Sanctions and Romanian passports with false origins
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…