The freeze in U.S. foreign assistance — including key support for independent journalism via USAID — has dealt Eastern Europe not only a financial but also a political shock. Within weeks, newsrooms that for years investigated corruption, government procurement, and abuse of power found themselves on the brink of project...
Europe on a military budget: how war and NATO’s new 5% of GDP target are reshaping the EU’s social agenda
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), global military spending surged by 9.4% in 2024, reaching $2.718 trillion—the largest annual increase ever recorded. The main driver of this spike was Europe (including Russia), where expenditures rose by 17% to $693 billion, surpassing levels seen at the end of...
Dirty Payments: how Worldline and Payone allowed billions in suspicious online transactions to flow for years
In the digital payments industry, where trillions of euros change hands annually, European giant Worldline and its German subsidiary Payone have become embroiled in a major scandal. An investigation by European Investigative Collaborations (EIC), published on June 25, 2025, revealed how the companies systematically serviced high-risk clients for over a...
Europe’s industrial pivot: an arms boom fueled by the war in Ukraine
An analysis of human history leads to a sobering conclusion: the story of our civilization is not one of peaceful creation, but of military conflict. But, strange as it may seem, it is war that has often driven technological development. A prime example is World War II, which spurred a...
Russia and the European elites
The Mechanics of Covert Influence Russia’s attempts to exert influence over the political and economic elites of the European Union have long ceased to be speculative—they are now an undeniable reality. What’s more, this influence has shown the capacity to shape strategic decisions within individual EU member states. Through a...
Russian Money and Europe’s Radical Forces: Hidden Influence and Its Consequences
A pressing issue in European politics over the past decade has been the increasing activity of radical parties and their connections with Russia. Regardless of the national context in which they operate, certain patterns stand out: these parties often serve as “platforms” for Moscow, facilitating direct or indirect attempts to...
“Access to Alaska”: Putin’s bet on Trump and the risks for Europe
The current meeting in Anchorage is more than a symbolic “halfway point” between the United States and Russia. For the Kremlin, it’s an attempt to breach the sanctions wall via localized economic engagement with Alaska — from the fishing industry and technical flight arrangements to critical minerals and oil-and-gas ventures....
Finance, Media, Politics: Russia’s Footprint in Europe’s Far-Right Movements
Across Europe, concern is mounting over persistent foreign interference in domestic politics — a trend that becomes particularly visible ahead of key events such as elections. One of the most frequently used channels for such meddling, according to investigative reports, is the cultivation of radical or far-right political forces whose...
EU defense budgets: procurement under the cover of war — a golden hour for middlemen
Nothing galvanizes the military sector—from soldier training to weapons manufacturing and procurement—like the looming specter of war. This assertion is no longer theoretical; it’s been vividly illustrated by the events unfolding on Europe’s eastern frontier. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, European states and Kyiv’s...
EU Enlargement: investment engine or corruption accelerator?
Despite internal turmoil and external threats, the European Union is moving swiftly to bring Moldova, the Western Balkans, and Ukraine closer to its doorstep — a step Brussels frames as a strategic choice aimed at bolstering democracy and economic stability in the region. Yet behind the lofty declarations of a...