Despite expanding sanctions, European industrial and navigation technologies continue to reach Russia and Belarus through intermediaries, concealed end users, and re-exports from third countries. Investigations and law-enforcement statements released in August–September 2026 showed that the weak point of the sanctions regime remains control over goods after they have formally left...
Russia is stepping up hybrid influence over the EU election cycle
The autumn 2026 election cycle gives Russia an opportunity to influence political processes in several EU countries at once — Germany, Sweden, Latvia and Bulgaria. The Kremlin has long used information-psychological operations to affect elections. Its core goal remains unchanged: to shape a favorable information environment for loyal politicians and...
What threats does Russian hackers’ use of AI pose to Europe
The use of artificial intelligence in planning and carrying out cyberattacks takes them to a new level. It allows attackers to find ways around individual defensive mechanisms more quickly, automate intrusion, and run complex operations with a smaller team of skilled specialists. A telling example came on 27 August 2026,...
Anatomy of the Russian gray zone in Germany and its political effect
On 1 September 2026, the German federal government attributed to the Russian Federation an attempted sabotage using unmanned aerial vehicles at Leipzig Airport. According to assessments by Germany’s interior and foreign ministers, as well as the police investigation, the nature of the means employed and the available intelligence indicate actions...
How AfD’s campaign against wind power serves the Kremlin’s interests and could harm Germany
Against the backdrop of the state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD has turned its fight against wind energy into a tool for mobilizing voters and an argument for returning to Russian energy supplies. On 26 August 2026, NDR noted that in its propaganda materials about wind turbines the party...
Support for Ukraine is becoming a target of hybrid attacks across the EU
Throughout 2026, warnings regularly appeared in the European information space that Russia was preparing new hybrid operations against NATO countries. Those warnings were not unfounded. Western intelligence services have repeatedly said that Moscow uses sabotage, cyberattacks and information campaigns as tools of political pressure on the West. In the second...
Why Eastern Germany has again become a target of Russia’s hybrid operation
In July 2026, the German-speaking segments of X, TikTok and Bluesky were hit by a wave of professionally fabricated content: short, fast-paced videos dressed in the graphics and lower-thirds of leading European outlets — Der Spiegel, ZDF and Eurostat. In one clip produced with deepfake technology, “journalists” claimed that the...
Russia is infiltrating the EU with its radical agents from African countries
The case of prominent Pan-African activist Kemi Seba could become one of the most illustrative examples of how influence networks established by Russia in Africa may now be used against Europe itself. On 16 April 2026, the Associated Press reported that Kemi Seba was detained in Pretoria by South African...
How the EU’s post-covid recovery fund lost €5 billion due to inadequate auditing
Large-scale fraud involving the EU’s post-COVID recovery fund has been under close scrutiny from journalists and the European public for an extended period. The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) was established to support the recovery of European countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of billions of euros were intended...
Slovenia has proved vulnerable to the threat of Russian espionage
The car accident involving Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar in late July 2026 raised a number of questions not only regarding the organisation of her security but also concerning potential shortcomings and significant counterintelligence gaps in the protection of the head of state. The incident attracted additional attention because the...