Dark and hidden: tracking Russia’s «Shadow» fleet
In August, it became known that Vladimir Matveyev, an electrical engineer from the “Volgoneft-212” tanker that sank in December 2024 in the Black Sea with a cargo of fuel oil, allegedly collected arrears in wages in court from the shipowner “Kama Shipping”, which the Russians are now apparently making the…
Migration as a weapon. Russian influence on crises in Europe
In today’s world, the migration crisis has become an acute challenge due to the dramatic increase in refugees and illegal migrants, demanding comprehensive solutions from the international community. Migration can be triggered by economic factors, wars, natural disasters, and increasingly by environmental change. Traditionally, migration was seen as a humanitarian…
Global maritime agencies tied to the Russian «Shadow» fleet
Recently, the issue of staffing the Russian “shadow” tanker fleet has begun to receive some attention, but its main focus is on business directly related to the Kremlin’s oil empire. At the same time, several structures that are daughters of powerful global maritime corporations are still under Russian jurisdiction, and…
Russian influence on the European energy sector and the political stability of the EU
One of the central issues on today’s civilizational agenda is energy. Humanity’s growing needs require ever more energy, and the world’s leading minds are seeking all possible reliable sources of supply to counterbalance traditional hydrocarbons and nuclear power. Yet oil and gas are in no hurry to surrender their positions,…
Exercise West-2025: spy networks and new security challenges. Geopolitical tensions on Europe’s eastern borders
The autumn of 2025 has drawn the attention of the international community to two major military events. The first was a parade in Beijing, showcasing China’s rapidly advancing military capabilities, and the second is the large-scale Zapad-2025 exercises currently taking place in Belarus with the participation of Russian armed forces….