An investigation launched by the Romanian prosecutor's office in 2024 uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme that allowed Russian citizens to illegally obtain Romanian citizenship and, accordingly, European Union passports. According to the investigation, the scheme operated from at least 2022 to 2024 and had a well-organized, transnational structure. The basis...
The Kremlin’s “Shadow Fleet”: from sanctions to espionage
With the outbreak of a full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, the world, and Europe in particular, faced a new form of "hybrid" warfare: covert operations in international waters. Central to this strategy has been the so-called Russian "shadow fleet," which comprises over 1,000 vessels registered under shell companies and...
War without tanks. Russian influence in the European Parliament
The European Parliament, as one of the key institutions of the European Union in matters of imposing sanctions against Russia, supporting Ukraine and the EU's overall foreign policy, is a particularly important target for influence by the Kremlin. In its resolutions, the European Parliament has repeatedly expressed concern that Russia...
International Russophile movement in Russia’s hybrid influence system
In December 2025, the Council of the European Union imposed sanctions against the International Russophile Movement (IRM), adding it to the list of organisations and individuals involved in ‘hybrid threats’ from Russia and its information operations in Europe. The EU Council's decision states that, along with a number of analysts,...
Starmer vs Abramovich: the final battle for £2.5 billion in humanitarian aid for victims of the war in Ukraine
In December 2025, the British government put an end to a story that began in the spring of 2022. British Prime Minister Keit Starmer announced that Abramovich had been given 90 days to voluntarily transfer £2.5 billion from the sale of Chelsea to humanitarian aid for Ukraine, after which the...
Uninvestigated death and missing data: the Serbian trail in Moscow
The death of Radomir Kurtic, a representative of the Serbian state defense company Jugoimport-SDPR, who died in Moscow on November 17, 2025, remained virtually unnoticed by the international community until mid-December, when it was reported by the Serbian media. The Military Security Service and the Information and Security Agency (BIA)...
Core 5 Without Europe: Implications of the US Strategic Pivot
The idea of forming a new geopolitical format, tentatively called Core 5, at first glance appears to be a pragmatic response by the US to the changing world order. This bloc is expected to consist of five key powers: the US, China, Russia, India, and Japan. However, upon closer examination,...
Cannon fodder for a bloody dictator: how the Kremlin recruits mercenaries around the world
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...
Russia’s information war and Britain’s new anti-Russian sanctions
The British government's decision to impose sanctions on a number of Russian entities accused by London of participating in information warfare signals a new level of Western response to hybrid threats. In particular, restrictions were imposed on the Russian Telegram channel Rybar and its co-owner Mikhail Zvinchuk, the Foundation for...
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...