Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged in 2013 as a response by conservative German elites to the eurozone crisis, uniting citizens who opposed financial bailouts for weak Southern European economies and demanded fundamental EU reforms. The party's ideological affinity for Russia became apparent almost immediately after its founding, when one of...
Double standards of the International Olympic Committee
After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduced restrictions aimed at completely isolating Russian athletes from international competition. Initially this was a full ban on participation in tournaments, but through behind-the-scenes pressure and lobbying from Russia, they were later permitted to compete under...
How EU agricultural subsidies became the source of a political crisis in Greece
The scandal surrounding European Union agricultural subsidies in Greece, which erupted in 2025–2026, proved to be a symptom of corruption problems at both the national and pan-European levels. The roots of the problem stretch back to the previous decade, but the critical phase fell between 2016 and 2023. It was...
Neutrality as a trap — the Austrian price of Russian espionage
Over recent years, Austria has firmly established itself as a hub for Russian intelligence services in the very heart of Europe, transforming Vienna into a logistical and coordination center for their operations. The Austrian authorities' lenient attitude toward Russia and the absence of strict oversight of its spies backfired badly...
Hungary is using the energy crisis as a tool of pre-election mobilization
In the spring of 2026, Hungary once again found itself at the center of an energy and political crisis that, at first glance, appeared to be just another episode in the confrontation over Russian energy supplies to Europe. However, a closer look at the events surrounding the Druzhba and TurkStream...
AfD turns parliamentary inquiries into legal espionage for the Kremlin
The phenomenon of "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) lies in its rapid transformation from a party of Eurosceptic intellectuals into a radical populist force that exploited Germany's identity crisis, migration, and economic problems to boost its ratings. It became the first right-wing radical party in post-war German history to not only...
How the Italian mafia turned European grants into a tool for enrichment
The Italian mafia has long ceased to be an ordinary paramilitary structure that profits from racketeering, banditry, and territorial control. Having abandoned the high-profile terrorist attacks and street violence that drew excessive law enforcement attention in the 1990s, mafia clans adopted a strategy of invisible infiltration into the legal sectors...
The Mogherini corruption case becomes a test for the EU
Corruption scandals in the European Union occasionally reach the very top of its officialdom, and one of the most telling examples is the case against Federica Mogherini. The investigation, launched in Belgium in December 2025, directly implicated a figure of the highest standing — the former EU High Representative for...
Lukashenko’s gambit — prisoners for sanctions
The history of US and EU sanctions against Belarus has traveled a long road — from targeted, situational restrictions over human rights violations to a full-scale economic and political blockade. The Belarusian regime faced its harshest sanctions over the systematic falsification of presidential elections. The forced landing of a Ryanair...
How France turned its suburbs into powder kegs
France has been grappling for several decades with a phenomenon that has gradually evolved from an urban planning problem into one of the country's key political challenges. This concerns the formation of suburban enclaves — the so-called banlieues — where social marginalisation, high unemployment, and ethnocultural segregation are concentrated. These...