid a backdrop of frustration and finger-pointing. With U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitious peace initiatives hitting repeated roadblocks – exemplified by the postponement of a planned summit with Russian President...
FSB Expands Powers Over “Troubled Youth”
The spy agency has drafted legislation that would allow FSB officers to take part in the work of juvenile commissions across the country and feed intelligence on so-called “troubled youth” into government blacklists and databases. The FSB’s new prison-and-detention empire, relaunched only this summer, will also be folded into the...
Romania announces downsizing of U.S. forces on NATO’s eastern flank
Bucharest insists the decision is not a withdrawal but a rotation adjustment, and that 1.000 U.S. soldiers will remain in the country. Romania’s Ministry of National Defence confirmed on Wednesday (29 October) that the United States plans to reduce the number of troops deployed on NATO’s eastern flank, including those...
Sanctions gone: Dodik hails Trump, Republika Srpska opposition cries treason
The U.S. announced on 29 October the removal of sanctions imposed on Milorad Dodik, the former president of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on 29 October the removal of sanctions imposed on Milorad Dodik, the former president of Bosnia...
Russian state company defies Western sanctions with covert Sofia property sale
Russia's state-owned Goszagransobstvennost organised a secret auction to sell a property in the most expensive area of the Bulgarian capital. The Russian state-owned firm Goszagransobstvennost has organised a secret auction for the sale of a property in one of the most expensive areas of Sofia, according to the Bulgarian investigative...
Estonian experts dismissed rumors of spy gear at the Estonia ferry wreck
A number of German publications reported on the possible placement by Russia on the remains of the ship Estonia devices for monitoring the movement of ships in the Baltic Sea. However, the Estonian Ministry of Defence denied this information in an interview with ERR. According to the representatives of the...
EU to pool companies’ demand to buy more non-Russian gas
The EU is seeking to rapidly increase its LNG imports from the U.S,, according to a trade deal with President Donald Trump. The EU is seeking to rapidly increase its LNG imports from the U.S,, according to a trade deal with President Donald Trump. That will require countries still receiving...